CHC's Industry Insight
A Note from our Executive Director

I've never thought the idea that people should have the basic right to safe housing and shelter was on par with being radical or idealistic.
 
But that was the charge last week by an Assembly member pushing legislation that would limit growth in his district, home to the wealthiest county in the state. As the  San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board pointed out , the bill is emblematic of how policymakers have contributed to the housing crisis.
 
In attempting to defend his bill to the L.A. Times, Assembly member Marc Levine of San Rafael said it's the housing advocates who don't understand how affordable housing can be accomplished in his district.   "There are ideologues in housing," he said. "What I'm most interested in is pragmatic approaches that result in more housing for the people that need it."
 
We are guilty as charged with the "radical" notion that having a safe, affordable home is the foundation for achieving stable families, communities, businesses and local economies. While some policymakers are pushing bills to restrict production of affordable homes in the midst of a crushing housing and homelessness crisis, CHC and its members continue to push for a housing package that  includes critical permanent funding, as well as regulatory reform. 
 
As I recently told a Sacramento Bee reporter , it's shameful legislators have talked so much about the housing crisis but have yet to act and or even make intervention a real priority. It's time they hear our "radical" voices loud and clear. Call your legislators, send them an email ,  contact them on Twitter or Facebook  to let them know that they must take immediate action BEFORE the summer recess to fix our affordable housing and homelessness crises by voting YES on the affordable housing package before them that includes permanent funding, secured through Assembly Bill 71 and Senate Bill 2.

Californians on the brink of homelessness don't have the luxury to put off rental payments by weeks or take a summer recess. We should not allow the Legislature to wait to wait another day to secure reliable permanent funding for affordable housing production.

  Sincerely,
  





  Ray Pearl 
  CHC Executive Director 
Time for Action!

Don't let the California Legislature put off funding affordable housing for another year.  State leaders have repeatedly said they are committed to alleviating the crushing financial strain housing is putting on families, seniors, veterans, college students and individuals, pushing many to the brink of homelessness. Let's hold them to that commitment!     

Starting today, we ask that you call and tweet your Legislators to tell them to support SB 2 and AB 71 before the summer recess. Call & tweet everyday. Share this with your coworkers, family, and friends and urge them to call. Your actions will make a difference in supporting affordable housing across California.

4 Easy Steps for Action:


2. Call your legislator's office and read the script below; Feel free to personalize the script to better fit your organization, region, or legislator.

3. Go to  Twitter.com and search for your legislators' twitter handle by searching for their name in the search box. 

4. Use  example tweets and images from this document to tweet @yourlegislator; or create you own tweets.  

Script:

"Hi, I'm ______ from _____ calling to urge Asm. ______ (or Sen.______)  to take immediate action BEFORE the summer recess to fix our affordable housing and homelessness crises by voting YES on Assembly Bill 71 and Senate Bill 2 that provides permanent funding for affordable housing.
 
It is shameful how long the housing and homeless crises have been allowed to go on without the Legislature intervening with meaningful action.
 
The Legislature passed a budget that has zero funding for affordable housing. You can't fight poverty and homelessness without housing.
 
Californians being pushed to the brink of homelessness don't have the luxury to push off rental payments by weeks or take a summer recess. Neither can the Legislature wait to take action to secure reliable permanent funding for affordable housing production, nor can they take up any other issues before addressing housing.
 
As an affordable housing leader and community member, I need Asm. ____    (or Sen.______) to take bold action BEFORE the summer recess to secure permanent funding for affordable housing in our community of _________, as Senate Bill 2 (Atkins) and Assembly Bill 71 (Chiu) do."
In Case You Missed It...
  • The Legislature took action earlier this month on hundreds of bills in order to meet the house of origin deadline, including passing several key housing bills, but failing to take up CHC co-sponsored bills that would fund affordable home development.
     
  • Upcoming legislative deadlines:
    • July 14 - Last day for policy committees to hear and report fiscal bills for referral to fiscal committees
    • July 21 - Last day for policy committees to hear and report bills. Summer Recess will begin upon adjournment.
  • The Final Draft of AHSC Program Guidelines was released earlier this month. These Final Draft 2016-2017 AHSC Program Guidelines will be considered for adoption at the July 17, 2017 Strategic Growth Council meeting. The release of a 2016-2017 AHSC NOFA and application are expected to occur on October 2, 2017.
Federal Update from David Gasson, Boston Capital

Allow me to wish you a Happy July 4th. As we enter the summer months may you find time to relax, enjoy family and friends and forget what is going on (or not) back in Washington. 
As for what is going on in our nation's Capitol, much remains the same as the noise level is constant but the action not so much.  The current debate  
on repeal of the Affordable Care Act has shifted back to the Senate as the Republican conference released its bill to its Members for review. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had hoped to vote on the bill before his members left town for the July 4th weeklong recess but with opposition and calls for a delay of the vote growing, the Leader seems to have acquiesced and has announced a delay in voting on the Senate version of the bill until after the July 4th recess. Why is this important to we housing folks you may ask? Real action and debate on tax reform cannot take place until the ACA debate has subsided and tax writers know if they have additional tax revenue from ACA repeal to put toward lowering rates. This does not look likely at this point, adding to the consternation of House Leadership as they struggle to find consensus behind a tax bill.  

