Billions Earmarked For Low-Income Housing Mishandled, State Pushes For Affordable Housing
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The state is trying to tackle the housing crisis in Sacramento by building affordable housing. Governor Brown signed legislation this week allowing vacant areas in the city to be developed.
But one woman said she can't wait for new buildings to be built. After being on section 8 for a long time, she said looking for a place has gotten harder.
"The purpose from this letter is to give my tenant Valerie Torres 90 days to move from the property," Valerie Torres read from her eviction notice.
On August 28th Torres got the eviction notice from her landlord.
"I've been here 9 years," Torres said. "We are on section 8 for a reason - most people because we don't have the income."
Torres says she started searching the Sacramento Housing Authority's website, looking for a place that accepts her Housing Voucher.
"Even the housing list that they have online, it's not even updated," she said.
Call after call, email after email, she lost count after 50 locations. She qualifies for a 1-bedroom at $905 a month.
"Rent, you're not gonna find anything 905, a one bedroom," she said.
A problem Councilmember Eric Guerra says is at the top of the city's to-do list.
"If we can build more housing we're going to be able to help a lot more folks," Guerra said.
This week, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 481 into law - a plan to build more affordable housing units on Stockton Blvd.
One of the sites, the San Juan motel, has been vacant for nearly a decade.
But even efforts from the city - can't stop the clock from ticking.
Torres says she even called Senior living centers - but the waiting lists were endless.
Her plea to city officials: find more landlords willing to rent to families with housing vouchers.
The audit alleges taxpayers can't be assured the millions earmarked for affordable housing is going where it should.
Investigators say the "department of housing and community development" isn't adequately monitoring housing grants designed to help low-income residents.
The Audit also found the required on-site inspections at existing affordable housing neighborhoods aren't being done, and They're questioning how the department is handling nearly 5-billion dollars in bonds which were approved by voters.
