By: Ian Evans, Yolo County Housing / New Hope CDC Executive Director
The Housing Authority of the County of Yolo, also known as Yolo County Housing (YCH), is dedicated to establishing and maintaining quality, affordable housing, and community development support for everyone within its service area, and in 2025 YCH celebrated its 75th year of service with multiple prestigious awards.
Yolo County Housing entered its 75th year having been awarded one of 13 nationwide Choice Neighborhood Planning (CNP) Grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) supporting revitalization and redevelopment efforts of the Yolano Donnelly neighborhood https://www.engagetheteam.com/YolanoDonnelly in partnership with YCH’s development partners, Brinshore Development and Operative Office. YCH concluded its 75th year by winning an almost $28 million-dollar Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) award, in partnership with the City of Woodland and Yolo County Transportation District. This award will support the first housing project in the Yolano Donnelly neighborhood, along with transit and transportation infrastructure improvements https://www.ych.ca.gov/yolo-county-partnership-awarded-grant-for-affordable-housing-community/. The AHSC award was made possible with the support of the Yolo County Office of Sustainability, Yolo County Office of Education, the WIOA Board, and Davis Community Action Network.
YCH currently has approximately 1,600 vouchers leased in Yolo County and through its public housing programs, properties it owns or owns on behalf of other entities, and properties it operates, manages, or supports. YCH houses another ~1,100 households throughout the County, meaning that in total more than 2,700 families in Yolo County are provided housing by the Housing Authority. Over the past three years, YCH has awarded 155 additional project-based vouchers, 84 of which support new construction projects throughout Yolo County. Project-based vouchers are a critical tool for new construction development, maintaining affordability in existing multifamily projects, and ensuring extremely-low and very-low income households have places to call home.
The Housing Authority is immensely grateful for the partnerships, support, and collaboration that make everything possible. In the last three years alone, thanks to Federal, State, and Local funding, YCH has invested approximately $3.2 million in capital funds from HUD, allowing YCH to upgrade its 431 public housing units throughout the County, including a $1.5M waterline replacement project at El Rio Villa and a $1.4M roof and HVAC replacement project at Riverbend Senior Manor. Thanks to funding from the Office of Migrant Services (OMS) at the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), YCH has invested over $10 million dollars in its three migrant centers, funding the organization never would have received without advocacy from Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry. With the OMS funding YCH has completed nearly 30 total projects to improve safety, livability, and community at the Davis, Madison, and Dixon sites.
In addition to the above-mentioned water line project at El Rio Villa, Yolo County Housing has been able to add a new playground and enhanced riparian habitat along Putah Creek thanks to multiple partnerships. YCH was able to raise over $100,000 from several partners including Supervisor Lucas Frerichs’ office, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the Winters Joint Unified School District to support the new playground. Solano County Water Agency and Putah Creek Council partnered with YCH to complete the first phase of a walking path along Putah Creek for El Rio residents to access and planted 300 new trees along the path. Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Solano County Resource Conservation District, and YCH have submitted a state funding application to build out phase II of the riparian habitat and walking path project.
In addition to key projects like those mentioned above, YCH has focused on strengthening and expanding partnerships the last several years to help build community and get creative to bring affordable housing solutions to fruition. In 2023, YCH and the City of Davis Parks and Community Services Department established an annual “Campamento Alegre” at the Davis Migrant Center, which has grown year after year, including in 2025 with support from Supervisor Sheila Allen and Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, https://www.cityofdavis.org/Home/Components/News/News/9111/2985. In 2024, YCH established a new partnership with Meals on Wheels Yolo County to deliver weekly meals to the Davis and Madison Migrant Centers’ families during the season, and in 2025 expanded partnership with Yolo Food Bank to begin monthly deliveries at the Woodland, West Sacramento, and Winters public housing sites, as well as, emergency distributions and gift card deliveries in response to the government shutdown. In December 2025, YCH officially partners with Fulcrum Property Corp and Pacific Housing Inc to deed restrict thirty rental units as affordable for moderate income households for 35 years.
As YCH rounds out its 75th year, New Hope CDC’s Board recently approved partnering with the Yolo Community Foundation and Sacramento Region Community Foundation to launch the Yolo County Housing 75th Anniversary Scholarship Endowment Fund, beginning in the 2026–27 scholarship cycle. This fund will provide opportunities for residents living in Yolo County Housing and New Hope CDC owned properties to apply annually for scholarships to help pay for costs associated with attending a vocational or trade school or a two-year or four-year college. “Yolo County Housing has 75 years of experience in supporting Yolo County community members. We share that goal, and we’re thrilled to partner with YCH and New Hope CDC in this new effort to serve Yolo County Housing residents,” says Jessica Hubbard, Executive Director of the Yolo Community Foundation.
“As we look forward to 2026, we’re excited to break ground on a new 37-unit multifamily project in West Sacramento, secure additional funding to implement the first phase of our Yolano-Donnelly revitalization, break ground on our early action activity in that neighborhood, continue finding creative approaches to add affordable housing, and continue to build new partnerships while strengthening existing ones,” says Ian Evans, Executive Director of Yolo County Housing. “Most importantly, we want to continue to recognize and appreciate our staff, because without them, none of this would be possible. In October, we honored 14 total staff with a combined 287 years of experience. They’ve helped us succeed these past 75 years and will ensure our success for the next 75 years.” To learn more about Yolo County Housing go to https://www.ych.ca.gov/.
