The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved $1,764,078 in HOME program-income allocations Oct. 6 for two housing efforts: $1.525 million for the We Are Up project and $239,078 for the county’s Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Loan Program, according to the meeting transcript.
County Planning and Building Director John Ford told the board that HOME program income comes from repaid grant loans and can be reused with approval through the HOME program. The county’s final agenda described the action as using $1,810,078 in HOME Investment Partnership Program income for additional funding for We Are Up and loans through the owner-occupied rehabilitation program. The agenda also included a related $560,078 supplemental budget transfer from a special revenue fund to cover HOME program expenses in fiscal year 2026-27.
Ford said the We Are Up resolution was revised to specify $1.525 million rather than the full amount available. He said the rehabilitation allocation was revised to $239,078, with some money reserved for program administration.
In response to a supervisor’s question, county staff said the rehabilitation program had recently spent about $1 million on repairs to conventional homes and mobile homes. That money had been exhausted, staff said, and the program had a waiting list. Staff also said the program is aimed at lower-income homeowners who may not have the resources to maintain their homes.
The We Are Up project, in McKinleyville, is planned as mixed housing for seniors and autistic adults, according to discussion during the meeting. The board approved the housing item, but the available record does not identify a roll-call tally or a schedule for distributing the funds. The number of households or housing units expected to benefit was also not specified.
