Preservation
California’s population of 37 million is housed in approximately 12,151,227 dwellings of which 5,049,030 are rental apartments. Of this number, 150,000 are subsidized and regulated by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 18,700 are subsidized by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 300,000 have Housing Choice Vouchers funded by HUD through local housing authorities, 44,000 are public housing units, 204,000 have received allocations of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and unknown number have received funding through local HOME, CDBG, redevelopment and other programs without relying on any of the above programs.
CHPC estimates that 68,000 of these federally subsidized affordable apartments in California are at-risk of conversion to market rate in the next five years, with an additional 74,000 becoming at-risk in the following 15 years. CHPC works in several ways to ensure these homes remain affordable to low income Californians.
Clearinghouse
CHPC’s Preservation Clearinghouse is the state’s most comprehensive source of information on subsidized affordable housing at risk of losing its affordable status and converting to market rate housing. CHPC maintains the only comprehensive database of all HUD subsidized properties, USDA Section 515 rural properties, and properties financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits in California. CHPC uses the database to identify affordable properties that are at-risk and should be targeted for preservation.
Local Preservation Strategies
CHPC works to uncover regional trends and to engage with local governments, nonprofit developers, tenant advocates and other partners to develop local preservation strategies. Click here to learn about these efforts.
Advocacy
The Preservation Program is building a voice for California’s affordable housing industry in state and national policy debates. CHPC is an active member of the National Preservation Working Group, which has developed a federal policy platform of new strategies and solutions to preserve affordable housing. Closer to home, CHPC serves as facilitator of the California Preservation Working Group, which is comprised of affordable housing advocates, including legal and tenant organizations, that work on local, state and national preservation issues.
Newsletter
CHPC publishes the monthly e-newsletter Housing Preservation News, which provides information to readers on preservation policy, legislation and strategies as well as case studies of preservation properties. Sign up here to receive the newsletter.
For more information on CHPC’s Preservation Program, contact: Elyse Perry, Preservation Program Manager, 415-433-6804 x13, eperry@chpc.net.
Why preserve existing affordable rental housing?
- It generally costs half as much and takes half the time than building it new.
- On average it serves much lower income households than new construction.
- New construction alone cannot produce enough affordable housing to meet demand in most markets in California.