It is looking more likely that the best case scenario for tax reform may be a corporate rate in the area of 28%. This by no means is a given as many issues must be worked out even to reach that meager level of rate reduction. Partisan tax reform entails passing it through the reconciliation process which means the House and Senate must pass an FY2018 budget. This is not a certainty at this point with many believing the best Congress will be able to do is a Continuing Resolution for the year. This will complicate further the tax reform process. These issues are being hammered out now, as well as the sure to be contentious Debt Ceiling debate. I could go on forever so let's leave it at tax reform is very much up in the air and in my opinion, remains a 2017 issue, although it could stretch a little into 2018. 

Of immediate focus for us is continuing to secure cosponsors of the Cantwell/Hatch LIHTC expansion bill, S.548, and the Tiberi/Neal Bill, HR 1661. For the House bill, Reps. Sanchez, Thompson, Brownley, Carbajal, Eshoo and Calvert have signed on as cosponsors. We need to increase this number and focus on Reps. McCarthy and Nunes among the delegation. Demonstrating strong support for these expansion bills will be crucial to our efforts to have them included in tax legislation once there is tax legislation. 

So, as we all begin to enjoy the summer, keep in mind opportunities to highlight affordable housing properties with Members of Congress and their staff. This will not only aid in our efforts on behalf of the LIHTC but also our advocacy for HUD programs in the budget process. 

Thank you,

David Gasson
Affordable Housing in the News

Even as news last week from  the UCLA Anderson Forecast shows rents will only continue to climb in the coming years, especially for low- and middle-income residents, there was good news in local jurisdictions moving forward on affordable housing projects and plans. In San Diego, KPBS reports that local leaders unveiled proposals designed to ease the high-cost city's lack of affordable housing with a plan called "Housing SD." In San Bernardino, the second phase of a 5-acre site containing 84 new affordable housing units for qualifying families opened, a public-private partnership between the county and Related California, according to Fontana Herald News. 

Meanwhile, statewide reports about just how much homelessness has increased due to the housing crisis were striking. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the latest homelessness count confirms concerns from residents that homelessness is spreading across areas of the city. Said Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, whose district covers Richmond: "We've been hearing that homeless camps and people have been moving all over the city for quite some time now, and ... we hadn't seen a rise like this before." In Los Angeles County, officials are grappling with  a whole new phenomenon with news that Latino homelessness shot up 63% in the past year, largely due to rising rents. More than million households in L.A. and Orange counties have housing costs that exceed 30% of their income, according to the Los Angeles Times.
CHC Spotlight on New Development

CHC members are building safe, affordable homes for California's most vulnerable. Take a look at a new development opening in downtown San Diego:
Wakeland Housing & Development celebrates the opening of  Atmosphere; 205  units (studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes), including 51 units set aside as permanent supportive housing for residents who have recently experienced homelessness. Designed for individuals and families earning 60% or less of the area median income (AMI), with some units restricted to 30% AMI and below.

Atmosphere opened in May 2017 in an infrastructure-rich area of downtown San Diego. This new construction/ urban infill development helped revitalize a site that had been vacant since 2004 with a vibrant and attractive new housing community to meet the strong need for affordable housing in the area. Atmosphere also provides 51 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals who have recently experienced homelessness. These safe, secure and welcoming homes are combined with wrap-around services that promote self-sufficiency and stability, allowing residents to thrive.  

This project was made possible by a combination of funding sources, including: Tax credits (4% and 9%), state infill funding, MHSA and Project-Based Section 8 vouchers, and San Diego Housing Commission loan consisting of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Investment Partnerships Program grants to the City of San Diego.
CHC would like to thank the sponsors of our 20th Anniversary:
Is your CHC membership current? If you would like to  join CHC or have questions on your membership, please contact  Nancy Martin.  
STAY CONNECTED:
CHC is a non-partisan advocate for the production and preservation of housing affordable to low- and moderate-income Californians. We represent the development, building, financial, and public sectors united in their goal that every Californian has a safe, affordable place to call home.