Mission & Purpose

Mission

To support more housing choices, by generating and leveraging financial resources, working in partnership with the public, private, and non-profit sectors throughout Ventura County.

Purpose

Ventura County continues to face a critical housing crisis. The lack of available housing that is affordable in Ventura County is having a negative impact on the quality of life throughout our region. Despite the downturn in the housing market during recent months, home prices and rental rates continue to outpace the incomes of many Ventura County residents. Without housing that is affordable to a range of income levels, Ventura County residents and businesses will continue to suffer from an overcrowding of public infrastructure and services. While a regional housing trust fund will not be the sole solution to the housing crisis in Ventura County, it can be used as a very powerful tool to increase the opportunities of residents countywide to access decent, safe homes which they can afford and still have enough money to put food on the table, as well as meet the expense of other necessities.

The Housing Trust Fund Model

In this era of limited resources, HTFs are able to attract capital from sources not traditionally dedicated to housing. They leverage these funds by combining private resources with foundation and public agency funds to build a revolving loan fund dedicated to expanding affordable and workforce housing. HTF loans often are made early in the development cycle, before traditional funding is available and thus provide financial support necessary to attract other money.