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State Data Overview
Across California, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to extremely low income households (ELI), whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income (AMI). Many of these households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing. Severely cost burdened poor households are more likely than other renters to sacrifice other necessities like healthy food and healthcare to pay the rent, and to experience unstable housing situations like evictions.
Housing Profiles
California
Key Facts
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1,303,650 OR 21%
Renter households that are extremely low-income
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-981,986
Shortage of rental homes affordable and available for extremely low-income renters
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$35,030
Average income limit for 4-person extremely low income household
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$109,812
Annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent (FMR)
Impact on Low-Wage Workers
A minimum wage worker would need to work:
- 102 hours per week or 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a 1-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR).
- 125 hours per week or 3.1 full-time jobs to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (FMR).
Most Expensive Areas 2-Bedroom Housing Wage Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA $81.04 San Francisco HMFA $69.31 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara HFMA $66.98 Napa MSA $63.75 Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine HMFA $62.23 Common Occupations Median Hourly Wage Fast Food and Counter Workers $20.90 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $20.30 Retail Salespersons $18.99 Home Health and Personal Care Aides $16.96 Solutions
- Provide significant resources to build and preserve homes affordable to renters with the lowest incomes through investments in public housing and the national Housing Trust Fund
- Encourage states and local communities to reform zoning and land use regulations that prevent housing from being built and push up housing costs
- Bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance so that it is universally available to all eligible households or consider other innovative approaches, such as a fully refundable renters’ tax credit
- Prevent evictions and homelessness by creating permanent tools, such as emergency rental assistance, to help stabilize families in crisis
- Other federal housing resources, including the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, should be reformed to better address the shortage of rental housing affordable to the lowest-income households.
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State Level Partners
NLIHC Housing Advocacy Organizer
Thaddaeus Elliott
State PartnersCalifornia Coalition for Rural Housing
717 K St. Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95814-3406
P 916-443-4448
www.calruralhousing.orgAlicia HF Sebastian
Executive Director
[email protected]Veronica Beaty
Director of Policy and Research
[email protected]Galen Dobbins
Policy Analyst
[email protected]California Housing Partnership
369 Pine Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94104-3327
P 415-433-6804
www.chpc.netMatt Schwartz
President & CEO
[email protected]Mark Stivers
Director of Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy
[email protected]Andrew Dawson
Policy Advocacy Manager
[email protected]Housing California
1107 9th Street, Suite 560
Sacramento, CA 95814
P 916-447-0503
www.housingca.orgChione Lucina Muñoz Flegal
Executive Director
[email protected]Christopher Martin
Policy Director
[email protected]Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
369 Pine Street, Suite 350
San Francisco, CA 94104-3302
P 415-989-8160
www.nonprofithousing.orgAmie Fishman
Executive Director
[email protected]J.T. Harechmak
Senior Policy Manager
[email protected]Southern California Association of NonProfit Housing
340 E. 2nd Street, Suite 406
Los Angeles, CA 90012
P 213-480-1249
www.scanph.orgAlan Greenlee
Executive Director
[email protected]Frank Martinez
Policy Director
[email protected]Become an NLIHC State Partner
NLIHC’s affiliation with our state coalition partners is central to our advocacy efforts. Although our partners' involvement varies, they are all housing and homeless advocacy organizations engaged at the state and federal level. Many are traditional coalitions with a range of members; others are local organizations that serve more informally as NLIHC's point of contact.
Inquire about becoming a state partner by contacting [email protected]
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Housing Trust FundHTF Implementation Information
NLIHC continues working with leaders in each state and the District of Columbia who will mobilize advocates in support of HTF allocation plans that benefit ELI renters to the greatest extent possible. Please contact the point person coordinating with NLIHC in your state (below) to find out about the public participation process and how you can be involved.
Current Year HTF Allocation$132,021,214
HTF State Resources2023
HTF Guidelines (PDF)
HTF Guidelines webinar slides (PDF)
Annual Action Plan webinar slides (PDF)
Annual Action Plan, HTF-specific pages 135-155 (PDF)
2022
Draft Annual Action Plan, June 15, HTF-specific pages 113-122 (PDF)
Annual Action Plan webinar slides (PDF)
Draft Annual Action Plan, April (PDF)
First Amendment to Annual Action Plan, HTF Method of Distribution, Dec 2021 (PDF)
2021
Housing for Healthy California (HHC) Program NOFA, Article 1 (PDF)
Annual Action Plan, Final, July 20, 2021, with HTF-specific pages 111-118 (PDF)
Annual Action Plan Overview (PDF)
Annual Allocation Plan, draft, May 12, 2021 (PDF)
Annual Allocation Plan, draft, April 2, 2021 (PDF)
HHC FAQs (PDF)
HHC Listening Session (PDF)
Housing for Healthy California (HHC) Program Guidelines, Amended (PDF)
2020
HTF applications received (PDF)
Article 1 NOFA (PDF)
Article 1 FAQs (PDF)
January 2020 Proposed Housing for Healthy California Amended Program Guidelines (PDF)
Amended HHC Guidelines (PDF)
HHC NOFA (PDF)
HHC FAQs (PDF)
HHC Webinar Slides (PDF)
2019
HTF awardee list (PDF)
Draft 2019-20 Annual Action Plan with HTF Allocation Plan on pages 137-148 (PDF)
HHC Article I NOFA Developers (PDF)
HHC Article II NOFA Counties (PDF)
Housing for Healthy California Program Guidelines (PDF)
HHC Article I (for developers) FAQ (PDF)
Article II (for counties) FAQ (PDF)
HHC webinar at: https://bit.ly/31susXQ
2018
Housing for a Healthy California Program Draft Guidelines- Amended, May 13,2019 (PDF)
2017
2017 HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)
HTF NOFA (PDF)
FAQs 07/31/2018 (PDF)
FAQs 07/25/2018 (PDF)
HTF Supplement to CA Universal Rental Project Application (PDF)
Draft HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)
Draft Annual Action Plan (PDF)
2016 and 2017 HTF Awards (PDF)
2016
HUD-approved HTF Allocation Plan (PDF)
Draft Allocation Plan by California Department of Housing and Community Development (PDF)
HTF Model Allocation Plan (PDF)
2016 and 2017 HTF Awards (PDF)
State Designated EntityState Entity Webpage
California Department of Housing and Community DevelopmentOfficial Directly Involved with HTF ImplementationAnne Nichols
NHTF Section Chief
[email protected]Willa Darley-Chapin
Housing Branch Chief
Division of Federal Financial Assistance
916-820-1492
[email protected]NHTF-specific Pages
National Housing Trust Fund for federal years 2018-2021
National Housing Trust Fund for 2021 onward
Annual Action Plans with Annual Allocation Plans -
ResourcesResources
Housing Profiles
State Housing Profile
State Housing Profile: California (PDF)
Congressional District Housing Profile
Congressional District Profile: California (PDF)
Research and Data
National Housing Preservation Database
The National Housing Preservation Database is an address-level inventory of federally assisted rental housing in the United States.
Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing
Out of Reach documents the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing. In California and Nationwide
The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes
The Gap represents data on the affordable housing supply and housing cost burdens at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. In California and Nationwide
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