Every year, California Department of Housing and Community Development approves programs to support residents as well as cities to build more housing. Residents of different cities can enroll in these programs in order to afford to rent, own or improve their house. Each city has different ways to offer these funds to residents. For instance, San Francisco has a a lottery based program.

At CityStructure, our vision is a world where every homeowner has a clear understanding of the development potential of their property. This is why we give you free access to the Untapped Development Potential for any property.

Here is a list of more active programs in California:

Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC)

The AHSC funds land use, housing, transportation, and land preservation projects that support infill and compact development and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Funds are available in the form of loans and/or grants in two kinds of project areas:  Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Project Areas and Integrated Connectivity (ICP) Project Areas.  There is an annual competitive funding cycle.

CalHome

CalHOME makes grants to local public agencies and nonprofit corporations to assist first-time homebuyers become or remain homeowners through deferred-payment loans. Funds can also be used to assist in the development of multiple-unit ownership projects.

California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH)

The CESH Program provides grant funds to eligible applicants for eligible activities to assist persons experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Eligible applicants are Administrative Entities (AEs) (local governments, non-profit organizations, or unified funding agencies) designated by the Continuum of Care (CoC) to administer CESH funds in their service area. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the CESH Program with funding from the Building Homes and Jobs Act Trust Fund (SB 2, Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017). HCD expects to administer CESH funding in two rounds with the first NOFA released August 2018 and the second NOFA expected early 2019.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

CDBG makes funds available in four categories:  Community Development (CD), Economic Development (ED), Community Services and Housing Activities, and Disaster Recovery Initiative (DRI).  CDBG grants can be used broadly but are primarily used to provide a suitable living environment by expanding economic opportunities and providing decent housing to low-income households.  Funds are available in California communities that do not receive CDBG funding directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  There is an annual competitive funding cycle for all except Economic Development, which has an over-the-counter Notice of Funding Availability process.

Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESG)

ESG makes grant funds available for projects serving homeless individuals and families through eligible non-profit organizations or local governments.  ESG funds can be used for supportive services, emergency shelter/transitional housing, homelessness prevention assistance, and providing permanent housing.  Funds are available in California communities that do not receive ESG funding directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Funding is announced annually through a Notice of Funding Availability.

Golden State Acquisition Fund (GSAF)

GSAF was seeded with $23 million from the Department’s Affordable Housing Innovation Fund.  Combined with matching funds, GSAF makes up to five-year loans to developers for acquisition or preservation of affordable housing.  Loans are a maximum of $13,950,000.  Funds are made available over the counter.  Contact a fund manager Opens in New Window for more information.

Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)

HOME assists cities, counties, and non-profit community housing development organizations (CHDOs) to create and retain affordable housing for lower-income renters or owners.  HOME funds are available as loans for housing rehabilitation, new construction, and acquisition and rehabilitation of single- and multifamily projects and as grants for tenant-based rental assistance.  At least 50 percent of the amount is awarded to rural applicants and 15 percent is set aside for CHDOs.  Funds are available in California communities that do not receive HOME funding directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Funding is announced annually through a Notice of Funding Availability.

Homekey

Homekey provides grants to local entities (including cities, counties, and other local public entities such as housing authorities and federally recognized tribes) to acquire and rehabilitate a variety of housing types — such as hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and residential care facilities — in order to serve people experiencing homelessness or who are also at risk of serious illness from COVID-19

Housing for a Healthy California (HHC)

HHC provides funding on a competitive basis to deliver supportive housing opportunities to developers using the federal National Housing Trust Funds (NHTF) allocations for operating reserve grants and capital loans. The Department will also utilized from a portion of moneys collected in calendar year 2018 and deposited into the Building Homes and Jobs Trust Fund to provide funding through grants to counties for capital and operating assistance. Funds will be announced through a Notice of Funding Availability.

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Housing Navigators Program

Housing Navigators Program allocates $5 million in funding to counties for the support of housing navigators to help young adults aged 18 years and up to 21 years secure and maintain housing, with priority given to young adults in the foster care system.

The Housing-Related Parks Program funds the creation of new park and recreation facilities or improvement of existing park and recreation facilities that are associated with rental and ownership projects that are affordable to very low- and low-income households.  Grant funds are made available to local jurisdictions.

Infill Infrastructure Grant Program (IIG)

IIG provides grant funding for infrastructure improvements for new infill housing in residential and/or mixed-use projects.  Funds are made available through a competitive application process.

Joe Serna, Jr., Farmworker Housing Grant (FWHG)

FWHG makes grants and loans for development or rehabilitation of rental and owner-occupied housing for agricultural workers with priority for lower-income households.

Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grants

The Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) program assist cities and counties to plan for housing through providing over-the-counter, non-competitive planning grants.

Local Housing Trust Fund Program (LHTF)

Affordable Housing Innovation's LHTF lends money for construction of rental housing projects with units restricted for at least 55 years to households earning less than 60 percent of area median income.  State funds matches local housing trust funds as downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers.

Mobilehome Park Rehabilitation and Resident Ownership Program (MPRROP)

MPRROP makes short- and long-term low interest rate loans for the preservation of affordable mobilehome parks for ownership or control by resident organizations, nonprofit housing sponsors, or local public agencies.  MPRROP also makes long-term loans to individuals to ensure continued affordability.  Funds are made available through a competitive process in response to a periodic Notice of Funding Availability.  NOTE: Currently, MPRROP is accepting applications on an over-the-counter basis.

Multifamily Housing Program (MHP)

MHP makes low-interest, long-term deferred-payment permanent loans for new construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of permanent and transitional rental housing for lower-income households.

National Housing Trust Fund

National Housing Trust Fund is a permanent federal program with dedicated source(s) of funding not subject to the annual appropriations.  The funds can be used to increase and preserve the supply of affordable housing, with an emphasis on rental housing for extremely low-income households (ELI households, with incomes of 30 percent of area median or less).  This year California is receiving approximately $10.1 Million for the program. Subscribe to the Multifamily Housing Programs e-mail list to receive notification of their availability.  Funds will be made available through a competitive process and will be announced through a Notice of Funding Availability.

Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) Grants

The Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) program helps council of governments (COGs) and other regional entities collaborate on projects that have a broader regional impact on housing. Grant funding is intended to help regional governments and entities facilitate local housing production that will assist local governments in meeting their Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA).

SB 2 Planning Grants Program

The SB 2 Planning Grants program provides one-time funding and technical assistance to all eligible local governments in California to adopt, and implement plans and process improvements that streamline housing approvals and accelerate housing production. Eligible activities include updating a variety of planning documents and processes such as general plans and zoning ordinances, conducting environmental analyses, and process improvements that expedite local planning and permitting. The planning grants program is funded through the Building Homes and Jobs Act Trust Fund (SB 2, Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017). HCD intends on releasing the NOFA in March of 2019.

Supportive Housing Multifamily Housing Program (SHMHP)

SHMHP provides low-interest loans to developers of permanent affordable rental housing that contain supportive housing units.

Transit Oriented Development Housing Program (TOD)

The TOD program makes low-interest loans and grants for rental housing that includes affordable units that are located within one-quarter mile of a transit station.  Eligible applicants include cities, cities and counties, transit agencies, developers, and redevelopment agencies.  Applications are accepted in response to a periodic Notice of Funding Availability.

Transitional Housing Program

The Transitional Housing Program allocates $8 million in funding to counties for the purpose of housing stability to help young adults 18 to 25 years secure and maintain housing, with priority given to young adults formerly in the foster care or probation systems.

Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program (VHHP)

VHHP makes long-term loans for development or preservation of rental housing for very low- and low-income veterans and their families.   Funds are made available to sponsors who are for-profit or nonprofit corporations and public agencies.  Availability of funds is announced annually through a Notice of Funding Availability.

Want your permits fast?

Answer these few questions about your project to find out if you may qualify to benefit from California's new State Bill 9 that lets homeowners to add more units on their property or even to split their lot.

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What's the next step?

CityStructure Untapped Potential Report guides you to take the next step to move forward with your project. This is a fine grain analysis that gives you the size of the possible new additions, the maximum number of units, ADUs or even the maximum size of a new building on this property with an estimated construction budget.