The affordable housing crisis affects all of us in Santa Cruz County. Here at the Housing Authority, we provide housing and rental assistance to thousands of low-income families who might otherwise be priced out of our local rental market or even face homelessness. Still, the need for affordable housing is far greater than the number of affordable units or assistance available. The development of affordable housing is directly aligned with the Housing Authority’s mission, and will help the Housing Authority fulfill our goal to help all Section 8 voucher holders find a rental unit and to expand the number of units with project based voucher assistance. Therefore, the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners joins Affordable Housing Santa Cruz County in endorsing Measure H.

Learn more about the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Tenant Screening, Rental Unit Inspections, Landlord Termination Process, Rent Reasonableness, Payment Standards, and Annual Renewal Process are a few of the topics that will be covered by Housing Authority Staff. Please RSVP by September 26th, 2018. To get more information or to reserve your space click here.

The Santa Cruz Public Libraries are offering free financial literacy classes. According to Library Director Susan Nemitz, “Financial literacy is critical skill that isn’t always taught in school or at home. Yet the ability to make financially responsible decisions is an important part of everyday life. Making sure people have these skills can help improve outcomes for our entire community.” The library is offering no-cost learning opportunities to bridge the gap in knowledge. Lear more about SCPL at SantacruzPL.org. The Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SPCL) is celebrating 150 years of library service by giving the gift of reading to every child and teen in the county. Starting on September 10th, 2018 all children’s and teen’s books and media will become fine-free.

Financial Literacy
Financial Fridays
Money Mondays
SCPL Sesquicentennial Back-to-School Celebration

The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz is pleased to announce the opening of a site-based waiting list. Pippin Orchards Apartments opens fall of 2018 and is located at 56 Atkinson Lane in Watsonville. Pippen Orchard has new affordable 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms apartments.

The site-based waiting list will be open from Monday, July 23, 2018 at 8:30 am to Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 5 pm. The leasing office hours at 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. There is no advantage to submitting the pre-application packet early as a computer program will assign a random number to each application. Mailed pre-applications postmarked but not received by 8/7/18 will not be accepted. If you have any questions about applying for Pippen Orchards Apartments, please contact MidPen Housing at 831-707-2150.

At Pippen Orchard Apartments there will be both project based voucher (PBV) unit and non-project based units. In the PBV programs, assistance is tied to the unit, not the household. Households must reside in Pippin Orchards Apartments for at least one year before being potentially eligible to transfer assistance. As not all the apartments will be project based, there will be a separate waiting list for those units. Households may apply for both waiting lists.

Please contact Midpen with questions you have about Pippin Orchards Apartments: 831-707-2150.

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APARTAMENTOS DE PIPPIN ORCHARDS: APERTURA DE LA LISTA DE ESPERA EN SITIO

La Autoridad de Viviendas del Condado de Santa Cruz se complace en anunciar la apertura de una lista de espera basada en sitio. Los Apartamentos de Pippin Orchards abrirán en otoño de 2018 y están ubicados en 56 Atkinson Lane en Watsonville. Pippen Orchard tiene apartamentos nuevos y accesibles de 1, 2 y 3 habitaciones.

La lista de espera basada en sitio estará abierta desde el lunes 23 de julio de 2018 a las 8:30 a.m. hasta el martes 7 de agosto de 2018 a las 5 p.m. Las horas de oficina de arrendamiento son de 8:30 a.m. a 5 p.m., de lunes a viernes. No es ventajoso presentar el paquete de pre-solicitud anticipadamente ya que un programa de computadora asignará un número aleatorio a cada aplicación. Las pre-solicitudes enviadas por correo con sello postal pero no recibidas antes del 8/7/18 no serán aceptadas. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la solicitud de los Apartamentos de Pippen Orchards, comuníquese con MidPen Housing al 831-707-2150.

En los apartamentos de Pippen Orchard habrá unidades de comprobantes basados ​​en proyectos (PBV) y unidades no basadas en proyectos. En el programa PBV, la asistencia está ligada a la unidad, no a la familia. Las familias deben residir en los Apartamentos de Pippin Orchards durante al menos un año antes de ser potencialmente elegibles para transferir la asistencia. Como no todos los apartamentos estarán basados ​​en proyectos, habrá una lista de espera separada para esas unidades. Las familias pueden solicitar ambas listas de espera.

Si tiene preguntas sobre los Apartamentos de Pippin Orchards, por favor comuníquese con MidPen: 831-707-2150.

Servicios de interpretación gratuitos están disponibles. Por favor, solicite ayuda en la oficina de MidPen.

The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz
2160 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
Phone/Télefono (831) 454-9455 Ÿ  TDD (831) 475-1146

If you need assistance completing the pre-application packet,
please contact the Housing Authority Waiting List Call Center at (831) 454-5950.

Si necesita ayuda para completar el paquete de solicitud previa, comuníquese con el Centro de Información de la Lista de Espera de la Autoridad de Viviendas al (831) 454-5950. 

Beginning July 16, 2018 the Housing Authority will be located at:

2160 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010
Phone: (831) 454-9455
Fax: (831) 469-3712

For moving purposes, our office will be closed Wednesday, July 11th through Friday, July 13, 2018.

We will resume regular business hours and operation in our new location on Monday, July 16, 2018.

Our Watsonville dropbox, currently located at the Watsonville Main Library will be removed effective 7/31/2018.

At the Housing Authority, we are committed to providing excellent customer service to our landlords! Please take our brief landlord survey and let us know how we are doing. Your feedback will assist us in serving you better.

California Rural Legal Assistance, The City of Watsonville Library, Santa Cruz County Immigration Project of the Community Action Board, and the Watsonville Law Center are hosting informational workshops beginning May 15, 2018 to address important legal issues. These workshops are bilingual and free of charge to the public. Come and learn about your rights!

The workshops will be hosted on the third Tuesday of the month for the next six months at the Watsonville City Library.

The first workshop is scheduled for May 15, 2018 Immigration; June 19, 2018 Worker Right’s; July 17, 2018 Housing; August 21, 2018 Criminal Record Clearance; September 18, 2018 Education and October 16, 2018 LGBTQ+.

The Housing Authority is in the process of relocating the Hollister office that was located at 365 4th Street. The office will remain closed until further notice. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (831) 637-0487.

We are pleased to announce new opportunities for people with low-incomes to access the internet. Comcast-Xfinity, AT&T and Charter have high-speed internet service programs for $10 – $15 a month.

Each company has specific qualifications.

• Comcast-Xfinity’s program is called ‘Internet Essentials’ and has a qualification that you are receiving rental assistance from the Housing Authority. You would need to provide verification.*
• AT&T’s program is called ‘Access from AT&T’ and has a qualification that a member of your household is receiving SNAP, otherwise known as CalFresh, or receiving SSI. You would need to provide that documentation.
• Charter’s program is called Spectrum Internet Assist and has qualifications that you are either a senior age 65 or older with Supplemental Security Income or a family with a child who’s eligible for free or reduced lunch. You would need to provide verification of a letter from the school or a letter on SSI and proof of age.

Please contact the company directly if you need more information or help applying:

• Comcast Xfinity: 1-(855)-847-3356
• AT&T: English 1-(855)-220-5211 or Spanish 1-(855)-220-5225
• Spectrum Internet Assist 1-(844)-525-1574

Get all the tax credits and refunds you deserve!

Why pay when you may have your income tax return filed for free? See the calendar of dates and times.

IRS free tax preparation locator tool: https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

Assistance is available at Career Centers (Santa Cruz and Watsonville locations). Career Center Coordinators are trained on how to help someone navigate the site. Click here for more information.