FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 12, 2026

Housing California
Contact: Tara Sreekrishnan
tsreekrishnan@housingca.org
(408) 480-7833

Enterprise Community Partners
Contact: Karen Whitaker
Kwhitaker@enterprisecommunity.org

Coalition urges Governor to support legislative budget investments in housing and homelessness and place affordable housing bond on the November ballot

SACRAMENTO, CA — As budget negotiations enter their final phase, a coalition of affordable housing, homelessness, and housing justice organizations commends the Assembly and Senate for their steadfast leadership in advancing critical investments to address California’s housing and homelessness crisis. The joint legislative budget agreement announced last night restores funding for proven programs including the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program; the State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program; and the Multifamily Housing Program. The coalition applauds the Legislature’s commitment, and its leadership in advancing an affordable housing bond. We urge Governor Newsom to support the Legislature’s proposed housing and homelessness investments in the final budget and to place an affordable housing bond on the November ballot.

In a year of budget constraints exacerbated by cruel federal funding cuts, the coalition recognizes that the Legislature is working to meet the needs of vulnerable Californians with limited resources. However, we urge all parties to ensure funding in the final budget for three programs not named in the joint legislative budget – CalHome, the Joe Serna Jr., Farmworker Housing Grant Program, and the Portfolio Reinvestment Program – and call on our leaders to place a $10 billion affordable housing bond on the ballot. Investing in these programs in the budget is a critical bridge to ensure that affordable homeownership opportunities, creation of homes for farmworkers, and anti-displacement efforts do not stall, and a bond will provide essential stable funding in years to come. Our coalition stands ready to work with the Legislature and Administration to bring these investments to California’s communities.

Affordable housing and homelessness advocates have highlighted the need to prioritize $3.3 billion in critical investments this year to build the affordable homes Californians need, prevent and end homelessness, preserve existing affordable housing, and promote homeownership. This funding is essential to keeping vulnerable Californians housed. Read the full coalition budget proposal, signed by over 100 organizations.

Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director, Housing California:

“Safe, stable, affordable housing is the foundation for healthy families and thriving communities. We commend the Legislature’s budget agreement for investing in proven programs that build homes, prevent displacement, and help people exit homelessness. Now we must build on that momentum by placing an affordable housing bond before voters in November, so communities have the stable, multi-year funding needed to meet the scale of California’s housing crisis.”

Matt Schwartz, President and CEO, California Housing Partnership:

“The California Housing Partnership applauds Legislative leaders for advancing a budget that invests in critical affordable housing programs. California has 40,000 affordable homes in the pipeline and general fund investments combined with an affordable housing bond can make these homes a reality. We urge the Governor to work with Legislative leaders to grow California’s investments in affordable housing and place a bond on the ballot as soon as possible. As we look to the future we are committed to partnering with our state leaders to secure new sources of on-going revenue so that we can deliver the million new affordable homes Californians need.”

Heather Hood, Vice President and Northern California Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners:

“The California Legislature showed that when our communities speak, Sacramento listens, and yesterday, we saw that it listened. The Legislature presented a budget agreement that includes critical funding for programs that build and preserve affordable homes and provide stability for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. There are over 40,000 shovel-ready affordable homes in the pipeline in need of resources like these, and with resources from the state budget, these homes can get built and open their doors to Californians who need them. Time and again, state housing programs have proven they work if they can rely on funding to live up to their promise. That’s why we must build upon this budget agreement by placing an affordable housing bond on the November ballot, so the state can maintain its momentum in serving the housing needs of low-income Californians.”

Sharon Rapport, Director of California State Policy, Corporation for Supportive Housing:

“CSH thanks the state Legislature for advancing funding for the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program, which has contributed to an almost 7% reduction in unsheltered homelessness in California, according to the most recent Point-in-Time count. We applaud lawmakers for grounding their decision in data and evidence, recognizing that sustained investments in proven housing solutions are essential to preventing and ending homelessness across the state.”

Debbie Arakel, CEO, Habitat for Humanity California:

“We are appreciative that the California Legislature’s state budget agreement includes critical investments in homelessness solutions and affordable rental housing. However, we are profoundly disappointed that the California Legislature’s state budget agreement fails to provide any investment for CalHome, despite the Senate’s forward-thinking leadership initially including the program in its proposed budget. For the third consecutive year, California has declined to invest in working families earning modest incomes by providing options for affordable homeownership through CalHome, the only state program dedicated to producing and preserving ownership homes. This is not simply a pause in funding – CalHome has no remaining funds to support new home projects. Without a new allocation, the state is effectively ending this critical affordable homeownership program, stalling shovel-ready homes, weakening the housing continuum, and pushing homeownership further out of reach for thousands of California families. We urgently request the Legislature to include a direct investment in CalHome and to support the Governor’s responsible revenue measures surrounding corporate healthcare coverage, tax credit limitations, and digital software sales tax changes as a mechanism to ensure funding for priority homelessness and affordable housing programs.”

Alicia Fleming Sebastian, Executive Director, California Coalition for Rural Housing:

“The California Coalition for Rural Housing is encouraged by the Legislature’s commitment to robust HHAP funding and restored affordable housing investments in FY 2026–27. CCRH remains steadfast in urging the Governor and Legislature to further ensure fair living standards for California’s most underserved and underresourced places — our rural, farmworker, and Tribal communities. CalHOME and the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Program specifically support the people and places that feed our families and steward the land on which we all depend. CCRH is hopeful the Legislature and Governor will put a Housing Bond on the ballot this November and give voters a say in how California builds our shared housing future.”

Alex Visotzky, Senior California Policy Fellow, National Alliance to End Homelessness:

“Communities across California are turning the corner and reducing homelessness. We applaud the Senate and Assembly on a budget that will continue the momentum. These investments will bring more people back into housing, connect people to critical supportive services, and prevent others from falling into homelessness. We urge the Governor to support this proposal to secure a legacy of driving down homelessness statewide.”

Cori Racela, Executive Director, Western Center on Law and Poverty

“We are encouraged to see the Legislature prioritize investments that help address California’s housing affordability and homelessness crises. As housing costs continue to push families, seniors, workers, and people with disabilities to the brink, these investments represent a critical step toward keeping people housed and preventing more Californians from falling into poverty. We urge Governor Newsom to support this budget agreement and continue advancing solutions that expand housing stability, reduce homelessness, and create opportunity for communities across the state.”