California Department of Housing and Community Development

The Department

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Workforce Housing Reward Program

PROGRAM NOT CURRENTLY MAKING AWARDS

Purpose

Provides financial incentives to cities and counties that issue building permits for new housing affordable to very low or low-income households.

Assistance Type

Grants.

Terms

Grant amounts are based on the numbers of bedrooms in units restricted for very low and low-income households for housing units with building permits issued during the 12-month reporting period. Qualifying rental units must be rent-restricted for at least 55 years. Ownership units must be initially sold to qualifying households at affordable cost. Any public funds used to achieve affordability in ownership units must be recovered on resale and reused for affordable housing for at least 20 years. Grants for very low income units are greater than grants for low-income units.

Very low income means not over 50 percent of area median income, adjusted for family size. Low-income means not over 80 percent of area median income, adjusted for family size.

Eligible Activities

Construction or acquisition of capital assets such as traffic improvements, neighborhood parks, bike paths, libraries, school facilities, play areas, community centers, police or fire stations.

Eligible Applicants

Cities, counties, and cities and counties that, by the end of the 12-month period for which application is made, have adopted housing elements that HCD has found to be in substantial compliance with housing element law, and have submitted to HCD the annual progress report required by Section 65400 of the Government Code within the preceding 12 months.

Application Procedure

Applications will be invited through issuance of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for each year that funds are available. The third round of grant funding is for calendar year 2006 with applications available in December 2006.