Application window starts soon for new affordable housing project in Santa Paula

Hundreds are expected to apply on a first-come, first-served basis for a new Santa Paula affordable housing project for farmworkers and low-income residents on March 18.

The online application process for the 69-unit People’s Place, at 710 W. Harvard Blvd., will begin at 9 a.m.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this summer and people can move in around June or July, said Ken Trigueiro, CEO of the San Luis Obispo-based developer People's Self-Help Housing, which is behind the project. 

A similar property in San Luis Obispo County, with 50 units, had more than 600 applications, Trigueiro said.

“I would expect we’d find something similar to that in terms of numbers,” he said. 

Of the 69 units in the Santa Paula project, 21 are set aside for farmworking households and one for a manager.

The complex will have 22 one-bedroom units, 29 two-bedroom units and 18 three-bedroom units. 

People’s Place will serve families and farmworkers earning between 30% to 60% of area median income.

In Ventura County, a one-person household earning $27,900 annually is considered to be 30% of area median income. For a three-person household, the figure is $35,900.

The project has been hit with some delays since the Santa Paula Planning Commission approved it in May 2020. A tax-credit program administered by the state was delayed several months by COVID-19. Most recently, delays getting electrical equipment added another four months to the timeline, Trigueiro said.

The total cost of the project is approximately $37 million, including $25 million in construction costs, he said.  

County, state and federal funding sources contributed to the project. It was also aided by tax credit and other loans.

James Mason, community and economic development director in Santa Paula, said the project was key to helping more people find an affordable place to live.

Median income for Ventura County keeps increasing, but salaries for doctors, nurses, law enforcement and other professions haven’t kept up, he said.

In 2023, the median income for a four-person household was $123,500, compared to $97,800 in 2019.

"It's such an eye opener," Mason said.

For more information on the pre-application process, visit pshhc.org/PPL. If you're unable to complete forms online or have questions, contact 805-229-1995 or ppl@pshhc.org for special assistance.

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.