With California’s already severe housing crisis being made even worse due to COVID-19 and the related economic challenges, Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration and the State Legislature have been searching for innovative solutions.
One solution area that has received strong legislative support in recent years is Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and now the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) is announcing the first unit using its ADU financing pilot program has begun construction.
In partnership with Self-Help Enterprises, a community development organization based in the San Joaquin Valley, CalHFA is acting as a construction lender for the award-winning Cottage Home Program in the City of Clovis.
CalHFA has set aside $2.5 million for this pilot financing program, and the deal model used by this first ADU is a huge step toward growing the program for use across the state.
“Thanks to the innovative work of the City of Clovis and Self-Help Enterprises, we expect to create a pilot group of 20-30 ADUs financed that will inform a financing program with a larger geographic footprint,” said CalHFA Executive Director Tia Boatman Patterson. “This type of gentle density housing has many benefits including adding to the supply of affordable homes for low- and moderate-income Californians, assistance to homeowners that may be struggling to afford the cost of housing, and furthering the state’s fair housing goals by providing housing opportunities in higher resources areas.”
