AB 74: Housing.

Existing federal law requires the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a Housing Trust Fund to provide grants to states to increase the supply of rental housing for extremely low and very low income families, including homeless families, and home ownership for extremely low and very low income families.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency. The department is responsible for administering various housing and home loan programs throughout the state. Existing law designates the department as the state agency responsible for administering funds received by the state from the federal Housing Trust Fund and requires the department to administer these funds through existing or newly created programs.

This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2019, to establish the Housing for a Healthy California Program to create supportive housing opportunities through grants to counties for capital and operating assistance, as specified, or operating reserve grants and capital loans to developers, or both. The bill would require the department to award grants to counties on a competitive basis pursuant to rating and ranking criteria, as specified. The bill would require the county to use grant funds in a specified manner and to comply with federal Housing Trust Fund regulations. The bill would require a county or developer awarded grant or loan funds to report data, as specified. The bill would require the department to submit federal Housing Trust Fund allocation plans to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as provided. The bill would also require the department to analyze data collected pursuant to the program, as specified, and to report program data to certain legislative committees, as specified. The bill would require the department to carry out these provisions with revenues appropriated to the department from federal Housing Trust Fund allocations, as specified, or with any other revenues appropriated to the department that may be allocated for purposes of the program, or both.