As budget negotiations begin to heat up, Housing California remains committed to advancing a bold package of budget requests that reflect the scale of the crisis we face in California. The state is estimating a $45.7 billion surplus, with $20.6 billion available for discretionary spending. Now is the time to invest in solutions at scale, as put forward in the Roadmap Home 2030.

Because Proposition 1 funds will dry up this year, Housing California and our partners are advocating for a robust investment of $5 billion in the Multifamily Housing Program to ensure that the State’s current affordable housing investments continue to flourish. This investment would also provide funding for the California Housing Accelerator Program to process the backlog of affordable housing developments that are waiting to break ground. Given the uncertain future of the federal Build Back Better Act, which would help finance developments through federal Low-Income Tax Credits, California must take bold steps now to protect its current pipeline of developments.

The Governor and Legislature must invest at scale in both the development of affordable and supportive housing, and also provide housing and services to people experiencing homelessness in immediate need. Only by taking a holistic approach to our state’s housing crisis can we effectively build a California with homes, health, and wealth for all. 

In solidarity, strength, and gratitude,

The Housing California Team

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We’re committed to putting on an engaging, productive, and safe event. So, this year, we are offering a hybrid conference experience with two ways for you to join us: in-person or virtually!

On the Conference registration page, you can select the ticket option you prefer. If you haven’t secured your ticket, make sure to register today!

If you plan to attend the conference in-person, booking your hotel lodging now is the best way to be sure you don’t miss out on discounted rates. Book before March 3 to take advantage of this discount.

We can’t wait to see you and come together for a better California!

Lobby Day 2022

Housing California and RUN will hold a virtual Lobby Day this year on April 27. Official training to prepare for Lobby Day will start March 30, with a series of training sessions in English and then in Spanish on separate days for RUN members, along with a training for partnering organizations the week before Lobby Day. Notably, this is different from years past, because Lobby Day will not be connected to our hybrid conference. Instead, it will be entirely virtual, a few weeks after the conference. You can receive more information via our Capitol Reporter. We also invite you to sign up for RUN’s weekly newsletter here or check out RUN’s calendar on the Housing California website.

The Roadmap Home coalition held a Year 2 Kickoff event on February 4 — featuring partners from the California Housing Partnership (CHP), All Home, Housing NOW!, and Western Center for Law & Poverty — to look back at wins and shortcoming in Year 1 and look ahead to 2022 legislative and budget priorities. Check out the playback of the live-stream event!

Tribal Listening Session

Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority presented a series of Tribal Stakeholder sessions, in partnership with Housing California, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative and CHP, on February 25. Tribal members discussed their unique housing needs and proposed solutions to include in the Roadmap Home.

A second listening session will be held March 3 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is a hybrid event that you can attend in person or online.

AB 1961 would create a statewide portal to make it much easier to apply for affordable housing, and it comes after multiple RUN members pitched the idea to legislators alongside Housing California legislative advocate Amber-Lee Leslie over the last few weeks.

The same week that Assemblymember Isaac Bryan of LA joined RUN members on our weekly Community Care call to talk about making sure people coming out of prison get housing and job support, he introduced AB 1816, which would advance the same goals as last year’s AB 328, which was a RUN priority. RUN members enthusiastically committed to fighting for AB 1816 in the legislature this year.

We’ll be pushing hard for both of these bills as they get assigned to committees and make their way through the legislature. Stay tuned for ways to take action all the way through the year!

RUN Events and Trainings

On February 9, RUN held a Storytelling Training, the first hour of a two-part series where newbie and veteran RUN members learned simple, effective tools to speak in public about their housing stories. Joining 70+ attendees were coaches from Community Change and from our regional partners who helped members refine their stories in small groups. We followed up the next week with the second half of the storytelling training, where RUN members got a chance to practice and share their stories-in-development. These training sessions will lay the foundation for RUN’s 2022 advocacy efforts.

At the State Level

Legislature

Housing California has been hard at work collaborating with our legislative champions, housing and homelessness advocates, multi-sector partners, and RUN leaders to identify and advance policy solutions that will effectively provide needed resources for those struggling the most. 

Housing California’s full 2022 policy agenda includes a wide variety of land use, affordable housing development, and homelessness priorities. Learn more about Housing California’s 2022 policy agenda here. 

Of particular note, one of our coalitions recently held a press conference on February 23 to highlight Assembly Bill 1816, which would provide housing support and resources for those exiting the prison system. Along with the bill, we are actively fighting for a $200 million investment through the budget to fund a Reentry Housing & Workforce Development program which would fill a much-needed gap of permanent and affordable housing for people recently released from state prison who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless upon release. Check out the recording of the conference here. 

At the Federal Level

While Congress is currently not focused on the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), negotiations are continuing between Senator Manchin, Congressional leadership, and the Biden Administration. While we have heard that Congress and President Biden hope to pass a version of the BBBA before the State of the Union on March 1, this timeline is looking increasingly uncertain.  

Housing California is circulating a letter for sign-ons with our partners, Corporation for Supportive Housing and People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), requesting that Speaker Pelosi, Senate Leader Schumer, and Senator Feinstein include the housing investments of the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s HoUSed campaign and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provisions in any final reconciliation bill.