Right Column
New Funds Available for Housing
To ensure that lack of housing for California’s work force does not derail our economic prosperity, the Davis Administration successfully proposed an unprecedented augmentation for State housing programs. In partnership with the Legislature, the Administration has created innovative programs to get to the root causes of housing underproduction. Funds have also been allocated to the Department of Housing and Community Development for proven, successful programs to develop and preserve housing and improve the health and safety of its residents.
The following descriptions are a few of the funding sources available from this Department. Other housing funds are available from the Division of Financial Assistance in this Department.
NEW:
The Workforce Housing Reward Program (WFH) will provide $23 million in incentive grants to cities and counties to encourage approval of new housing affordable to very low- or low-income households. To be eligible, cities and counties must have a housing element 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. Grant amounts are based on the numbers of bedrooms in units restricted for very low and low-income households during each calendar year, with grants for very low-income units greater than grants for low-income units. Applicants that received Jobs-Housing Balance Incentive grant funds in 2003 will also receive a bonus grant per bedroom. Grants shall be used for the construction or acquisition of capital assets (pursuant to government Code Section 16727) that serve to benefit the community (California Statutes 2002, Chapter 482 (SB 423)).
April 2004: Expected Release Date for the 2005 WFH Program Guidelines and NOFA
Further WFH Program Information
Program Publications
WFH Enabling Legislation, Chapter 482, Statutes of 2002 — Adobe PDF
The Jobs-Housing Balance Improvement Program (JHBP) provide $25 million in one time grant funds to award eligible cities and counties who significantly increased their residential housing production for the 2001 calendar year. The JHBP program rewards jurisdictions, particularly those in high job growth areas where housing has not kept pace, that increased housing production based on the number of permits issued. Grants were used for the construction or acquisition of capital assets (pursuant to government Code Section 16727) that serve to benefit the community (California Statutes 2000, Chapter 80 (AB 2864) and California Statutes 2002, Chapter 482 (SB 423)).
2003 Jobs Housing Balance Incentive Grant Recipients
The Downtown Rebound Program (DRPG) provides financing to assist in the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods, reduce development pressure of agricultural and open space resources and provide viable live/work linkages. Funding will be offered through the Multifamily Housing Program, and will be administered by the Housing Policy Development Division (HPD). The DRPG Program will provide planning grants to local governments to promote infill housing development, housing near transit and adaptive reuse, assisting owners of qualified buildings in obtaining seismic and structural feasibility studies specifically related to the purpose of adaptive reuse (California Statutes 2000, Chapter 83, (AB 2870)).
No New Funds
The Interregional Partnership State Pilot Project provides grants to interregional consortia of two or more councils of governments, two or more subregions within multicounty council of governments, or a county working collaboratively with the State and federal government, to develop, evaluate an implement a variety of policies and incentives to mitigate current and future imbalances of jobs and housing. Grants are to be used for: advancing development of implementation plans and models, including geographic mapping, to promote jobs in predominately residential communities and housing in "job rich" communities, (California State Budget, Statutes 2000, Chapter 52, (AB 1740), Line Item 2240-112-0001).
No New Funds