Upcoming Workshops Must-have information accessible from wherever you are! If you are a tenant or a landlord, this is a workshop you won’t want to miss! Learn about rights and responsibilities when it comes to fair housing. Plus learn about…
The County Board of Supervisors on April 27 voted unanimously to approve a Memorandum of Understanding between the County and the City of Oxnard detailing the conceptual framework for the development and operation of a permanent Homeless Solutions Center for people experiencing homelessness.
“We appreciate our partnership with the City of Oxnard and their leadership in addressing the needs of the unsheltered in our communities,” said County Executive Officer Michael Powers. “Homelessness can happen to anyone: a job loss, a medical condition, missing a rent payment, a costly car repair; any type of crisis. There are many ways in which someone can become homeless and only one way really to solve it. Homelessness ends when everyone has a home. Providing supportive services and housing helps those in need make it home.”
Homes with Heart VC, a program of Ventura County Children and Family Services, is recruiting loving families in Ventura County to open their homes to older youth in care. Transitional aged youth (TAY) are between the ages of 16-25 and are at a point in their lives where love, guidance, and mentorship are critical for their future independence.
Currently, the county has over 200 TAY youth and homes are in higher demand than ever before. A safe place to call home can provide older youth with stability and teach them valuable skillsets in preparation for a successful future. By taking the first steps to become a resource family, you can make a large difference as they step forward into the rest of their life.
More destructive than earthquakes, thunderstorms and floods, termites are a potent force of nature. Termites are insidious. They are one of the biggest threats to our homes, though they are minuscule, nearly invisible, and silent.
In 2018, the National Pest Management Association produced a video that would strike fear into the heart of any homeowner: Tiny Termite House. A team of researchers built the “Tiny Termite House,” a miniature, doll-house version of a typical “dream home.” It even had hardwood floors, electricity, and plumbing. Upon completion, the researchers introduced a mass of termites onto the idyllic “property,” much like a swarm might arrive to colonize their chosen real estate. The researchers then filmed and watched the results over time with a combination of horror, awe, and fascination. The video shows the massive, horren
On Friday, April 30, 7th-12th-grade students from seven public schools in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties participating in the MERITO Foundation’s EECCOA Challenge 2021 will be competing for cash and in-kind prizes with their environmental business proposals focused on water conservation, energy efficiency, or waste reduction in their homes, or to educate a community about ocean acidification. In the past, the program focused on reducing the environmental footprint of school campuses, but this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most students have been learning remotely. As a result, the challenge was adapted to allow students to submit proposals that reduce the environmental footprint of their homes. The main sponsors and partners of the EECCOA Program and EECCOA Virtual Challenge 2021 Awards Event are NOAA B-WET Grant, Ventura Water, Clean Power Alliance, and the City of Ventura’s Environmental Sustainability. The event will take place virtually on Friday, April 30 between 4:00 and 5:30 pm and will be live-streamed on the MERITO Foundation’s Facebook page.
If you are a regular reader of our eNews, you will have noticed from past ‘People of People’s’ articles that we are a diverse and talented organization (see the following story on Top 50 Women in Business!) With over 200 employees, working across fifteen departments, our mission is executed by industry professionals with wide-ranging talents, a variety of perspectives, and all from very different backgrounds.
Our investment in internally creating opportunities for advancement has yielded impressive bench depth, cross pollination of ideas, and strong communication within our teams. Being able to move our mission forward through a ‘shared leadership’ model is not only allowing us to stay in tune with our team members, but also importantly with the cherished residents we serve.
Finding a way to ensure homeless families in need are given a chance to have success in life is a challenging task. The City Center however, has a 100 percent success rate at helping graduates rebuild their lives. Since 2014, 253 people have graduated from its program debt free with full-time employment and reliable transportation, representing 78 families who will never return to homelessness.
Led by Executive Director, Jim Duran, The City Center has worked to lift people out of homelessness or defeat with the help of its onsite staff, case managers, therapists, and mentors.
