Historic housing state budget; more priority bills (NPH E-News)

OUR PRIORITY BILLS CAN BUILD UPON STATE BUDGET HOUSING SUCCESS!

In order to achieve a future where our communities stay and prosper in the Bay Area and across California, we need big, bold solutions at the state, regional, and local levels. As the legislative session continues, NPH keeps the pressure up to advocate and support housing bills that can support our mission of making the Bay Area and California a place where everyone has an affordable and stable home. 

In recent weeks we’ve added additional bills to our "Priority Bill" status, which means we’re further intensifying efforts to work with our members and partners to support and pass these bills this session. These bills seek to address the housing crisis from many different angles, and can build upon the crucial investments in the state budget. Some of these new priority bills include: 

• Senate Bill 330 now in Assembly Committee: SB 330 creates more affordable housing opportunities for California families and workers by ensuring local governments each maintain consistent rules and regulations. The bill is set to be heard today at Assembly Local Government. Learn more.
• Assembly Bill 1482 moves to Senate Appropriations: AB 1482 would help keep families in their homes by limiting extreme or unreasonable rent increases as well as prevent arbitrary evictions. Yesterday, the bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on its way to Senate Appropriations and then to the Senate floor. Learn more. 

Also, here are some updates on our other, long-standing priority bills: 

• Assembly Bill 1486 now in Senate Committee: AB 1486, which strengthens the California Surplus Land Act to transform unused public land into a public good, passed out of Senate Housing Committee with a strong 8-3 vote last Tuesday. The bill is now headed to Senate Appropriations where it will be heard in the last week of July or first week of August. Share your support now.
• Assembly Bill 1487 hearing today: AB 1487, which would provide new regional funding and programs to strengthen our Bay Area region with more affordable homes, is scheduled to be heard today at 9:30am in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Mike McGuire. As a co-sponsor of this bill, NPH has been working with the “3Ps” legislative campaign coalition to generate support, organizing in-district delegation visits to Senator McGuire’s office ahead of this hearing. Follow #AB1487 on Twitter for updates on the bill’s progress.

• Assembly Bill 10 continues to move:  While the affordable housing community has much to celebrate with the $500 million expansion of the low-income housing tax credits included in the State Budget, the expansion is not guaranteed year over year. AB 10 addresses this issue by expanding the state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program by $500 million annually. AB 10 would ensure that the tax credit expansion is guaranteed for at least 5 years so that more low-income Californians can be stably housed and includes $25 million set aside for new farmworker housing.

Our members and supporters can continue to count on us to provide timely updates on NPH priority bills. Check out our Action Center for all the latest.

The Emerging Leaders Peer Network (ELPN) is a platform for growth, achievement, and opportunity among a cohort of affordable housing practitioners and advocates. We’re excited to share these opportunities with ELPN:

• Monday, July 15: ELPN Women of Color in Housing Salon, an informal discussion on women of color in the affordable housing industry. SOLD OUT! 
• Wednesday, July 17: It’s time to network and celebrate! Join ELPNers for the annual mid-year party at Drake’s outdoor beer garden, to relax, meet peers and professionals, and enjoy pizza, snacks, and drinks! RSVP here.
• Friday, August 2: Are you a developer? Ever wonder how the decisions you make throughout the development process affect asset managers? During this session, you’ll learn about how decisions and assumptions about operating expenses, reserves, service commitments, project design, and much, much more impact the long-term operation of affordable housing properties. RSVP here.

Attention developers! Check out the latest Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) and surplus lands availability below:

• Surplus lands: The California Department of General Services has issued a notice of surplus state-owned lands. State law gives priority buyer status to local agencies and affordable housing developers. Check out surplus properties that are available. 
• 7/18 NOFA application deadline: The County of San Mateo Department of Housing is pleased to announce a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for approximately $27.6 million in Measure K Funds, State HCD No Place Like Home (NPLH) funds, and California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) funds.

Questions may be emailed to housing@smchousing.org until July 12, 2019.  All questions and Department responses will be posted on the AHF 6.0 webpage and updated periodically.

The NOFA can be found on the Department of Housing’s website.

• 8/13 NOFA application deadline: HCD amended the Housing for a Healthy California (HHC) Program Final Guidelines and is concurrently releasing the two separate Notices of Funding Availability (NOFA). 

NOFA for Article I (National Housing Trust Fund allocation) totals approx. $33 million. HCD will allocate funds competitively to developers for operating reserve grants and capital loans.

NOFA for Article II (Building Homes and Jobs Act allocation) totals approx. $60 million. HCD will allocate funds competitively to counties for acquisition, new construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, administrative costs, capitalized operating subsidy reserves, rental subsidies, and rental assistance for existing and new supportive housing opportunities to assist the HHC program’s Target Population.

Learn more and register for a NOFA workshop/webinar here.

• 8/20 NOFA application deadline: The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has released the Multifamily Housing Program (MHP) Final Guidelines and NOFA for approximately $178 million. This is the first available funding from Proposition 1, the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2018, which California voters approved on November 6, 2018.

View the NOFA application and workshop details here.