CCSM strives to give preference to Santa Monica residents
SECOND STREET — The city’s affordable housing provider will open its waiting list today for people seeking reasonable rents in Santa Monica.
But with only 1,200 units in the inventory and between 80 and 90 of them becoming vacant in 2006, the estimated 3,000 people vying for a reasonably priced apartment will be waiting a long time.
Renters signing onto Community Corp. of Santa Monica’s marketing list have about a 3 percent chance of being called in 2006, said Joan Ling, executive director of CCSM. demand is overwhelming,” she said.
But the chances of being selected will be greater in 2006 as CCSM plans to add 130 units to its inventory; three housing projects will come on line next year at 26th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, 15th Street and Broadway, and Main and Pacific streets.
“If there is a year that you have a better chance to get called off the list, it’s this year,” said Ling, adding it can’t hurt for residents to at least sign themselves up.
To be considered, applicants are asked to pick up an appointment card at CCSM’s office at 1423 Second St. and fill out a questionnaire that asks questions such as where they live, place of employment, number of people in their household and their income.
Applicants will then be put on the list and selected according to their income category and size of their household.
“If an apartment becomes vacant, we go to the list and we find all of the households that meet the requirements,” Ling said.
Rent prices and incomes vary from the extremely low end to moderate. The lowest would be a single unit for a person who makes as little as $11,000 a year. The highest income category is for a household that makes between $45,000 and $50,000 a year. Rents can range from as little as $300 a month to $1,000, Ling said.
She estimated that between 80 and 85 percent of the applicants fall into the extremely low-income bracket, and are usually families. Many families continue to update themselves on the list, with some waiting for years to be selected.
The majority of those who are put into CCSM’s housing are from Santa Monica, meaning they either live or work here.
“The people we end up serving for those 80 or 90 units that become vacant, 56 percent of them are from Santa Monica,” Ling said. “That’s because we give local preference.”
Ling said not having enough housing to meet the demand is frustrating, but not as much as the public believing CCSM does-n’t serve locals.
“I get discouraged when people say we are not serving Santa Monica residents,” she said. “Over half of what is available is going to Santa Monica residents.”
Because CCSM receives some federal funding, it must abide by housing laws and the apartments must be available to everyone. But when it comes down to two applicants vying for the same apartment and they both meet the criteria, preference is given to Santa Monica residents.
“Part of our philosophy is to build a strong community,” where people can live and work in the same city, Ling said. “Most of our units, we give local preference.”
The majority of CCSM’s funding for capital projects come from local and state government. That money is used for land purchases, redevelopment of existing buildings and constructing new complexes.
“We really try to reduce the amount of money we get from the federal government,” said Ling, adding that it allows for more local control of the program. “The state and local government help us on the front end, and after that, we are on our own.”
The operations of CCSM — including $2.5 million in administrative costs — is paid by the revenue generated from rent, which amounts to between $8 million and $9 million annually.
Applicants have until Jan. 5 to make an appointment at CCSM to be considered for the wait list.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 12, 2005. Read the original PDF.