“It’s giving a hand up, rather than a handout,” said Duran. “Each family receives the help and guidance they need to find and hold jobs, leave all government support behind, and learn to care for themselves and their children.”
COVID-19 Update
There are 28 new COVID-19 cases. There have been 4,942 new tests performed. There have been 0 additional deaths.
Doubling time is 1,930.9 days.
The current R-effective (average number of people each infected person will pass the virus onto and represents the rate at which COVID-19 is spreading) is .83 which means that spread of COVID-19 is likely decreasing; R-effective for CA is .78 right now.
597,454 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. 54.6% of the population age 16 and older have received the 1st dose of the vaccine.
Click here for information about COVID-19 testing.
Click here for information about the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy for information about the guidance for different sectors. The County remains in the Orange Tier for at least 2 more weeks.
Vaccine eligibility is now open to everyone 16 and older. Make your appointment today at myturn.ca.gov or 833-422-4255.
www.venturacountyrecovers.org
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC), on behalf of the newly formed Housing Land Trust Ventura County, has entered into a disposition and development agreement to receive donated land valued at $840,000 from the City of Oxnard. Located at 241 West Second Street, the unused city land will be developed as the future home of the Homeless Solutions Center, a supportive housing development that will provide 55 permanent housing units, 120 shelter beds and 24-hour supportive services for the homeless population.
“In 2020 we formed the Housing Land Trust Ventura County as a way to provide lasting community assets and permanently affordable housing opportunities for families, workers and fixed-income residents in our County,” said Linda Braunschweiger, CEO of Housing Trust Fund VC and Housing Land Trust Ventura County. “By working to acquire donated land and preserve it for affordable housing developments we remove the most cost-prohibitive part of building affordable homes, which is the high cost of land.” Braunschweiger notes that Housing Land Trust Ventura County is designated by the State of California as a Supporting Nonprofit comprised of an 11-member Board of Directors who are working to identify and receive donated land in the region that can be developed to provide affordable housing on a 99-year lease for either rental housing or home ownership. The new nonprofit will not act as a developer but rather work with affordable housing developers selected through an RFP process. The land donated by the City of Oxnard is the first such project for the newly formed Housing Land Trust Ventura County.
When Westside Ventura resident Matthew Bello went on a walk in his neighborhood on April 14, 2020, he saw something he did not expect:
Cars and trucks parked inside the SoCalGas property at 1555 North Olive Street, and a flurry of activity on the usually quiet site. At least a half-dozen workers with shovels were digging a trench in the large dirt lot adjacent to the hulking natural gas compressor station.
Most passersby might not think much of this activity. They’d likely chalk it up to another construction project along The Avenue’s always-busy corridor. But lucky for his neighbors, Bello is part of the newly formed Westside Clean Air Coalition, a community group focused on protecting air quality for all who live and go to school on The Avenue. The group has been following plans for 1555 North Olive closely – a property that has a history of soil contamination and air pollution dating back at least one hundred years. He knew what many would not:
Ventura County Public Works Agency’s Roads & Transportation (VCPWA-RT) announced today the adoption of its first ever Active Transportation Project (ATP) statewide grant totaling $6,195,000 for its El Rio Pedestrian Improvement and Safe Routes to School Project. ATP funds support active transportation projects including pedestrian, bikes and transit.
Funding allocation for design of the El Rio Pedestrian Improvement and Safe Routes to School project is expected in 2022, with construction planned for 2024. The project’s safety improvements include construction of 2.15 miles of sidewalks on both sides of Stroube, Walnut and Cortez Streets respectively, traffic-calming curb extensions, water-retention areas, rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB), and crosswalk improvements.
If you have a heart for helping others and want to make a positive impact in your community we’d like you on our team! You’ll enjoy a fast paced and collaborative working environment and a comprehensive benefits package including a generous paid time off plan, paid holidays, various health insurance plans including a plan offering 100% premium coverage for employee. Click below to learn more about our open positions.
