FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2026
Housing California
Contact: Tara Sreekrishnan
(408) 480-7833
tsreekrishnan@housingca.org
Housing Leaders in California Release a “Roadmap Home” to Protect Renters, Create 1 Million Affordable Homes
Research-Based Policy Agenda Calls for Bold State Budget Investments, $10 Billion Housing Bond
SAN FRANCISCO (January 15, 2026) – Housing California and the California Housing Partnership released today the Roadmap Home, a comprehensive policy agenda shaped by 200 representatives from leading organizations and services providers in California focused on housing affordability and homelessness.
The 66 policies outlined in the Roadmap would end the state’s housing and homelessness crisis by building one million affordable homes, protecting three million renters from losing housing, delivering essential services that keep people housed and move them out of homelessness, and closing racial and economic gaps that threaten to undermine California’s economy.
Nearly 187,000 Californians have no place to live, millions of renters are on the brink of losing their housing, and families are making impossible choices between paying for housing, food, and health care. Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant families are the hardest hit but the housing crisis impacts all Californians.
Rents have risen 40 percent since 2000, while renter incomes have grown just 9 percent, forcing families further behind each year. Californians must earn nearly three times the minimum wage to afford the average rent, and 79 percent of extremely low-income renters spend more than half of their income on housing, leaving less for food, healthcare, childcare, and other basic needs.
The Roadmap calls on California’s elected leaders to dramatically increase and sustain their focus on and state revenue for housing affordability, and provides a much-needed guide to invest in tangible solutions that could positively impact Californians across the state. The Roadmap provides a unified, evidence backed, policy framework and plan to meet California’s stated housing goals.
The release of the Roadmap Home comes as the governor and legislators negotiate a state budget with fewer resources, including significant reductions in federal support.
The organizations endorsing the Roadmap Home will first prioritize protecting housing and homelessness funding in the annual state budget and passing a $10 billion Affordable Housing Bond in November to produce and preserve affordable homes for lower-income Californians.
“California’s housing crisis is, at its heart, a question of whether families can meet their most basic needs and build stable, healthy lives. Today, far too many of our neighbors are struggling, spending more than half of what they earn just to keep a roof over their heads,” said Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director of Housing California. “The Roadmap Home makes clear that a different future is possible – but only if leaders commit to bold policies and the political will to deliver real solutions for all Californians.”
“Our state government must take the lead on solving California’s housing crisis by committing to create long-term funding for the investments and innovation needed for meaningful impact,” added Flegal. “We must shift from crisis management to prevention, treating housing as a public good.”
“California’s housing crisis is the defining challenge of our generation, and it demands a response at the scale of the problem,” said State Senator Jesse Arreguin, incoming Chair of the Senate Housing Committee. “At a time when federal support is shrinking, the state must step up. That means prioritizing housing in our state budget and moving quickly to put the $10 billion Affordable Housing Bond before voters so we can build and preserve the homes Californians desperately need.”
The Roadmap grew out of collaborations with California leaders from across housing, homelessness services, tenant advocacy, racial justice, and other fields, with a focus on hearing from and helping Californians with the most needs. The 66 policy proposals also are based on research and data that shows what work.
California Housing Partnership, a private nonprofit that helps government and nonprofit housing agencies produce and preserve affordable and sustainable homes, provided the research support for the Roadmap. California Housing Partnership President and CEO Matt Schwartz noted that “At the current pace of only 25,000 new affordable homes per year, it will take 40 years to meet the state’s goal of creating one million affordable homes.”
Schwartz warned, “If California does not enact a comprehensive set of policies and reforms in proportion to the problem, we risk many more people becoming homeless, increasing migration out of California by both employers and residents, destabilizing our communities and nation-leading economy. The Roadmap Home contains the kind of bold, evidenced-based policies at the scale we need to address these problems and keep our economy and communities strong.”
About Housing California
Housing California is a statewide housing advocacy organization working to shape narrative, build power, and change policy to end homelessness and create affordable homes for all.
About the California Housing Partnership
Founded by the Legislature in 1988 as a nonprofit with a public mission, the California Housing Partnership advances affordable, sustainable housing for working families, people experiencing homelessness, veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities. By pairing hands-on technical assistance with policy leadership, the Partnership has helped leverage $37 billion to create or preserve more than 96,000 affordable homes across California.
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