Orange County United Way and American Advisors Group Partner to Help End Homelessness in Orange County

Partnership Focused on Providing Supportive Housing for Seniors and Veterans through WelcomeHomeOC

IRVINE, Calif. (June 16, 2021) – Orange County United Way (United Way) and American Advisors Group (AAG) have announced a new, multi-tiered partnership focused on providing long-term supportive housing to homeless seniors and veterans through WelcomeHomeOC, a key program of United Way’s United to End Homelessness initiative which helps homeless individuals with rental vouchers to secure housing in private market apartments. In addition to providing financial support, AAG will engage its workforce to help United Way achieve its goal of “functional zero,” where episodes of homelessness are rare. AAG’s #ProjectInspire volunteers will help recently-housed individuals and families settle into their homes with Welcome Home Baskets, and AAG executives will help increase the number of housing units available to the program by activating their networks to recruit new property owners into the program.

“AAG is uniquely positioned to help us advance WelcomeHomeOC with its corporate alignment around the importance of a home and its advocacy for seniors and veterans,” said Susan B. Parks, president and chief executive officer, Orange County United Way. “With AAG’s help, we can further expand our property owners’ network and provide the types of support services that our program participants need to ensure that they remain in their new homes.”

“By partnering with United Way, we believe we can help provide much needed housing solutions to those seniors and veterans who are experiencing homelessness, which will have a real and lasting positive impact on our community,” said Reza Jahangiri, chief executive officer, AAG.

The WelcomeHomeOC program prioritizes moving a person into permanent housing with supportive services as quickly as possible so they have a stable foundation to rebuild their life.  Since its inception two years ago, this unique landlord incentive and housing navigation program has helped more than 400 people find a place to call home – with 100 of them just in the first quarter of 2021. Already 68 property owners have joined the WelcomeHomeOC Property Owner Network.

Additional facts about homelessness:

• According to HUD’s 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, in 2020, 580,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States, 161,548 in California (28% of the total).  California accounted for more than half of all unsheltered people in the country (51% or 113,660). 
• A recent study from Dr. Margot Kushel, director of the UC San Francisco Center for Vulnerable Populations, found that people born in the second half of the baby boom (1955-1965) have an elevated risk of homelessness throughout their lifetime. 
• According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of California Los Angeles and Boston University, the national population of people 65 and older experiencing homelessness is projected to nearly triple from 40,000 in 2017 to 106,000 in 2030. 
• According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, single adults over the age of 50 account for 35% of people experiencing homelessness. 
• According to the Orange County Point in Time Count, there were 6,860 homeless individuals in Orange County in 2019.  This includes 612 Seniors (ages 62 and older), 311 Veterans, and 275 Transitional Age Youth.

To learn more about the United to End Homelessness and the WelcomeHomeOC program, visit www.welcomehomeoc.org.

About AAG

AAG is dedicated to helping older Americans find new ways to fund a better retirement through the responsible use of home equity. As the nation’s leader in reverse mortgage lending, AAG offers a suite of home equity solutions — including Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, traditional and proprietary mortgages, and real estate services — that are designed to give seniors a better financial outcome in retirement. AAG is a proud member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). To learn more about AAG and reverse mortgage loans, please visit the company’s website at www.aag.com.

American Advisors Group, NMLS ID: 9392, 18200 Von Karman Ave., Suite 300, Irvine, CA 92612

About Orange County United Way

Today’s Orange County United Way is committed to leading the fight for equity by removing barriers, closing gaps, and leveling the playing field for everyone who lives here. More than a fundraiser, we’re hands-on, delivering more than 50 programs countywide to improve lives in our community. Every day we are doing more for the Education, Health, Housing, and Financial Stability of people in Orange County. We are working to ensure our students succeed, our struggling families find financial security, and our homeless neighbors find a place to call home. To learn more or discover how you can help, visit UnitedWayOC.org.

Orange County United Way is a standalone, independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Media Contacts:

AAG
Ryan Whittington
rwhittington@aag.com
(909) 770-2952

Orange County United Way
Annie Noebel
anoebel@cornerstonecomms.com
(949) 525-7024