The County of Ventura will move to the State’s Orange Tier effective Wednesday, April 7 at 12:01 am. The California Department of Public Health announced today that the County has met the State’s metrics to move forward.
As the massive national vaccination effort gains momentum for winning the war against COVID-19, the economic damage from the pandemic persists and will be felt by Americans well into the future. According to Out of Reach 2020, a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in the first half of 2020 alone, “the economic situation for low-wage workers has precipitously worsened: in June the Department of Labor reported that over 34 million people were receiving or had applied for unemployment insurance. More than half of all low-income households experienced job or income loss because of the pandemic. Many low-wage workers could not afford their housing before the crisis, and they will need even more help now.” What has become clear during the public health crisis is that housing IS healthcare; staying at home is key to protecting public health. The report goes on to emphasize that, “Not everyone, unfortunately, is stably housed in a safe and adequate environment, and government action to help secure that environment is both morally vital and prudent.”
Locally owned, independent real estate agency Village Properties has garnered recognition as one of the nation’s top brokerage companies based on average sales price for homes sold last year.
RealTrends, the country’s leading source of analysis and information on the residential real estate industry, placed Village Properties among the top three firms nationwide in the average sales price by volume category for 2020. The Santa Barbara-based brokerage ranked ahead of all but two real estate agencies across the country.
This Friday, we have a wonderful speaker for you to hear at our first annual United to End Homelessness Symposium. I will have the honor of interviewing author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Matthew Desmond. His book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, was named one of Time’s Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade. It was also hailed by Bill Gates: “Desmond has written a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. He gave me a better sense of what it is like to be poor in this country than anything else I have read.”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), and RISE is inviting SLO County residents to show support for those who have experienced sexual assault or sexual abuse by taking a pledge to believe the survivors in their lives.
By making a donation of $25 or more, those who take the pledge will have multiple opportunities to win prizes like wine tastings, golf outings, dining experiences, and more! Beginning April 19th, through the end of the month, RISE will be going LIVE on Facebook every weekday at 2 pm, to demystify myths about Sexual Assault and to announce raffle winners. This is an easy and fun way to let survivors know that “SLO County Believes” and to support ongoing, donation-based services for local survivors.
“It is important to recognize how difficult it is for a survivor to disclose what they have experienced,” says Jane Pomeroy, Executive Director of RISE, “and if they receive a negative response from the first person they turn to, they are unlikely to tell anyone else, to seek services from organizations like RISE, or to report the incident to law enforcement.”
The State of California recently launched the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program to aid income-qualified tenants who are most at risk of eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing financial assistance for unpaid rent and utilities.
In keeping with Governor Gavin Newsom’s commitment to ensuring individuals and families stay housed during – and despite – the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians who have experienced a financial hardship because of the pandemic and who are most at-risk of eviction can now apply for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program to help pay past due rent. Beginning today, renters and landlords can check eligibility and apply by visiting HousingIsKey.com or by calling 833-430-2122 toll-free, seven days a week.
“For hundreds of thousands of renters and small property owners, there is more light at the end of the tunnel,” said Governor Newsom. “We have the strongest eviction protections in the nation and, beginning today, we are providing greatly needed financial support to both renters and small property owners in need of assistance to pay their mortgages, with a focus on racial and geographic equity.”
The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) is the largest developer of affordable homes in Ventura County. With 24 properties, 1,159 homes and future projects in development, the organization is celebrating 40 years of home.
Founded in 1981, Cabrillo EDC’s early roots were in response to a farmworker community’s demand for secure housing. Rooted in community-building and ongoing support, their mission aims to provide comprehensive affordable housing services and community economic development activities to residents most lacking in opportunity.
If you’re an income eligible renter who has experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19 and have past due rent, or you’re a landlord who has experienced a loss in income because of unpaid rent, you may be eligible to get financial assistance now through the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program.
