The pandemic has got some in a pinch.... SOme are unable to pay thier rent. The Consumer Service and Housing Agency of California announced the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program for eligible households and landlords. COVID-19 has exposed the African American community’s long history of housing instability and this program will provide much needed equitable assistance for our most vulnerable California communities that have been impacted. And so we lsit with Some housing professionals as we welcome Geoffrey Ross is Deputy Director of the Division of Financial Assistance – Federal Programs at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he has served as Assistant Deputy Director of Financial Assistance since 2020. Ross was Executive Director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission from 2019 to 2020. He served in several positions at the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency from 2007 to 2018, including Assistant Director of Development and Federal Programs and Redevelopment Manager/Federal Programs Manager. He was an Administrative Analyst II at the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Pittsburg from 2006 to 2007 and was a Community Planning and Development Representative at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2002 to 2006. Ross served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Corporal from 1994 to 1998. He is a member of the California Association of Housing Authorities, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, National Community Development Association, the American Legion, Urban Land Institute, and the American Planning Association. He earned a Master of Planning degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California.
A native Angeleno, Tunua Thrash-Ntuk is the Executive Director of Los Angeles Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LA LISC). She is a seasoned community and economic development practitioner of more than 15-years with both non-profit and private sector experiences. Her strengths range from community advocacy to asset and real estate development around neighborhood revitalization. She has already led a number of important urban initiatives in Los Angeles focused on affordable housing and commercial development as well as transit-oriented projects. Prior to joining LISC, Tunua served as Executive Director of West Angeles Community Development Corporation, during her tenure she was responsible for the asset management and oversight of the WACDC real estate portfolio valued at $150 million. Tunua led the growth of WACDC’s real estate portfolio, in part by brokering a breakthrough in the development, construction and opening of West Angeles Plaza, a 24,000 square foot commercial office project.
Tunua was named LA's 2021 Impact Makers to Watch by Stratiscope and received the Wells Fargo Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award by Los Angeles Business Journal. She serves as a board member or advisory board member to many entities