Housing Authority Residents Step up at Community Voter Registration Drive
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Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 Edhat, web o October 7th, 2018 HOUSING AUTHORITY RESIDENTS STEP UP AT COMMUNITY VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE OCT 07 2018 Housing Authority Residents Step Up at Community Voter Registration Drive Source: Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) and the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara welcomed residents to a special voter registration drive on Sept. 25 as part of National Voter Registration Day. League of Women Voters and HACSB representatives were on hand at the Presidio Springs Apartments Community Room to help residents register to vote in the Nov. 6 general election or update their information if they had moved or changed names. The “Bring the Vote Home” event was a first for HACSB and open to the public. In all, staff and volunteers assisted 16 voters, including seniors, formerly homeless individuals and youth aging out of foster care (voting for the first time). “It’s vital for everyone in our community to be heard, and we wanted to remove any obstacle that could get in the way of our residents participating in the November 6th election,” said Rob Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 Fredericks, Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Executive Director & CEO. “It is an honor to team up with the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara to be a resource for our residents through this important process.” A recent Pew Research Center survey concluded that low-income citizens are more likely not to vote for a variety of reasons. Additionally, millions of Americans miss the opportunity to vote because they don’t know how to register, or they miss state registration deadlines. In California, the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 22. Voters will elect the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, 20 even-numbered State Senate district members, 80 State Assembly members, 53 members to the United States House of Representatives and one member to the United States Senate, among other elected officials. Now in its seventh year, National Voter Registration Day has been a game-changing annual nonpartisan campaign to register hundreds of thousands of voters in communities and online. California residents can register to vote online, by mail or in person. More information is available through the Santa Barbara County Elections Division, by phone at (800) SBC-VOTE or (800) 722-8683 or online at https://countyofsb.org/care/elections/registration.sbc. https://www.edhat.com/news/housing-authority-residents-step-up-at-community-voter- registration-drive KSBY, web o October 2nd, 2018 Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara helps residents sign up to vote By KSBY Staff 11:37 am October 2, 2018 The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara teamed up with the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara to assist citizens in registering to vote on Sept. 25. The “Bring the Vote Home” event held by the HACSB brought out a total of 16 voters, including seniors, formerly homeless people and teenagers coming out of the foster system as first-time voters. “It’s vital for everyone in our community to be heard, and we wanted to remove any obstacle that could get in the way of our residents participating in the November 6th election,” said Rob Fredericks, Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Executive Director & CEO. The event was held during National Voter Registration Day, which encourages hundreds of thousands of citizens to sign up to vote as a part of a non-partisan campaign to increase voter turn-out on Election Day. The deadline to register to vote in California in the Nov. 6 ballot is Oct. 22. Santa Barbara County residents can access the voter registration forms online or by phone through the Santa Barbara County Elections Division. https://ksby.com/news/2018/10/02/housing-authority-of-the-city-of-santa-barbara-helps- residents-sign-up-to-vote Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 Noozhawk, web o October 2nd, 2018 Community Arts Workshop Film Explores Affordable Housing Model for Artists By Community Arts Workshop | October 2, 2018 | 9:00 a.m. Community members are invited to join arts and housing advocates at the Community Arts Workshop for a documentary screening and panel on affordable housing for local artists and arts organizations, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at CAW, 631 Garden St., Santa Barbara. The documentary, Miracle on 42nd Street, chronicles the story of Manhattan Plaza, one of the first subsidized housing spaces for artists and a national model. The hour-long film features testimonials from such celebrity artists as Samuel L. Jackson, Alicia Keys, Larry David and Giancarlo Esposito. After the screening, a panel will address affordable housing viable practices and respond to audience input. Panelists will include Ken Aguado,Miracle on 42nd Street executive producer; Lynn M. Holly, SBCAST resident curator; Detty Peikert, architect, principal of Peikert & RRM Design Group. They will look at Santa Barbara's housing needs and explore new models and opportunities for designing affordable housing. Mayor Cathy Murillo is slated to open the event. Housing Authority representatives will be available to answer questions and provide information about available resources. The evening will serve as the official launch of the Office of Arts and Culture's new Affordable Housing Survey, which will aggregate results to support requests for housing assistance for local cultural practitioners and organizations. The event is produced as a partnership between the the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, the city of Santa Barbara, and the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara with support from Santa Barbara Beautiful. Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 Pizza and drinks will be served. Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested to benefit the film. Space is limited, and advance online registration is encouraged. To reserve a place, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/affordable-housing-for-artists-film- showing-and-panel-discussion-tickets-50096781823. https://www.noozhawk.com/article/coastal_housing_coalition_film_explores_affordable_housin g_model_for_artist Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 HOUSING AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES NEW SECTION 8 INCENTIVES FOR LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY OWNERS Edhat, web o October 10th, 2018 OCT 10 2018 Housing Authority Announces New Section 8 Incentives for Landlords and Property Owners Source: Housing Authority of City of Santa Barbara Local landlords recently got a preview of the suite of all-new and ongoing incentives to participate in the Section 8 affordable housing program through the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB). Attendees of the Sept. 25 informational luncheon also heard from participating landlords and tenants about their experience with the Section 8 voucher program. For the first time in four years, HACSB re-opened applications for Section 8 affordable housing vouchers. HACSB directly pays landlords a housing subsidy on behalf of the participating residents. Local landlords are key to the success of the program and many attended the informational luncheon at Grace Village Apartments on upper State Street. Date: 11-7-18 Item: IV.1 “We’re here to ask you to open up any extra units in your apartment complexes or homes and to consider our Section 8 voucher holders,” said Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Executive Director & CEO Rob Fredericks. “We have about 100 voucher holders out on the street now looking for places to live, and there aren’t 100 vacancies. There are low-income seniors on social security, working families and people who are disabled and need supportive services. These are people we need to help.” On Oct. 1, HACSB re-opened online applications for its Section 8 program, which assists low- income working families, the elderly and the disabled afford decent, safe housing in the private market. Among the many residents who have found success through the Section 8 program is James Coronado, a local father of six and teacher. Describing himself as part of a working family, Coronado said with some extra pushes from HACSB staff, he recently earned a master’s degree and has gone onto become a homeowner. “I’m living proof that the program does work,” said Coronado. New incentives available to participating landlords include: Vacancy loss payments for landlords leasing to a HACSB Section 8 tenant in a unit being vacated by another HACSB Section 8 participant. Signing bonus of $500 for new landlords (has not signed up a new Section 8 participant since January 2015 at a particular property/complex) leasing up a Section 8 participant with a city issued voucher. Referral bonus - $100 to an individual referring a new landlord who successfully executes a Housing Assistance Payment contract, by leasing a unit to a participant on HACSB’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Previous incentives that remain available to landlords and Section 8 residents include Damage Protection reimbursement of up to $2,000 for unpaid unit damages; owner requested inspections initiated by health & safety concerns; online portal providing landlords and managers with access to Housing Assistance Payment records; Security Deposit Loans; Family Service Agency Supportive Services Referrals and more. Local landlord Richard Moerler has been taking part in HACSB’s Section 8 program since 1972. “The average Section 8 tenant is really grateful to be in the program," said Moerler. “I’ve always found the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara staff to be helpful and available to help me resolve any problems.” Due to his positive experience with the program, today 41 of Moerler’s rental units are available to Section 8 tenants.