ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orange County residents searching for affordable housing will soon have a single place to find and apply for housing opportunities, thanks to a $500,000 state commitment secured by People for Housing OC (P4H) to launch the Affordable Housing Access Platform (AHAP) in partnership with 2-1-1 Orange County (211OC), a key service of Orange County United Way. The appropriation was made possible by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, representing the 67th Assembly District.
AHAP will create Orange County's first countywide platform designed to help residents search, connect with, and apply for affordable housing opportunities in one place. The funding will support the platform's technology build, outreach to property providers and cities, and onboarding of community-based organizations across the county. With housing costs continuing to outpace incomes across Orange County, residents often spend hours navigating dozens of separate websites and waitlists with no centralized way to identify available opportunities.
“This project was born out of residents’ voices, ‘Where do I go to apply for affordable housing?' The answer is different depending on what city you live in. Some cities offer robust referral support while others hand residents a paper list of apartment complexes to call. I’m excited to see Orange County move towards a consistent policy approach in how our residents access affordable housing opportunities. When cities work together, we can solve problems with greater efficiency on the part of local government and time savings for our residents,” said Elizabeth Hansburg, Cofounder and Director of People for Housing OC.
Currently, 23 out of 34 Orange County cities and the County of Orange have expressed an interest in participating in AHAP, including Aliso Viejo, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Tustin, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.
“Every family deserves a fair opportunity to find safe and affordable housing, said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva. This $500,000 investment in the Affordable Housing Access Platform will help Orange County residents more easily connect with housing opportunities they qualify for, making the search process more transparent, accessible, and equitable. I am proud to support this funding and grateful to Orange County United Way and People for Housing OC for their leadership in expanding access to affordable housing,” said Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva.
AHAP is designed to close a longstanding gap in Orange County's housing system. Today, residents searching for affordable, subsidized or below-market-rate housing must navigate dozens of separate waitlists, property manager websites, and city inventories. AHAP will unify these into a single, real-time inventory, integrated with 211OC's referral infrastructure, so residents can input their information to see the housing units for which they are eligible based on income, family size and other factors. Community-based organizations and housing navigators can also use AHAP to help their clients search for housing before they reach crisis.
Early seed funding was made possible through the support of a coalition of public and philanthropic partners, including Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair, Katrina Foley, and Supervisor Don Wagner, Jamboree Housing Corporation, and Orange County Community Foundation.
"We must eliminate resident burdens navigating layers of unnecessary bureaucracy to access the workforce housing their tax dollars funded. The Affordable Housing Access Platform eliminates needless red tape, streamlines access, and ensures more families find safe, affordable, and stable housing in the communities where they live and work," said Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Katrina Foley, Chair of the Orange County Housing Finance Trust.
Orange County United Way will administer the funds, with 211OC serving as the implementation partner, leveraging its existing community referral infrastructure to build, launch, and sustain AHAP. P4H will lead community outreach and onboarding as the platform is introduced to housing providers, city governments, and community-based organizations across the county's 23 partner cities. Over time, AHAP will build upon 211OC's coordinated referral platform that connects residents and community organizations through closed-loop referrals and shared care coordination.
“This investment represents more than a new housing search tool. Together with People for Housing OC, we're leveraging 211OC's trusted technology and community referral infrastructure to make affordable housing easier to access and navigation simpler for residents across Orange County,” said Elizabeth Andrade, Executive Director of 2-1-1 Orange County at Orange County United Way. “We’re building lasting infrastructure that will better connect people to housing opportunities before they reach a point of crisis.”
With this initial investment in place, P4H and 211OC will continue building out the AHAP platform, expanding the countywide inventory of below-market-rate units, and onboarding additional cities, housing providers, and community-based organizations. P4H and 211OC are continuing to pursue additional public and private funding to fully implement AHAP across Orange County.
For more information about AHAP and P4H, visit: https://www.peopleforhousing.org/affordable-housing-access-platform-ahap/
For more information about 211OC, visit: https://211oc.org/
ABOUT PEOPLE FOR HOUSING OC
People for Housing OC (P4H) is a grassroots housing advocacy nonprofit founded out of the YIMBY movement in 2017, operating as a fiscally sponsored project of OneOC. P4H works to expand the supply of and access to housing across Orange County through project advocacy, community education, strategic partnerships, and community-driven initiatives.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY
Orange County United Way mobilizes our community to create brighter futures for all, today and for generations to come.
True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our community, United Way is there. Through advocacy, collaboration, and innovative programming, our work is comprehensive and action-oriented, effectively addressing our county’s unique challenges.
From strengthening local resilience to expanding youth opportunity, financial stability, and access to stable housing, we’re working toward an Orange County where everyone has the support they need to reach their full potential.
Orange County United Way is a stand-alone, independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Media Contacts: Elizabeth Hansburg, Cofounder and Director People for Housing OC elizabeth@peopleforhousing.org Annie Noebel Cornerstone Communications for Orange County United Way anoebel@cornerstonecomms.com
