Quarterly Newsletter - Q3 2021

The Irvine Community Land Trust’s mission is to work with community partners to ensure long-term affordable housing in Irvine and adjacent communities, and to provide affordable housing for populations with special needs. In the last year they made good on this promise, acquiring the Mandel and Horwitz group homes in Santa Ana from the Jewish Federation of Orange County and partnering with the Federation and Momentum (formerly United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles) to revitalize the homes, both physically and through provided services.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, residents of the Horwitz House temporarily returned to living with their families. That’s when Federation Chair Stephen Gordon recognized there might be a better owner and steward than the Jewish Federation, which had owned the homes since 2014. An introduction to Nancy Donnelly by a parent of an adult resident with special needs led to the perfect solution. Nancy, who serves on both the ICLT and Momentum boards, was instrumental in making this happen – ICLT would purchase the homes, Momentum would run them, and the Federation would provide special programs to maintain a Jewish cultural connection which was a part of the original charter of the homes.

“The relationship between the Irvine Community Land Trust, the Jewish Federation of Orange County and Momentum shows how community partnerships can provide housing for individuals in need of both affordable housing and special services,” said Donnelly, a longtime advocate. “The individuals and families benefitting from this partnership are experiencing what is possible when community organizations follow their mission, work together and maintain a focus on a positive outcome for the individuals we are here to serve.”

Barbara Cohen, a parent of a Horwitz House resident and member of the committee to find a new owner and manager, said “The services provided by Momentum have been spectacular and the parents are extremely grateful. Standards are very high, and the staff is excellent. With oversight and maintenance provided by ICLT, the homes are well cared for and make good neighbors on the street. When residents returned after the Covid quarantine, neighbors welcomed them back.”

The group homes originally were started by parents who went to the Federation in search of a housing solution where their grown kids with special needs could establish some independence by living away from home. The Cohens had tried a condo for their son Josh, but it was too isolating. The homes provide a social outlet and opportunities for residents to work together.

The new arrangement for the two homes was fortuitous, as ICLT was working on a new concept to develop apartments where people with special needs can live independently yet rely on staff to provide support if needed.

“The majority of group residences are not places I would want my child,” said Cohen. “The Horwitz House is a wonderful place for my son. In addition to staff, there are many volunteers from community organizations who provide activities. During Covid, one volunteer created a ceramics project for the residents, and dropped off all needed materials to each of their homes. Donations from the Jewish community continue to support activities for the residents. A physical fitness volunteer comes once a week and takes residents to a nearby park. While the homes were founded to provide a Jewish cultural component, they are open to residents of any background and non-Jewish residents have lived there and loved it.”

Cohen added, “The ICLT has a lot of heart. They didn’t have to take this on, but once they got to know about the families and residents, they saw how their mission was an ideal fit for the needs at hand. I am so impressed with how the ICLT board adopted this project.”

Since 1984, Irvine-based Families Forward has helped thousands of homeless individuals and families, as well as vulnerable families at risk of homelessness.

Just since April of 2020, this nonprofit prevented homelessness for 419 families, consisting of 1,466 children and adults. That’s a lot of help in just over one year – and our Irvine Community Land trust has been fortunate to partner with Families Forward since our rental project Alegre in Cypress Village.

Our relationship began with Alegre, which has a portion of rental units set aside for families facing homelessness. We called on Families Forward to help place families truly in need and to provide support services to help them thrive once they had a safe place to call home. Since then, Families Forward has also provided services to our residents at Parc Derian in the Irvine Business Complex and most recently at our property Salerno, in Cypress Village.

With Salerno, which opened in 2021 in the midst of the Covid pandemic, Families Forward has had the most impact. A Families Forward counselor is onsite, providing access to services and resources to all of the residents at Salerno. Help such as career counseling, financial literacy, food bank, tutoring and back-to-school supplies are just a few of the ways they are helping the residents.

Chief Executive Officer Madelynn Hirneise explained, “Access to affordable housing is so critical and many families are at risk of homelessness in our own community, yet they are truly under the radar. At Families Forward, we are committed to ending homelessness for families in need and being able to work with amazing partners such as the Irvine Community Land Trust enables us to do more to achieve our goals.”

Construction of the Sage Park Community is well under way with the first phase on schedule to open in January 2022. Finishing touches such as drywall, roof tiles and paved streets are bringing the community more to life each day. The 68 families who were selected during the lottery process are making their way through the qualification process and obtaining mortgages. ICLT is pleased with how smooth the process has been, despite logistical challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, and eagerly awaits the opening of the first phase of 32 homes and the clubhouse and pool in January.

Many people have busy lives, but no one is busier than Farrah Khan, our own ICLT Board Member and current Mayor of the City of Irvine. Considering her lengthy list of current and past community activities and her many awards and honors, we are indeed fortunate to have Farrah as part of our ICLT family.

Asked how she manages such a jam-packed schedule, Khan explains, “Connecting with the community is so important to me. Whether it’s packing care items for the Rotary Club or speaking to a group of seniors about senior services, I love community service. It’s what keeps me going. And I guess when you do things that make you happy, time isn’t really relevant.”

As the mother of two boys, family is vitally important to Khan; she was active in their schools, the PTA and the Irvine Public Schools Foundation. Khan also has blended her career path with volunteer activities that have enabled her to address societal issues she truly cares about, including homelessness, human trafficking and promoting peace and understanding.

Her most recent accomplishment, being elected Mayor in 2020, follows being elected to the Irvine City Council in 2018. The first woman of color elected to the Council, Khan received the highest vote count among 12 candidates. Her popularity no doubt stems from her longstanding dedication to the city in various volunteer roles: Community Services Commissioner, Steering Committee of the Irvine Global Village Festival, Irvine Police Department’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Irvine Rotary Club.
Currently a recruitment consultant, Khan’s career has included being Executive Director of the Newport Mesa Interfaith Council, Regulatory Affairs Manager for a biotech company and a small business owner. Khan, who grew up in Northern California and earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, moved to Irvine in 2004.

Even after being elected Mayor, Khan has continued her work on the ICLT board because of her strong interest in affordable housing. She says, “The need for affordable housing continues to grow and I would love to see the collaboration between the city and ICLT expand to provide not only more affordable rental units but more for-sale units to help residents build financial stability.”

She added, “I love Sage Park and the opportunities it provides for families to acquire ownership. I was not surprised there were 6,000 applicants. It truly is an indicator of a large population of people that are ready to own a home but are locked out because of high prices. I definitely am interested in seeing more projects like this one.”

ICLT is pleased to welcome Salerno Apartments Community Manager Russell Felbob to the board, representing the residents it serves. Russell, who lives at Salerno and oversees day-to-day operations of the community, brings more than 10 years experience working with affordable housing communities in Southern California. “Management of affordable housing can be stressful due to the sheer workload that is normal in our field,” said Russell. “But seeing the genuine ear-to-ear grins of families elated as we hand them keys to a home they never thought they would be able to afford warms my heart and makes all the hard work worth it.”

We also wish to thank Mike Stockstill, our outgoing board member, for his service to our board and our communities.