County of Santa Clara Approves Funding for 7 More Affordable Housing Developments Totaling 865 New Apartments for Homeless, Senior and Low-Income Residents

New projects include Moorpark Apartments, a unique partnership with Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church to build 106 affordable apartments on church property
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County of Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors today voted 5-0 to help fund seven new affordable housing developments in San José, Santa Clara and Mountain View through the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond and No Place Like Home program. Combined, funds for the projects total approximately $155 million, with most funding coming from Measure A and approximately $18.5 million from No Place Like Home.

With today’s approval, the County has now approved 2,900 new or rehabilitated affordable apartments and is now approximately halfway to its total 10-year housing production goal.  So far, the Measure A Affordable Housing Bond has provided $375 million in funding 27 projects in seven Santa Clara County cities as well as $25 million to the first-time homebuyer program.

“These approved projects are the fifth wave of the $950-million dollar affordable housing bond and we can thank the residents of Santa Clara County for them because they approved the money,” said Cindy Chavez, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “These new projects are going to be all over downtown, West San José, Cambrian, Mountain View and the city of Santa Clara.”

Today’s round of approvals include the Moorpark Apartments in San José, which is the genesis of a unique partnership and multi-year vision between Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, nonprofit housing developer MidPen, the County and other entities. The church intends to provide MidPen with 99-year ground lease for the development of 106 affordable and supportive housing units on the same property as the church. Church leaders have spent two years exploring this innovative approach and working with surrounding neighbors and partners to pursue this type of development. The project is also leveraging a $2.6 million grant from the Sobrato Foundation.

“This project is perfectly in line with our church’s mission and our calling to help people who are very much in need,” said Erik Larsen, Council President of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Today’s round of approvals also include the La Avenida Apartments, which is the first Measure A-funded project in the City of Mountain View.

“I hear from residents all the time who want to know what the County is doing to help develop affordable housing and reduce homelessness,” said Supervisor Joe Simitian, who represents District Five (which includes Mountain View). “Not only is a lot being done, but there is much more to come. Today’s vote is a reminder that progress really can be made, and we’re making it.”

This latest round of projects have also leveraged significant philanthropic contributions. In addition to the $2.6 million grant from the Sobrato Foundation to the Moorpark Apartments, four of these projects are leveraging $7.59 million in low-cost predevelopment and acquisition financing from Destination: Home through its Supportive Housing and Innovation Fund.

“Thanks to the collective commitment of the County, our local cities, dedicated non-profits and private partners, we’ve ended homelessness for more than 14,000 of our neighbors over the past five years,” said Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination: Home. “However, we still have much work to do. To truly end homelessness in our community, we must tackle the root causes of our crisis and address both the disproportionality of who is becoming homeless and the severe lack of housing for our lowest-income and most vulnerable neighbors.”

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