Hundreds of community members, business leaders and elected officials gathered at Housing Trust Fund Ventura County’s 7th Annual Compassion Campaign, raising more than $200,000 for affordable housing and breaking the organization’s fundraising records. Held May 7 at Tierra Rejada’s Walnut Grove, “The Sweetest Investment”-themed event reflected on the lasting returns that local commitment to affordable housing generates for the entire region.
During the evening's most powerful moment, Ventura Springs residents Rosay and Jimmy Mooney shared about their housing journey. The couple formerly owned a home in Maryland before moving to California and facing housing insecurities, which led to them living in their car with a newborn.
Thanks to Project HOPE, a collaborative outreach initiative pairing law enforcement and social services to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, the Mooneys were able to secure housing at Ventura Springs, an affordable housing development funded in part by Housing Trust Fund VC.
"Since moving in, I feel safe," Rosay Mooney told the audience. "Sustainability has been my word this year, because being sustainable was lost for a period of time. My child now has his own bed and room, a consistent schedule and a consistent routine."
Senior Deputy Jason Havelka of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office who assisted the Mooneys through Project HOPE weighed in on the area’s housing issues.
"One of the biggest challenges our clients face is locating and securing available, affordable housing," Havelka said. "Developments like the one this organization helped fund are key in creating real options for families like the Mooney family."
Their story grounded a broader conversation about the widening gap between wages and housing costs in Ventura County. Housing Trust Fund VC CEO Linda Braunschweiger led guests through an interactive Price Is Right-style segment comparing the cost of common goods and services in 2016 versus today. According to HUD Fair Market Rent data, the average rent for a two-bedroom home in California has climbed more than 40-50% over the past decade, surpassing $3,000 per month in many markets. Annual childcare costs have nearly doubled, rising from $10,000 to $15,000 in 2016 to $20,000 to $29,000 today, according to the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. And according to the UC Berkeley Terner Center, the cost to build a single affordable housing unit in California, which stood at roughly $265,000 to $425,000 in 2016, has since climbed to $450,000 to $700,000 or more.
"Ventura County's future depends on whether working families can afford to live where they work," said Braunschweiger. "When teachers, nurses, first responders, agricultural workers and service employees cannot find housing they can afford, the consequences ripple across our entire economy."
In keeping with the evening’s theme, the event featured a dessert auction in which each item was tied to the story of a current resident living in a community funded in part by Housing Trust Fund VC. Pecan pie, chosen in honor of Rosay’s late grandmother Rosa who made it for family and community gatherings, opened the bidding. Proceeds contributed to the evening’s record-breaking total.
Guests also participated in the second annual “Paint It Forward” lending library competition. Five lending libraries were built by students in the Architecture and Product Innovation and Design Pathways program at Adolfo Camarillo High School, under the guidance of teacher and former Teacher of the Year Peter Wachtel, with support from the Rotary Clubs of Moorpark and Santa Paula. McCarthy Companies, the inaugural Paint It Forward winner in 2025, took home the award for the second consecutive year. Each library will be placed at a development supported by Housing Trust Fund VC.
The 2026 Compassion Campaign was chaired by Ken Trigueiro, Board Chair of Housing Trust Fund VC. Keystone Title Sponsors included Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (USA HOPE), Banc of California and Larrabure Framing. Pillar Sponsors included the City of Ventura Housing Services, City National Bank, U.S. Bank, PennyMac and Montecito Bank and Trust.
Housing Trust Fund Ventura County
Launched as a 501c3 nonprofit corporation in 2011, Housing Trust Fund VC is the local trusted leader in helping to increase affordable housing options throughout Ventura County by leveraging public-private partnerships to provide low-cost, flexible loans early in the housing development cycle. As of January 2026, Housing Trust Fund VC has committed to investing $52 million through its Revolving Loan Fund, creating 2,193 affordable apartments and homes for very-low, low- and middle-income employees, transitional age foster youth, veterans, farm workers and the homeless.
Learn more at HousingTrustFundVC.org.