Sacramento, CA
June 2, 2022
Contact: Unai Montes, umontes@housingca.org, 310.962.7369 (Bilingual)
In response to the State Legislature’s 2022-23 Joint Budget Outline, Housing California Policy Director Christopher Martin issued the following statement:
Housing CA Responds to the Senate–Assembly June Budget Proposal
The State Legislature has proposed a budget that lifts up several key Housing California priorities. Housing California applauds the Legislature’s leadership in proposing critical investments, such as:
- $200m for the Community Anti-Displacement Acquisition Program (CAPP)
- $400m for the Multifamily Housing Program (MHP)
- $300m for the Housing Accelerator Program
With MHP issuing its final resources this year, a State General Fund investment is vital to ensuring our affordable housing pipeline does not stall. Just as important is the Housing Accelerator Fund to fund over 14,000 shovel-ready projects awaiting Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and unable to move to construction.
In addition to development of affordable housing, the Legislature proposes investment in the preservation of private-market rental housing where low-income people live, through CAPP. This type of preservation is critical to keeping low-income renters in their homes, while quickly and cost-effectively expanding the supply of affordable housing. Housing California applauds the Legislature, particularly Assemblymember Bloom who has championed this new program, as well as our partners at Enterprise Community Partners, Public Advocates, California Housing Partnership and the Stable Homes coalition. Housing California is thrilled to see investments in these essential affordable housing programs included in the Legislature’s budget and we strongly encourage Governor Newsom, Speaker Rendon, and President pro tempore Atkins to support including these in the final budget agreement.
Though we are excited to see additional investments in affordable housing production, we must also address the immediate challenges faced by unhoused Californians. We appreciate the inclusion of additional resources for the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program (HHAPP) in the next 2 budget years, yet we are disappointed not to see further necessary investments in re-entry housing and workforce development program (AB 1816, Bryan), direct rental assistance (AB 2817, Reyes), or workforce capacity for the homelessness services sector (budget request by L. Rivas). If we truly want to have an impact for unhoused Californians we must invest at scale in evidenced based, permanent housing interventions. In partnership with policy and budget experts, we worked in coalition to create Roadmap Home 2030 to ensure our decision-makers would have a clear path toward long-term solutions, not short term band aids.
Additionally, the joint proposal does not provide administrative funds for the implementation of AB 1961 (Gabriel), a bill to create a statewide affordable housing database and digital application portal instead of forcing applicants to travel from office to office to fill out multiple paper forms. With the conclusion of COVID-19 eviction moratoriums and rental relief programs, Californians in every corner of the state are concerned about their housing security. The legislature has recognized the importance and critical need for legal and community support for eviction prevention. This funding should be implemented under the policy framework of last year’s AB 1487 (Gabriel), which gives it the best chance of meaningfully serving vulnerable renters by advancing a proven model of prevention. To truly address capacity in underserved areas, multiple years of funding are needed to allow organizations to plan. Housing California will continue to advocate for state resources that buttress existing programs to improve people’s access to housing.
In sum, while there are several noteworthy investments in the Senate-Assembly 2022-23 joint budget proposal, it falls short of the investments in affordable housing and to address homelessness that Californians need and deserve. The Legislature’s and Governor’s proposed budget advance only a fraction of what is called for to ensure that those seeking affordable housing can find more than an interim roof over their heads, and to guarantee that those who are unhoused can get and stay housed without having to wait months or even years for that opportunity.
Faced with the largest surplus in our State’s history, the Legislature and Governor have an opportunity to craft a budget that can transform the lives of Californians. We encourage Governor Newsom to work together with the Legislature to finalize a budget that reflects our values to create a California with homes, health, and wealth for all.