Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz is a public housing agency that helps provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz manages several funded programs and has a total of 234 subsidized affordable housing units for rental assistance. Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz administered a total of 4,432 Section 8 Vouchers. Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz currently has low rent units and Section 8 Voucher as its program type. Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz is located at 2931 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060 and serves the city of Santa Cruz. Income limits, fair market rents and rent rates vary with each agency. Please contact Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz at, (831) 454-9455 for more information about coverage area and program availability.

The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz was created in 1969 to provide housing assistance for the county's low and moderate-income residents. The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz also administers by contract the Housing Authority of the City of Hollister.

The Housing Authority is governed by a seven member Board of Commissioners. Two of the commissioners must be tenants of the Housing Authority, one over 62 years of age. The cities of Santa Cruz and Watsonville each have a commissioner representing them, as does the Community Action Board. All are appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. Commissioner serve for 4 years, tenant commissioners for 2 year and are at-large appointments made by the Board of Supervisors; however, other than appointing the Board of Commissioners, the Board of Supervisors has no direct responsibility for the Housing Authority and the Housing Authority is not supported by County funds.

Although the Housing Authority is an independent, distinct entity, cooperation and interaction occurs between the Housing Authority and local government. The Housing Authority acts as the housing authority for each of the localities within the county and strives to be of service according to the needs of each.

The Housing Authority also provides services under contract to the County and municipalities. Security Deposit, First Time Home Buyers, Mortgage Credit Certificate and Mobile Home Resident Ownership Program are just some of the programs the Housing Authority administers for local governments.

The largest and best known programs operated by the Housing Authority are the federal rental assistance programs: the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and the Low Income Public Housing program as well as the USDA Farmworker Housing Program. To a smaller extent, the State of California programs also provide housing assistance such as the seasonal Migrant Housing program or the Rental Housing Construction Program. Regardless of the source, the Housing Authority must apply and compete for funds. There is no automatic funding and the fees received by the Housing Authority for operating these programs are performance-based.

In the early 1980s, the Housing Authority further used its statutory powers in providing housing assistance by issuing mortgage backed revenue bonds to assist private developers in providing affordable rental units as well as issuing single family bonds for home ownership. The Housing Authority has assisted non-profit groups to provide housing for family shelters, transitional housing and housing for people with disabilities.

Since its creation in 1969, the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz has increased the number of families it assists to over 4,000, bringing to the County more than $46.5 million annually in housing assistance funds.

To provide housing assistance for the county's low and moderate-income residents.