The program is not first come first served, rather priority will be given to those households with the greatest risk of being evicted.
Who Can Apply?:
California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program/Programa de ayuda para el pago de renta debido al COVID
As we turn a seasonal corner, and start to shed the pandemic gloom, spring fever is in the air throughout all the communities we serve along the Central Coast. Spirits are lifting, economic relief is hitting mail boxes, and nature is blossoming all around.
This past week was dominated by the American Rescue Plan Act – there is much good news there, and multiple benefits will accrue to many of our residents. Direct stimulus checks will help make up for reduced incomes, lost jobs, and to assist those raising families. An upside of living through this past year has been seeing our existing, and new stakeholders, all stepping up their support to meet these increased needs. What a testament to people helping people!
Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) has been providing financial support to over 100 COVID-19 positive lower income patients and their families in a special partnership with Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.
It has been particularly difficult for these families as they experience the multi-pronged impacts of a life-threatening virus including losing work and income while quarantining to protect the rest of us by remaining home. Imagine complying with CDC guidelines by staying at home while, at the same time, being unable to pay for groceries and other essentials for your family. These are families that have been hardest hit by the pandemic and they’re trying their best to be safe under difficult conditions that none of us could have predicted.
Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) is celebrating the success of its first “From Here Forward” program recipient. Last month, Mia Martinez, a long-time Ventura County resident, closed on her first home with the help of $100,000 in down payment assistance from VCCDC. With available funding for more families, VCCDC is inviting residents to apply for this special program.
Do you have a will or a trust? If the answer is no, you are leaving your loved ones and your assets at risk if you something were to happen to you. Join us to learn how you can prepare and protect yourself and your loved ones with a few simple steps! With guest speaker, attorney Roy Schneider
It was announced yesterday that education and childcare, food and agriculture and emergency response sectors are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Information about appointments can be found at the following link.
www.venturacountyrecovers.org/vaccine-information/portal/. Appointments open Monday mornings beginning at 7 am online and 8 am on the phone line.
If you have limited internet access you can call the registration hotline at 805-477-7161. The phone line is staffed M-F 8-5. Appointments are set aside for both online registration and the phone line.
Even with the challenges of the pandemic, students at our learning centers are working hard and excelling! Recent reporting from our educators have shown that 3rd graders participating in our Camino Scholars program are doing 35% better in reading and 48% better in math, compared to their peers!
The State of California is launching an Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to aid income-qualified tenants most at risk of eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is calling on community-based organizations to sign up as partners to reach out to those who qualify.
In Ventura County, $52.2 million has been designated to assist households affected by COVID-19, with priority on those below the area median income and recently unemployed.
Starting February 16, 2021, you can check out a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Home Energy Savings Toolkit at participating Ventura County libraries.Ventura County Library is partnering with Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA), and 3C-REN (Tri-County Regional Energy Network) to launch the DIY Energy Savings Toolkits. The DIY toolkits include instruction guidebooks in both English and Spanish and will help provide the knowledge, tools, and equipment needed to improve your home’s energy and water usage with easy upgrades. These simple DIY home improvements can help increase the energy efficiency of your home, making it more comfortable, affordable, resilient, and better for the planet.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) proudly welcomed over 85 participants to last week’s Annual Meeting. Held virtually, the meeting highlighted successes including, $10 million in approved loans since 2012 ($2.1 million in 2020), helping to produce 598 affordable homes in socio-diverse neighborhoods throughout Ventura County, and raising $5+ million in local funds for affordable housing. Housing Trust Fund VC emphasized the power of impact investing by leveraging $2.15 million in funded 2020 loans for three new Oxnard developments.
County Assessor Tom J. Bordonaro, Jr.would like to remind all homeowners, disabled veterans, and eligible non-profit organizations that they may file claims for exemptions.
