The head of Ventura County's Area Housing Authority said anyone looking for help getting into affordable housing will probably have to wait until 2010.

Doug Tapking, executive director of the Newbury Park-based agency, recently told the Acorn that no more names will be added to the waiting list for housing, and the list may remain closed for the rest of the year.

About 1,150 families were on the waiting list for Section 8 housing, a federal assistance program run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for lowincome families, the disabled and the elderly.

"It's very disappointing right now," Tapking said. "Most nonprofits are struggling to find funding for their existing programs. Money's tight—what can I say?"

The Area Housing Authority of Ventura County is helping nearly 3,400 families live in affordable, safe and clean rental homes.

With the state of the current economy, the number of people looking for an affordable place to live continues to grow. Tapking said that there's a greater demand for affordable rents throughout the county.

"Our turnover has slowed dramatically with this economic downturn," said Tapking, who was in charge of the Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake for almost 18 years before coming to Ventura County.

"A couple of years ago there was fairly normal turnover, with people attempting to relocate or move off the program. Lowerincome families today are not getting a lot of jobs, and that's causing a lot of problems, quite frankly."

The Area Housing Authority—which serves Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Fillmore, Ojai and the unincorporated areas of Ventura County—is in the early stages of developing and financing two properties, one each in Thousand Oaks and Moorpark. The cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Santa Paula have their own housing authorities.

Cities can encourage developers to build affordable housing units, but they need willing developers and the okay of the residents to build. Municipalities must also satisfy the state's requirements for housing balance and consider the environment before giving final approval for the projects.

"The housing groups and the environmental (groups) have different interests, and sometimes they're not in sync with all the different state mandates," said Bob Burrow, the community development director for Camarillo. "The city doesn't build housing units, but we look at programs out there, like the Community Development Block Grant funds or housing bonds or private development programs or other ways to try to get things to happen."

Warren Harwood, an appointed commissioner to the board that represents Camarillo, said there are challenges beyond serving lowincome families, seniors and disabled people.

Harwood would like to see the agency offer workforce housing to professionals who can't afford to live in the communities they serve.

Harwood wants to see the agency work with cities and private developers to make more affordable housing available.

"Our staff and Doug Tapking are the kind of people that can put it together," Harwood said.

Although the immediate future for financial housing assistance isn't bright, Tapking hopes nonprofit housing agencies will benefit from a stimulus package offered by the next presidential administration.

For now, 2009 looks like a tough year.

"The economic situation isn't getting better, and we're getting increased demand for units we don't have," Tapking said.

"A family called us just today and asked to be put on a waiting list. I had to tell them as politely as I could that I'm sorry, that's not going to happen," he said. "Unfortunately, families today, if they don't get help right away, they're forced to find something which may not be in Ventura County or it's not the best situation."

The Area Housing Authority, which was established in 1972, started with a budget of $64,000. Today, it offers more than $26 million in subsidies and assistance.

Here's a breakdown of the number of housing units that receive assistance from the Area Housing Authority, combining AHA-owned units and those that receive Section 8 funding:

Camarillo—804 total units Moorpark—180 units Simi Valley—810 units

Thousand Oaks—887 units

Unincorporated Ventura County—273

Fillmore—210 Ojai—212