1 week Ago By Todd R. Hansen
FAIRFIELD — Solano County does not have enough rental housing stock, nor enough landlord participation to roll out a full Section 8 voucher plan. The Board of Supervisors, sitting as Solano County Housing Authority Board of Directors on Tuesday, were told that there are 92 housing choice vouchers that are not in use, and that the wait list for those vouchers is closed. Supervisor Cassandra James, whose background is in the housing arena, asked if some of those vouchers could be converted to program-based vouchers to help fund some of the housing development the county is looking to do.
The answer was yes, but there is a process that needs to be followed. Supervisor John Vasquez added that as the county updates the General Plan, it needs to be mindful of setting aside areas for the kind of housing it needs for the residents in the unincorporated area. "More than talk about it, we certainly have a call for action," Vasquez said.
The county Housing Authority also has jurisdiction over Dixon and Rio Vista, which face the same issues. The discussion took place as the housing directors approved the revised Public Housing Agency 5-Year Plan, the Annual Agency Plan, the Moving-to-Work Supplemental Plan, and approved two versions of the Administrative Plan. The reason for the two versions is because the U.
S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has not fully implemented some of its proposed changes to the various programs. So one plan reflects what is in place; the other reflects the revisions once they are implemented.
The 5-Year Plan informs HUD, residents, and the public of the Housing Authority's mission and strategy for addressing the needs of its low-income and very low-income families over that five-year period. The Annual Agency Plan outlines the annual programs, policies and strategies for meeting the needs identified in the 5-Year Plan. The Moving-to-Work Supplemental Plan Supplemental Plan is a companion piece to the Annual Agency Plan, and outlines specific MTW waivers and activities the authority intends to implement.
Supervisor Monica Brown said she was willing to pay for a luncheon to attract more potential landlords to a meeting about Section 8 rental programs. She is particularly concerned about future housing for seniors. "That's the worry that I really have with seniors because their rents keep going up, but their retirement does not," Brown said.
"And that's my concern: That's the next group of homeless people we are going to be seeing out there." Brown also asked if there was any indication that the federal government could cut program funds "with what's happening with that 'doggy' person;'" a clear reference to Elon Musk and a word play on DOGE: the Department of Government Efficiency. The funding seems to be safe until at least the end of September when the current continuing budget resolution ends, said Cellinda Aguilar Vasquez, the housing administrator for the Vacaville Housing Authority, which runs the programs for the county.
She said the county has between 67% and 70% of its available vouchers in use. The goal is at least 80%. There is also a 6% annual turnover rate on vouchers.
She added that recruiting landlords is one of the barriers to using all the vouchers. She said the workshops that have been held are typically attended by those landlords already renting properties. Vasquez said there are a number of incentives in play, including sign-on bonuses, damage claim payments and vacancy loss payments.
Supervisor Vasquez noted that the outreach must be expanded to include a web and social media presence in Dixon, Rio Vista and the county, not just the Vacaville sites. That point was made very real when one speaker, potentially needing voucher housing, had no idea how to access the information. However, board Chairman Mitch Mashburn said there is another barrier that needs to be torn down – the stigma surrounding Section 8 renters.
"Everyone's out there publishing the horror stories, but they're not always out there publishing the successes, and there's a lot of those," Mashburn said. James agreed, the narrative needs to change. She thinks if landlords who have stopped renting properties within the voucher programs were educated on the changes that have been made, and told about the incentives available, they might participate again.
"As someone who grew up in public housing and on Section 8, it's really important to shift the narrative in regards to who these families are (who) are living in these units," James said..