The Homeowner’s Exemption exempts up to $7,000 in taxable value of a property if the claim is timely filed or postmarked by February 16, 2021 and up to $5,600 if filed late (postmarked by December 10, 2021). If you received your Homeowner’s Exemption last year, and you still own and occupy the same property this year, you do not need to file again. Your exemption automatically remains in place.
Oxnard College’s Fire Academy won the prestigious 2021 Bellwether Award on Tuesday, Jan. 26, for its Project RECOVER, which established the state’s first-ever hybrid format for firefighting instruction and helped sustain the state’s much-needed pipeline of firefighters. The Fire Academy received the highly competitive, national recognition after beating out nine other finalists in the award’s Workforce Development category.
Each year, the Bellwether College Consortium of award-winning colleges recognizes cutting-edge and trendsetting programs at institutions throughout the nation. Finalists participated in a rigorous two-round competitive process by peers that culminated at the virtual Community College Futures Assembly.
The Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation (Cabrillo EDC) recently recognized 14 graduating high school seniors and college students for their academic achievements and pursuits with Rodney Fernandez Leadership Fund (RFLF) Scholarships.
The RFLF was created in 2011 and honors the legacy of Rodney Fernandez, Cabrillo EDC’s founder and Executive Director for 30 years (1981–2011). The scholarship continues Fernandez’s legacy of community building by cultivating the leadership of residents to attain their goals and empower themselves to take action to improve the quality of life in their communities.
“This scholarship opened up the doors for me to do what I love,” said Alexa Gruener, student recipient of the RFLF Scholarship. “As a freshman in college, this scholarship has helped me pay my tuition for both semesters, allowing me to take on fewer work hours and thus seek out research and internship opportunities. Currently, I am volunteering at Westminster Free Clinic and working for the Boston University Medical School’s MANOS project, which does research on chronic kidney diseases in field workers from Central America.”
Leadership may very likely be on your mind, with changes of leaders happening now at the national level, leaders at the state level recently announcing decisions over budgets and policy, and local leaders governing critical issues and responses to covid and vaccines – leadership seems to be in our collective focus! And of course leadership matters, to get us through hard times and challenges, solve tough issues, and to do good and difficult things, that are best accomplished in unity. At People’s we have multiple great leaders in dozens of departments, set to lead us into the new year, and ready for starting a new chapter altogether. Each is skilled in motivating the individuals within their groups toward reaching our company’s goals, in giving focused guidance for directing our activities toward implementing our strategic plan, and thereby meeting the needs of our communities. Leaders aren’t successful though without greatness coming out through those around them, to do the hard work that is required to make the mission happen.
The County of Ventura is looking for input from residents on planning for sea level rise. The coastal zone in unincorporated Ventura County includes 29 miles of coastline and contains beautiful beaches, recreation facilities, critical infrastructure, coastal access trails, residential communities, and agricultural fields. Coastal storms, flooding, and erosion combined with sea level rise could damage these important resources in the future.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (Housing Trust Fund VC) has announced a slate of five new Directors for election to its 2021 Board at the organization’s Annual Meeting being held on Wednesday, January 27th, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm via Zoom. The new slate will fill the seats of five longstanding outgoing Directors, many of whom have served for years.
The incoming Directors represent community members who bring a wide range of diversified knowledge and experience to Housing Trust Fund VC, especially as it relates to affordable workforce housing, socio-diversity, and inclusion.
Rent Relief is now available for landlords and renters who have experienced financial hardship through the CA COVID Rent Relief program.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County (HTFVC), continues the conversation about affordable housing with its 2nd Annual Everyone Deserves a Home Compassion Campaign. The online event will take place on Thursday, June 10th, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) has adjusted to the new realities that come with COVID-19 by creating their illuminate Speaker Series – a series that started last year which not only addresses aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic but also offers help on how to navigate through this new reality.
One way the organization has transitioned to serve this past year is by providing helpful resources to our community and beyond as they relate to COVID-19 through this virtual series that features a new world-renowned speaker every month. Past speakers include Roshi Joan Halifax, Frank Ostaseski, Katy Butler, Sharon Salzberg, Dr. BJ Miller, Dr. Sunita Puri, Jenée Johnson and Daniel Goleman.
