HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmailed Comment from Timothy Kirkconnell1
Gloria Harper
From:Timothy Kirkconnell <tsdkirkconnell@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 4:29 PM
To:Gloria Harper
Subject:Comment for Joint Session this evening
Hello Ms. Harper!
I haven't been able to provide comment through the online registration platform but wanted to ensure my
comment was included as a written submission for this evening's joint session of the Council and
Planning Commission.
I hope this is acceptable to ensure it is included in the recorded comments.
With thanks,
Timothy Kirkconnell
Comment for this evening:
My name is Tim Kirkconnell, and I am a District 4 resident in College Park East.
Thank you for holding this in the open. Adopting the Housing Element was the hard part, and Seal Beach got there. The work now is
implementation, and that is where a city either leverages outside resources or ends up carrying the cost alone. I work professionally
in housing and homelessness policy at the regional level, and I am here tonight as a resident, offering a few thoughts in that spirit.
First, lean on your County and regional partners so the General Fund does the least lifting possible. The city recently joined the
Orange County Housing Finance Trust, which can bring developer financing to affordable projects without city dollars. And because
Seal Beach runs Section 8 through the Orange County Housing Authority, the report's own finding that the city uses fewer vouchers
than almost any community in the county is a low-cost, high-return gap to close.
Second, I would point you toward where federal funding is actually moving right now, which is transitional housing and youth.
Transitional housing is simply temporary housing, usually up to about two years, paired with services like case management and job
support, that bridges someone from a crisis into stable permanent housing. It is a stepping stone, not a permanent placement, and
HUD is increasingly prioritizing it, with a strong emphasis on programs for young people. Your adopted by-right framework for
shelters and supportive housing sets you up well here. Connecting any of it to the regional Coordinated Entry System and the
County's youth homelessness programs is what unlocks state and federal dollars.
On that youth point, one specific and low-cost tool worth naming: FYI vouchers also known as Foster Youth to Independence
Program. These are federal housing vouchers for young adults aging out of foster care, roughly eighteen to twenty-four, who are
homeless or at risk, and they come paired with support services. A city does not apply directly. The housing authority requests them
through a partnership with the county child-welfare agency. Other Orange County communities are already pursuing them, and Seal
Beach can encourage the County Housing Authority to do the same and help connect eligible local youth. Looking to utilize these
vouchers is both a short term play and a long term strategy by building political good will and bringing younger residents into the
community as thankful neighbors.
Finally, this report is thorough, but it lives in a packet. A short, plain-language annual scorecard, posted publicly, would let residents
see progress on the numbers that matter, including the affordable units the plan calls for.
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I care about this community and about doing this well and affordably, and I am glad to be a resource to staff or to this body as the
work continues.
On mobile, apologies for any errors.