Councilmember and HUD Region IX Administrator Jason Pu. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) will host a visit and tour with HUD Region IX Administrator, Jason Pu on October 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Former San Gabriel City Councilmember Jason Pu was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Region IX, covering the areas of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa and the Mariana Islands. He plays a key role in leading a distribution of housing assistance funds and will oversee field offices to ensure that local communities benefit directly from HUD programs and funding.
The Regional Administrator has been visiting various sites throughout Region IX to discover best practices in the production of affordable housing, how communities have worked together on reducing homelessness and providing various housing opportunities and learn how federal partners can provide additional opportunities and address challenges.
“We are looking forward to hosting our regional HUD Administrator Jason Pu in the City of Santa Barbara and showing him the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s attractive, safe and affordable public housing. We also look forward to sharing our creative and resourceful approach in addressing our local housing crisis in addition to our array of supportive services and partnerships, “ said Rob Fredericks, CEO of the HACSB. “Santa Barbara faces unique challenges including lack of housing, homelessness and affordability issues and, I believe, the Administrator will see our unique strategy as a possible template for other cities facing similar issues.”
During his visit, Pu will visit housing sites including El Carrillo, Johnson Court, and Vera Cruz Village and then join residents of The Gardens on Hope for a tour and lunch. He will continue his housing site visit to Dignity Moves, Super 8 Motel, Pescadero Lofts and Hedges House of Hope.
Also in attendance will be:
Housing and Urban Development:
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Jason Pu – Regional Administrator, Region IX
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Wayne Sauseda – Deputy Regional Administrator, Region IX
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Laurie Udit – Field Director for the HUD LA office
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:
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Hal Zawacki – Asst. Regional Administrator, Region IX – Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs
US Interagency Council on Homelessness:
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Helene Schneider – Senior Regional Advisor
US House of Representatives
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Congressman Salud Carbajal
The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara was recently awarded with the Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. In its inaugural year, this award has been given by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) and “recognizes organizations that have demonstrated excellence in the design and implementation of affordable housing in the classical tradition.
About Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara — The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara is a local public agency created for the purpose of providing safe, decent, and quality affordable housing and supportive services to eligible persons with limited incomes, through a variety of federal, state, local and private resources. Since 1969, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara has developed and/or secured over 4,000 units of affordable rental housing for Santa Barbara through a variety of federal, state, local and private funding sources. Please visit the website at hacsb.org