The United to End Homelessness WelcomeHomeOC program will use the funds to place homeless Veterans into private apartments throughout the county.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – June 28, 2019 – In a historic victory for Orange County, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris has secured $2.9 million to fund housing for Orange County’s Veterans experiencing homelessness. Governor Gavin Newsom approved the one-time funding as part of the 2019-2020 California State Budget.
“No man or woman who bravely served our nation should be without a roof over his or her head. This crisis is shameful and it’s our shared responsibility to solve it,” said Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach), who serves on the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. “I am committed to working with Orange County United Way and our collaborative partners to get every Veteran into housing as soon as possible. Thanks to our community’s strong commitment and support, Orange County is poised to become the second county in California to end Veteran homelessness.”
Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris lobbied for these critically needed dollars and successfully secured direct funding to the United to End Homelessness WelcomeHomeOC program.
“We are grateful to Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris for her success in securing this funding to help end Veteran homelessness in Orange County,” said Steve Churm, United to End Homelessness Leadership Executive Council Member and incoming Orange County United Way Board Chair. “To be part of this amazing collaborative effort to find housing solutions for all Veterans is reaffirming to all of us who love Orange County.”
WelcomeHomeOC is a partnership with the County of Orange, Orange County Housing Authority, Apartment Association of Orange County, individual property owners and the service provider community. This ground-breaking program places homeless individuals with rental assistance vouchers referred through the Orange County Coordinated Entry System into private apartments throughout Orange County. The program provides incentives and support to property owners and managers, including funding for security deposits, unit holding costs, vacancy fees and access to a damage mitigation fund.
WelcomeHomeOC is securing commitments from private property owners to house Veterans in long-term housing solutions. With this significant additional funding, United to End Homelessness will be able to expand their network of property owners and available units as well as increase the capacity of their service provider partners – ensuring that every Veteran will receive the support they need to remain successfully housed.
ABOUT UNITED TO END HOMELESSNESS
Launched in February 2018, United to End Homelessness is led by a diverse group of leaders from Orange County’s top business, philanthropic, governmental, faith-based and nonprofit organizations – all committed to ending homelessness in our community. Our work is grounded in bringing the recommendations of the 2017 UC Irvine study “Homelessness in Orange County: The Costs to Our Community” to life, with Orange County United Way serving as the backbone of this new collaborative effort. Together we are working to bring the issue of homelessness to the forefront of the community’s collective discussion and create civic engagement that will lead to meaningful and lasting results. Together we can and we will #EndHomelessnessOC. For more information, please visit www.unitedtoendhomelessness.org.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY
Today’s Orange County United Way is doing more for the Education, Health, Housing and Financial Stability of every person in Orange County. More than a fundraiser, we’re hands-on, delivering more than 50 Community Impact programs countywide. We focus on long-term solutions to the most critical interconnected challenges facing local children and families. United Way is doing more to make long-term measurable difference in the lives of children and families right here in Orange County. To learn more or do more with us, visit www.unitedwayoc.org.
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Media Contacts:
Nicole Morrison, [email protected], (562) 773-9910
Claire Conlon, [email protected], (916) 319-2074
