Landlords Pledge Housing Units to Combat Homelessness in Kern County

Bakersfield, CA, October 19, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Property owners attending the California Landlords Summit on Homelessness pledged 47 housing units toward the goal of ending chronic homelessness in Kern County by February 2019.

According to the Kern County Homeless Collaborative, there are 60 chronically homeless individuals on their by-name registry. This means that they have been on the streets for a year or more, making them a particularly vulnerable population.

"Most of these individuals have already been matched up with housing vouchers, we just need the homes for them to live in," said Mardi Sharples, Voucher Program Administrator for the Housing Authority of the County of Kern.

Yesterday's event went a long way towards bridging that gap by bringing together leaders in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. "We broke down a lot of myths and prejudices to show that serving the homeless population can be a very sound business decision,” commented Jami Anderson of the Income Property Association of Kern.

California Apartment Association Senior Vice President Greg Terzakis added that now is the time to act in this effort. "The success of this summit shows that landlords and property owners are stepping up to address California's housing and homelessness crisis. We look forward to working with elected officials and service providers to find real solutions."

The Housing Authority with be working with the landlords who pledged units to get people moved in homes before winter. Anyone interested in pledging more units should contact Monique Davis at the the Housing Authority by emailing mdavis@kernha.org or calling (661) 493-2588.