Oxnard Housing Authority pursues HUD RAD conversion for three public‑housing sites

The Oxnard Housing Authority voted to pursue a HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration conversion and to continue paying a consultant to prepare the application and financial analysis, officials said at the council meeting.

Housing Director Emilio Ramirez told the council the RAD conversion would change the way the authority receives operating subsidies — converting properties from traditional public housing into a Section 8‑assisted model that would allow the authority to collect market rents covered by vouchers. "The tenants will not be adversely impacted at all. They don't have to move. They can transition in place," Ramirez said.

The action advances an initial application covering three public‑housing sites that the authority brought forward for the conversion pilot. Ramirez said the authority ultimately owns 523 public‑housing units across Oxnard and that the plan is to convert the full stock over time; the first application is focused on two senior sites downtown and one damaged building on Althea Court. He said conversion would let the housing authority access debt and equity to fund repairs that are difficult under current HUD public‑housing subsidy arrangements.

Council members pressed staff on tenant protections, relocation risk and costs. Council Member Starr asked whether tenants would face rent increases; Ramirez answered that rents would be adjusted to market levels but would be covered for eligible residents by Section 8 housing‑choice vouchers, so the households would not lose subsidy. Starr also pressed whether residents might need temporary relocation for major construction; Ramirez acknowledged that temporary relocation is possible and said the program and HUD rules require relocation assistance and voucher protections if people must move.

Ramirez said the authority had contracted a technical assistance firm, Low Income Housing Tax Credit Development Group (LICTH), to prepare the application and financial modeling. He said the Board of Commissioners approved that consultant agreement on Nov. 14, 2023 for $50,000 to cover pre‑application work. Ramirez said the consultant would submit the RAD application by the HUD deadline if council approved the application component being considered.

Council members asked how tenant eligibility would be verified after conversion and whether conversions could displace people. Ramirez said long‑standing tenants would be protected because they were already screened and recertified under HUD public‑housing rules when they moved in; the authority would not re‑screen existing tenants to remove assistance. He also said the conversion model allows for temporary or permanent relocation if construction requires it and that HUD relocation protections would apply.

The housing director estimated community outreach would include at least two additional neighborhood meetings to review proposed improvements and solicit resident feedback before any construction began. Ramirez said the authority expects those outreach meetings to take place within the next year as refinancing and construction planning develop.

Council members voted to approve the item. The motion carried 7–1 with one abstention from Commissioner Basuah during the Housing Authority roll call.

The authority also approved continuing consultant support for the application and clarified that costs for appraisals, inspections and pre‑transaction third‑party work would be recovered from any closed transaction rather than standing as an ongoing operating subsidy.

If finalized and approved by HUD, the conversion would change how the authority finances maintenance and capital projects, shifting more of the operating and capital decision‑making and revenue collection to the local authority while preserving tenant subsidy through vouchers.