Great news for our industry coming from HCD!

In response to advocacy efforts from the NPH Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) working groups, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) recently released an Administrative Notice announcing a service cap increase. This includes amendments to the program guidelines for 10 of the Department’s state-funded multifamily rental housing programs, raising the amount that providers can spend on resident services.

NPH’s PSH working groups have been integral in advocating for these increases on behalf of our members since January. To join one or all of the PSH working groups, please email NPH Policy Director J.T. Harechmak at [email protected].

The increased service caps will apply to 10 programs:

• Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC)
• Homekey (including Homekey+)
• Housing for a Healthy California (HHC)
• Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant (Serna)
• Loan Portfolio Restructuring (LPR)
• Multifamily Housing Program (MHP)
• No Place Like Home (NPLH)
• Portfolio Reinvestment Program (PRP)
• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
• Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention (VHHP) program

Begins with Home tested our hopeful and action-oriented narrative strategy with Bay Area residents and the results are in: Our messaging and content are moving potential supporters in support of affordable housing and public investment.  Find out how you can put these recommendations and our effective content to work at our next Begins with Home Campaign Briefing on Tuesday, October 22 from 12-1PM.

Whether you’re a policy aficionado, strategic communicator, or community engagement specialist, the research-backed content and messaging that we’re sharing on this call will ensure you’re using the most effective, up-to-date resources to make your case for housing justice now and ahead.

For many years, NPH has been working to update, strengthen, and defend the Surplus Land Act, a law that gives affordable housing developers a chance to build on publicly-owned land that a local government no longer needs.

Along with East Bay Housing Organizations, the San Diego Housing Federation, and the Public Interest Law Project, we secured major updates to the bill in the last legislative session. Now, Public Advocates has released a flowchart to better understand the Surplus Land Act process and the recently updated HCD guidelines.

The Surplus Land Act is used by advocates, communities, and NPH members to build local affordable housing–and it can be applied in your community too!

How can the Bay Area work together to solve homelessness? Join All Home and others on October 21 at 6:30PM at Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland for a free screening of a new feature documentary, BEYOND THE BRIDGE: A Solution to Homelessness.

After the film, there will be a short panel discussion with BCSH Secretary Tomiquia Moss and local leaders moderated by Kevin Fagan of the SF Chronicle. This portion will include audience Q&A so that we can all be a part of answering the question: How can the Bay Area solve homelessness in a comprehensive way?