Corporate Profile

Administration and Organization

The Executive Director is the staff person responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Authority and also serves as Secretary to the Board of Commissioners and corporate Treasurer. The Authority currently has a staff of 123 employees to perform the various duties and functions of the agency. A copy of the Authority's current organizational chart is available upon request. From time-to-time outside contractors are utilized to provide some operational services, typically for large-scale grounds maintenance. The Authority also contracts for the services of professional and technical experts in fields such as architecture, engineering, residential and commercial construction, legal services and independent auditing.

Scope and Size of Agency Programs and Activities

The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara functions primarily to build, acquire, own, manage and maintain residential rental units for persons of very low and low income and to obtain rent payment assistance for similar households renting in the private market. Operating through a central Administrative Office in Lompoc and Housing Management and Maintenance offices in Goleta, Lompoc and Santa Maria, the Authority provides direct services to applicants, tenants and private property owners. In 2021, the Executive Director and staff will implement a combined agency-wide budget of approximately $73.1 million while serving 5,466 extremely low, very low and low-income households in private market and Authority-owned and/or managed rentals. Of the 5,466 households served, 4,057 are assisted in privately owned rentals through the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, operated locally since 1975. The Authority owns, manages and maintains 1408 residential rental units through state and federally funded programs (a list of development addresses will be furnished on request). The Housing Authority, since its creation in 1941, has undertaken new construction and acquisition development activities in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, and has contracted with various cities and the county to perform a variety of housing-related services in support of their local plans.

Other Operations Highlights:

Private property management - a group care facility and several federal low-income housing tax credit developments.

• Administration of a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program operation county-wide, to assist first-time homebuyers.
• Contract administration of multi-million dollar Public Housing comprehensive modernization construction contracts.
• Administration of federal Section 8 rental assistance (formerly the "Aftercare" program) for mentally, physically and developmentally disabled adults.
• Resident Opportunity and Supportive Services (ROSS) program working with local officials, schools, colleges, and various community organizations to provide educational, recreational, employment and homeownership opportunities to Public Housing residents.
• Resident Initiatives program operation working with local officials, schools, colleges, and various community organizations to provide educational, recreational, employment and homeownership opportunities to Public Housing residents.
• Family Self-Sufficiency program operation working with local social service providers, educational, recreational, religious and job training organizations to encourage and promote upward mobility and self-sufficiency of our residents and participants.
• Special rental assistance set-asides to support local special needs populations in cooperation with units of local government.
• Affordable housing policy resources for units of local government and various other community partners.