February 12, 2019
34,554 Affordable Homes at Risk in California

Given California's rising housing prices and cost of construction, losing affordable homes is a tragedy not only for low-income residents but also for the broader community and the state as a whole. To inform affordable housing preservation efforts across the state, the California Housing Partnership annually assesses the historical loss and conversion risk of federally- and state-subsidized affordable rental properties. Our 2019 report -  California's Affordable Rental Homes at Risk  - finds that California has already lost 15,044 affordable rental homes and that another 34,554 affordable rental homes are currently at risk of conversion.

Affordable homes at risk of conversion by county, 2018
Affordable homes at
risk of losing affordability have the following characteristics:
  • The majority have expiring HUD project-based rental assistance contracts and maturing mortgages (67%), while 25% are governed by expiring LIHTC regulatory agreements, and 9% are financed by maturing USDA mortgages.
  • These affordable homes primarily serve seniors (46%) and families (42%).
  • At-risk homes are concentrated in Los Angeles County (35%), Orange County (10%), San Diego County (7%), Santa Clara County (6%), and San Francisco County (5%).
This data underscores the need for the state to provide local governments with the funding and other tools they need to preserve these homes and for local governments to implement affordable housing preservation strategies across California. View the full report  for more data on lost and at-risk affordable homes as well as recommendations for affordable housing preservation policies and strategies  at the state and local level.

For more information on this report, please contact Preservation & Data Manager  Danielle Mazzella.