Rep. Schiff Announces Nearly $600 Million for Affordable Housing in California

Washington, D.C.- Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced that nearly $600 million is coming to California through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support local efforts to address homelessness and housing affordability across the state.

"Too many hardworking Californians are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. This critical funding will support cities across our state with additional resources to help expand affordable housing options and connect unhoused individuals to the resources and shelter they need," said Rep. Schiff.

The HUD funds will be distributed across the state of California will:

• Build stronger communities - The Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) provide annual grants on a formula basis to States, cities, counties, and insular areas to develop stronger, more resilient communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income people.
• Expand affordable housing - The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) is the primary Federal tool of States and local governments to produce affordable rental and owner-occupied housing for low-income families. HOME funds a wide range of activities including building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership or providing direct rental assistance to low-income people. HOME also allows communities to fund a wide range of supportive services, including job training and employment support, homeownership counseling services, transportation assistance, healthcare services, services for the elderly and people with disabilities, and affordable and quality childcare services.
• Connect people living with HIV/AIDS to housing and support - The Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program provides stable and permanent housing assistance and supportive services to low-income people living with HIV.
• Address homelessness - Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) provides funds for homeless shelters, assists in the operation of local shelters, and funds related social service and homeless prevention programs. Recipients enable people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. ESG funds may be used for street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, and rapid re-housing assistance.?
• Increase the affordable housing supply - Housing Trust Fund (HTF) is an affordable housing production program that complements existing Federal, state and local efforts to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, including families experiencing homelessness. HTF is a formula-based program for States and U.S. Territories. By law, each state is allocated a minimum of $3 million. State affordable housing recipients will use these funds for the eligible activities including real property acquisition, site improvements and development hard costs, related soft costs, demolition, financing costs, relocation assistance, operating cost assistance for rental housing (up to 30% of each grant), and before reasonable administrative and planning costs.

In April, Schiff introduced the Government Facilities to Affordable Housing Conversion Act, legislation which will support the conversion of unused and underutilized federal, state, and local government-owned buildings into affordable housing units, increasing the supply of affordable housing nationwide and developing housing that is responsive to the needs of local communities.

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