California Voters Pass Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act

California voters passed Proposition 46, or the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act, in the November 2002 election. This Trust Fund will have a total of $2.1 billion towards maintaining shelters for battered women and the homeless, developing housing for seniors and those with mental illness, and social services for low income renters. Among other things, the Fund will provide grants and loans for accessibility improvements to rental properties for individuals with disabilities and to low and moderate-income households. Passage of the Act will save approximately 22,000 affordable housing units, provide 30,000 homeless shelter beds, assist 60,000 homebuyers, and subsidize 25,000 multi-family and 10,000 farmworker households.

For more information, visit www.prop46yes.org.

The Fourth Annual Morton Kesten Summit: A California Blueprint For Action on Home Modification

On October 30, 2002, the National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification organized and hosted the recent Fourth Annual Morton Kesten Summit on Home Modification. The Summit focused on the implementation of home modifications as a means for furthering independence for all Californians, with an emphasis on the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Co-sponsored by the California Department of Aging Senior Housing Information and Support Center. this year's Morton Kesten Summit took place at the University of California Andrus Gerontology Center in Los Angeles, California.

The theme for this year's Summit was "A California Blueprint for Action on Home Modification." Approximately 150 people representing state and local government agencies, local home modification programs, disability groups, associations, professionals, consumers and researchers attended the one-day invitation only conference. Participants listened to panel presentations on four key area: Service Delivery, Funding, Regulations and Standards, and Consumer Awareness/Acceptance and then developed draft recommendations for a California Blueprint for Action on Home Modification in breakout groups.

Background papers were sent to participants prior to the Summit. The background papers provided current status, barriers, gaps and opportunities.