Santa Cruz County officials are encouraging residents to apply for a community panel that will provide input on the development of the county’s eight-year housing production plan.
The panel is intended to include a wide swath of county residents, including those with unstable or unaffordable housing. Residents who live and work in the county’s unincorporated areas, in particular, are encouraged to apply.
The panel will help develop the county’s Housing Element, which must be approved by state housing officials by Dec. 15, 2023.
The state’s Department of Housing and Community Development has determined that the county needs an additional 4,634 housing units just in unincorporated parts of the county, including 1,492 units for residents with extremely low incomes.
The county is also working with local community groups and businesses that struggle to retain employees or pay them enough to afford housing in the area.
The deadline to apply for the Housing Element panel is March 31, 2023. Panel participants will receive a $25 gift card for each meeting they attend.
Applications for the Housing Panel are available in both English and Spanish. The deadline to apply is noon on March 31. Panel participants will receive a $25 gift card for each meeting they attend.
More information on the county’s Housing Element can be found online.