With its staff helping 584 families each month, the Crescent City Housing Authority received program of the year awards from two federal agencies.

The awards come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Veterans Affairs Administration. According to City Manager Eric Wier, these are statewide awards. Crescent City was named the winner over 98 other public housing programs across California, he told the Crescent City Council on Monday.

“These people day-in and day-out handle a huge caseload,” Wier said, adding that in addition to the 584 families the Housing Authority works with, there is also more than 400 people waiting for housing assistance. “It’s not just walk in and get on a waiting list. There’s lots of paperwork, forms, communication, every day they’re talking with people. Over the last year they had 111 new vouchers.”

These awards come as the Crescent City Housing Authority received 10 new vouchers through the Housing of Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. As a result, 23 veterans have found permanent housing since Crescent City began working with the HUD-VASH program, Director Megan Miller told the City Council.

Miller praised the cohesiveness of her staff, noting that they do a difficult job.

“Everybody is invested equally,” she said. “Everybody comes to work every day ready to work. They care about their work and they care about the families they’re serving.”

The Crescent City Housing Authority received 18 vouchers in 2017 and have used them all. The authority applied to receive 10 more vouchers in October 2018 and was notified its application was successful in December.

Crescent City received $52,512 in HUD-VASH grant dollars, Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced in December. A total of $10.5 million in HUD-VASH grants were awarded to 24 California communities, according to Feinstein’s office.

On Monday, Katie Shinn, a HUD-VASH case manager in Crescent City, told the City Council that the Housing Authority’s dedication makes her job possible.

“I can honestly tell you about their effort every day to accommodate veterans for orientations quickly,” Shinn said, adding that with the shortage of affordable housing, finding landlords willing to accommodate HUD-VASH recipients is difficult.

“We’re in constant contact with them. They can let me know if there’s a problem any day of the week. It’s what keeps the program growing and expanding.”

Crescent City Mayor Blake Inscore, himself a veteran, said he remembers when Crescent City began discussing taking part in the HUD-VASH program. He said he hopes the Housing Authority will be able to assist 600 families each month.

“As a veteran, the reality of seeing the fact that today we have 23 veterans who used to be homeless who are now home is much bigger than this award,” Inscore said. “That’s what really matters.”

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