Funding for Affordable Housing in California

The Contra Costa County is accepting applications for its Affordable Housing Fund.

Donor Name: Contra Costa County

State: California

County: Contra Costa County (CA)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 12/19/2022

Size of the Grant: $500,000

Details:

The 2022-2023 Affordable Housing Program NOFA will include two local funding sources: Inclusionary Housing In-Lieu Fees and Measure X Housing Fund.

Inclusionary Housing In-Lieu Fees

Every residential project in unincorporated Contra Costa County consisting of five units or more is subject to the County’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Chapter 822-4 of the County Ordinance Code. The IHO promotes affordable housing by requiring 15% of units in the development to be affordable units. Alternative methods of compliance include the payment of a fee in-lieu of building affordable units on-site, building off-site, or any other feasible alternative. The in-lieu fees are approved and conditioned as part of the project’s entitlements, paid at the time of building permit issuance, and deposited in a fund with DCD. These funds may only be spent on new affordable housing construction in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

The funding award would be:

Provided as a forgivable low-interest loan, secured against the affordable housing property, to be reconveyed after the property is in service as affordable housing for five years;
Affordable for the construction of housing for households earning up to 80% AMI;
Preference for projects with larger units (two or more bedrooms); but
May not be used to support affordable housing required to be built as part of a market-rate project using density bonus or to meet inclusionary housing requirements. This targets the funding to affordable units that might not be built but for the assistance.

Measure X Housing Fund

Measure X is a countywide 20-year, ½ cent sales tax approved by Contra Costa County voters on November 3, 2020. Collection of the tax began on April 1, 2021. The ballot measure language stated that the intent of Measure X is “to keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers, emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services. Eligible projects under the Measure X Housing Fund for Year 1 project funds to be distributed through the Affordable Housing Program include:

Affordable housing for populations earning up to 80% area median income (AMI), with a focus on ≤50% AMI
Acquisition, pre-development, construction, rehabilitation, and operating and reserve funds.
Innovation pilot programs and capacity building technical assistance for affordable housing activities (acquisition, pre-development, construction, rehabilitation, and operating and reserve funds).
Grant writing for affordable housing activities (acquisition, pre-development, construction, rehabilitation, and operating and reserve funds).

Goals, Priorities, Income Limits, and Population Served

As approved by the County Board of Supervisors on September 20, 2022, the Goals of the MX Housing Fund are as follows:
- Support the affordable housing needs of Contra Costa County residents.
  - Top priority to fund affordable housing production and preservation.
- Prioritize filling funding gaps not addressed by other sources.
- Leverage funds wherever possible.
- Maintain flexibility to respond to the County’s housing needs as they evolve.
The Board of Supervisors also approved the following parameters for funding eligibility:
- The program shall prioritize funding for projects serving households earning up to 50% AMI— this is the designated target population for MX Housing Fund dollars.
- Projects serving households earning up to 80% AMI are eligible.

Additionally, a minimum of 30% of funds awarded by the State Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) and those matched by the MX Housing Fund must fund projects serving households earning 30% AMI or below and a minimum of 50% of LHTF and MX Housing Fund match funds must support projects serving households defined by the State as “Low Income,”.

Funding Information

Affordable housing funding award minimums as follows: