State May Revise Affordable Housing Funding Priorities
While California is experiencing an historic budget surplus, the state’s housing crisis is becoming increasingly more dire. Millions of Californians, who are disproportionately lower income and people of color, must make hard decisions about paying for housing at the expense of food, health care, child care, and transportation — one in three households in the state don't earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Now is the time to invest in affordable housing solutions that reflect the scale of the crisis that California residents face.
The Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California and Housing California are advocating for deeper affordable housing investments in the Governor’s May revise budget proposal. The following are some of the funding priorities these organizations are recommending:
$5 billion over three years for the Multifamily Housing Program (MHP) and the California Housing Accelerator Program. MHP will issue its last Proposition 1 funded NOFA in 2022 and additional funds are needed to ensure the continuation of critical MHP programs. The Housing Accelerator Program processes the backlog of stalled affordable housing developments that and are waiting to break ground. Funds are also needed to continue the No Place Like Home Program and the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program. It is also recommended that the MHP statute be amended to allow continued funding for ongoing operational costs to keep people permanently housed and supported, including Project Homekey units.
$5 billion over 5 years to help prevent and end homelessness. This investment would build on recent efforts to build a sustainable path towards solving homelessness and permanently housing individuals in shelters and on the streets.
$100 million to create a capitalized Emergency Revolving Loan Fund to accelerate the reconstruction of affordable multifamily homes and owner-occupied single family homes that have been damaged or destroyed in natural disasters.
$100 million for farmworker housing development and maintenance to address housing disparities and support migrant families.
Affordable housing is part of the state’s safety net and there is much more that can be done to ensure that everyone has access to a safe affordable home. We all have a role to play! Contact your elected state representatives and advocate for deeper affordable housing investments in the FY 2022-23 budget.
To learn more, view the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California’s article on the Governor’s Budget Proposal Commits to Critical Housing and Homelessness Solutions, But Deeper Investments Needed to Meet Community Needs.