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.
New Programs Offer Low-Cost High-Speed Internet
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
California Earned Income Tax Credit
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.
Housing Authority Launches Program to Attract Landlords
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz is pleased to announce a new program to encourage landlords to rent to Section 8 tenants by offering investment protection and financial peace of mind for those willing to help address the local housing affordability crisis.
Using the Landlord Incentive Program, landlords will be eligible for reimbursement up to $2,500 should they incur certain expenses within the first year of tenancy, including damages, unpaid rent, vacancy loss, or legal fees associated with termination for lease violations or lease compliance. The claim could cover amounts that exceed the tenant’s security deposit. Landlords can find more information here.
The program is now available countywide, and funding has been provided by the County of Santa Cruz, as well as the cities of Capitola, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, and Watsonville. Claims are subject to availability of funds.
“With the establishment of this Landlord Incentive Program, there has really never been a better time to for landlords to accept families with Section 8 vouchers,” said Jenny Panetta, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz. “We’ve always assured landlords that tenants with rental vouchers are good tenants, and are no different from tenants in the private market. In some ways, they’re even better. Section 8 tenants now come with a certain degree of protection for landlords!”
For more information, check-out the brochure and landlord incentive website.
Affordable Housing Week is right around the corner!
Come join the Housing Authority and other Community partners at a full week of housing events. A complete listing of affordable Housing Week events can be found at the following link: http://santacruzcommunitycalendar.org/
To keep informed of Housing Authority news, Sign up Sign up for Housing Authority Updates!
Agency Report 2017
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz provides affordable housing to thousands of low-income individuals and families in our community each year. Through our programs, we’re not just providing housing, we’re changing lives! Check out our Agency Report 2017 to learn more about our programs, the families we serve, and how we’re working to provide and promote affordable housing.
USDA Summer Meals
The Summer Meal programs are ready for another season of feeding kids in the summer, and a new site finder has launched! https://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks
There’s no paperwork or documentation required. Simply show up!
Weekly updates are provided by US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) through the first week of September 2017.
To find sites nearby, follow the four numbered steps shown on the website. Start with the Find Sites button located on the map. Enter an address (home, school, etc.) and then click Locate. Click on the plus-sign (+) of the scroll-bar (on the left side of the map) to get a closer view of lunch sites in this county. (The curser may be needed to move this county to the center of the webpage). Both Points on the map, and a List of the ten closest lunch sites will appear. To find out details of a nearby site, either click on the Point, or the List name; a card will pop-up with address, meal type, and hours. For directions click Open Directions on the card.
New Document Drop Box in South County!
The Housing Authority is pleased to announce that we have installed a secure document drop at the Watsonville Main Library!
We hope this new drop box location will make it more convenient for many South County residents to submit documents to the Housing Authority.
The drop box is located on the first floor just past the reception desk. There is a sign on the wall above the document drop box that identifies it.
We will be picking up the contents of the box daily during the week, Monday through Friday.
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Nueva Caja para Dejar Documentos en el Sur del Condado
La Autoridad de Viviendas se complace en anunciar que hemos instalado una caja segura de documentos en la Biblioteca Principal de Watsonville!
Esperamos que esta caja para dejar documentos en su nueva ubicación sea más conveniente para los residentes del Sur del Condado para poder entregar documentos a la Autoridad de Viviendas.
La caja de documentos está situada en el primer piso de la biblioteca justo después de la recepción. Hay in letrero en la pared sobre la caja de documentos que lo identifica.
Estaremos recogiendo el contenido de la caja diariamente durante la semana.
Watsonville Public Library
275 Main Street, Suite 100
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 768-3400
Mon – Thurs 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Fri 10 a.m. – 6 a.m. Sat 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Sun Closed
Lun – Jue 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Vier 10 a.m. – 6 a.m. Sáb 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Dom Cerrado
Waiting List Opened for St. Stephens Senior Housing
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz has opened a new site based waiting list for Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance at the St. Stephens Senior Housing located at 2510 Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. St. Stephens Senior Housing is currently being developed by MidPen Housing for occupancy by low-income seniors at least 62 years of age. There will be a total of 39 project based units at St. Stephens. Five units are designated for formerly homeless veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program, as referred by the Veterans Administration. Five units are designated for Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) eligible persons referred by Health Projects Center. This new site based waiting list is for the remaining 29 units.
In most ways, the PBV program operates just like the regular Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, with households paying roughly one third of their income towards housing, and the Housing Authority paying the remainder of the rent directly to the landlord on the tenant’s behalf. However, there are some key differences between the programs. For example, in the PBV program, assistance is tied to the unit, not the household. Therefore, you must reside in St. Stephens Senior Housing for at least one year before potentially being eligible to transfer your assistance to another unit.
Pre-applications for the St. Stephens waiting list will be available beginning February 21st, 2017.
If you or your spouse are age 62 or older, and you are interested in residing at St. Stephens Senior Housing, you may complete a St. Stephens pre-application. Pre-application forms will be available beginning February 21, 2017:
- by downloading
- from our lobby during office hours Monday – Thursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
- by calling (831) 454-5950
- from Santa Cruz Veterans Resource Center, 1658 Soquel Drive, Suite H, Santa Cruz, Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.
To be added to the St. Stephens waiting list, return a complete pre-application to the Housing Authority between Feb 21 and 5 pm March 10, 2017. The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz provides equal opportunity to all applicants for participation in the Housing Authority’s Programs, and is an equal opportunity employer. The Housing Authority does not discriminate based on race, ancestry, color, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, age, citizenship, handicap or familial status.
For information on availability of units and eligibility criteria call MidPen Housing at 855-278-7669 (follow prompts for St Stephens).
If you have any other questions, please contact our Waiting List Information Line at 831-454-5950.
Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery
Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery (SCCMOD) offers families with Section 8 Vouchers or in Public Housing an annual $5 membership to interactive learning at this children’s museum inside the Capitola Mall.
Due to the generosity of a local family foundation, the Lee Schulte Scholarship Fund, the SCCMOD is able to offer a full year’s membership under their Family Access Program to qualifying families for only $5 per year.
Families need only complete a simple application which is available on the SCCMOD website www.sccmod.org, show paperwork that they receive any kind of public assistance and pay their $5 portion of the membership cost and they will receive a membership.
Family Access Membership Form in ENGLISH
Family Access Membership Form in ESPAÑOL
For more information, please contact SCCMOD at (888) 424-8035 or email Gina at [email protected]
Open Daily. Closed: Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Day. Located near the Food Court in the mall.