Next up on the illuminate Speaker Series line-up is Nora McInerny who will present Moving Forward on Wednesday, July 21st at 6:00 PM PDT. The event is free, but registration is required.
John the EDC for a free webinar that will review timeless recommendations that will help both tenants and landlords prepare for eviction protections to expire.
Triunfo Water & Sanitation District is sponsoring a free, hands-on workshop on drip irrigation Saturday, October 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Mae Boyar Park (130 Kanan Road in Oak Park). The class is free and open to the public, although priority registration will be given to customers of Triunfo Water & Sanitation District.
Workshop instructors are from the University of California Master Gardeners of Ventura County. Participants will learn the benefits of drip irrigation, review the required components, and assemble a drip system that they can recreate in their own landscape. Everyone will take home a detailed guidebook as well.
Both North and South Santa Barbara County residents are invited to attend Annual Housing Santa Barbara Day this October hosted by 2nd Story Associates with support from the Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara (HACSB). The Santa Barbara event will be heldin Santa Maria in conjunction with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara on Saturday, October 16th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Town Center West.
California’s Secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, Lourdes Castro Ramírez, will speak live at Cabrillo Economic Development Corp.’s “The Future of Affordable Housing” online webinar.
On November 17th, at 11:00 a.m., Cabrillo Economic Development Corp. (EDC) is hosting a free virtual, educational event, featuring leading industry viewpoints on the future of affordable housing. Guest Speaker Ramírez will discuss the current changing landscape and future of safe, affordable housing.
Ramírez leads and oversees 11 entities responsible for expanding affordable housing, developing comprehensive solutions to end homelessness, guarding civil rights protections, regulating banking and financial services, and strengthening consumer protections with the licensing of 4 million working professionals.
This November, 3C-REN (Tri-County Regional Energy Network) is hosting two free webinars on all-electric homes, which use electricity instead of fossil fuels for energy needs such as heating and cooking and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As state climate policy moves California to a zero-carbon future, education about building electrification is critical to eliminate fossil fuels and protect our environment.
These virtual events are designed for community members, homeowners, design and construction professionals, and anyone interested in learning about what home electrification is, what technologies make it possible, and resources available to support it.
Your tax-deductible donation will work to improve the quality of life through homeownership and financial stability for all members of our community.
2020 UPDATE FOR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Did you know the CARES Act could help reduce
or even eliminate your 2020 income tax:
If you itemize deductions, you can deduct up to 100% of your adjusted gross income.
If you don’t itemize deductions, you can claim a charitable deduction of up to $300
Businesses can deduct up to 25% of taxable income
Due to the almost overwhelming Covid-19 related needs of residents, our Supportive Housing Program saw requests for assistance increase by 217%.
Help was given to navigate the unemployment process, secure pandemic related benefits, access food programs, and disaster relief assistance. Social workers made hundreds of wellness phone calls to the vulnerable, providing a friendly voice during a time of isolation and escalating need. Keep residents connected with a gift to Supportive Housing.
When looking back on 2020, there hasn’t been much good news to report. 2020 will go down in history as an epic global disaster in many respects—most notably, in terms of public health and the economy. We are in the middle of yet another COVID-19 pandemic surge and as the contagion strengthens its hold, employment opportunities continue to weaken and housing threatened. Some businesses are temporarily closed, hunkering down to ride out the storm, while others – in food, hospitality, entertainment and personal care services – are shuttered for good. Here at home and across the nation, the number of people living in poverty has grown by eight million since May, according to researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty & Social Policy.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe economic and health impacts in our community. Local revenues have dropped while, at the same time, there has been an increased need for health, social and business services. Over the past ten months of response the County of Ventura has been committed to providing local assistance directly to the community. $120 million has been provided in local assistance. This support will continue into the new year.
