![]() ![]() The initial RCHDC Board members included Ukiah City Council member Jack Simpson, Phil Gorny of the Mendocino County Planning Department, Jeff Warner from the Mendocino Coast, as well as John Pateros from Ukiah.Īt this time Duane, as well as his Administrative Assistant, Carolyn Tappin, were working as NCO staff. The legal entity of Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation (RCHDC) was organized in November 1975, but the original housing development work was financed under the umbrella of NCO up to 1983. He developed a housing advisory board as a precursor to setting up a separate nonprofit agency for housing development. Soon, NCO was able to fund Duane’s position full time as the NCO Housing Developer. In the area of housing, he worked with community groups to focus on a housing project for senior citizens in Ukiah and a project for families in Willits. In addition to developing a housing strategy for the agency, Duane had responsibility for other programs, including the administration of the Foster Grandparent Program. They also made contact with an architect from Sacramento with experience in developing affordable housing projects, as well as a contractor from Sonoma County that had worked on such projects. NCO staff were able to locate properties in Willits and Ukiah. Finally, it was decided to use agency staff to explore the possibility of NCO developing housing projects. Then RCHDC explored the possibility of private developers developing such housing. There was little interest on the part of the county. Initially the agency explored the possibility of getting the Mendocino County Housing Authority to explore developing affordable housing. The net result was that NCO decided to use some of its community development funds to hire a staff member who would explore the housing situation in Ukiah and submit options. In response, the NCO Board appointed a committee to review and discuss options. She noted that many of them were single women who were supporting themselves on only their retirement income. A discussion ensued in which Lois explained that there were several seniors who had contacted her about the difficulty of finding affordable housing. Shortly after, at an NCO Board meeting in 1974, one of the organization’s cherished board members, Lois Anderson, a local realtor in Ukiah, asked what NCO could do about housing for low income senior citizens. The survey results and plan for senior citizen services were discussed at a board and staff retreat held at Blue Lakes Lodge. The survey results revealed that housing was one of the two most important needs. In 1973-74 there was a senior citizens' needs survey of the two counties to determine priority of needs. The housing development efforts began in the early 1970s, when Tom MonPere was NCO’s Executive Director. (NCO), the Community Action Agency for Lake and Mendocino Counties. RCHDC had its beginnings as a program of North Coast Opportunities, Inc.
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