After nine years of service on the Housing Trust Silicon Valley Board of Directors, Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate will be leaving the Board in February of 2018 in accordance with our term policy. But the legacy that he leaves behind for both the Housing Trust and the community he continues to represent is impressive.
For almost 30 years, the City of Morgan Hill has consistently supported affordable housing development of all types and is so successful that now one out of every eight housing units is income restricted. Morgan Hill has created more affordable ownership units per capita than any other city in Northern California.
“It has always been a high priority in Morgan Hill to do everything we can to make housing affordable to anyone who chooses to live here, and I have been a strong advocate for doing so,” said Mayor Tate. “When I joined the Housing Trust Board nine years ago, I considered it an honor to work with others across our region on housing programs that make a meaningful contribution to providing housing to low income families that need special assistance. I serve on the Policy and Project Committee and enjoy reviewing specific projects and the financial details that enable them to meet their specific goals. Serving in support of the Housing Trust and all it has accomplished has been rewarding.”
Housing Trust and Morgan Hill – partnering for affordability
It’s been our pleasure to work closely with Morgan Hill on two programs to help low income homeowners repair and maintain their homes. One program provided grants of up to $5,000 to seniors and disabled residents that could be used for emergency or urgent repairs such as fixing leaky roofs or installing safety features like grab bars in the bathroom. The other program made low interest loans of up to $50,000 to residents who purchased Below Market Rate homes in Morgan Hill so that they could take care of rehab projects such as upgrading their single pane windows to dual pane.
The Housing Trust has also provided Finally Home grants to 17 Morgan Hill families who were homeless or at risk of homelessness so that they could pay the security deposit on an apartment, helped 117 first-time homebuyers in Morgan Hill purchase their first house and assisted four multifamily developments totaling 223 affordable homes.
Morgan Hill recently celebrated the groundbreaking of a 41 unit affordable development with units set aside for transitional age youth facing homelessness. In addition, 114 new units of senior affordable housing will soon be completed and the city is embarking on a homeless pilot “safe parking” program in partnership with the faith community.
Housing Trust commends Mayor Tate and the City of Morgan Hill for their proactive efforts to help very low, low and moderate residents find a place to live they can afford.