 | | Dear John, You spoke and we listened! Welcome to NPH’s brand new policy newsletter, The Policy Pipeline! This monthly newsletter has been designed with you in mind: our members, supporters, and allies who need timely housing policy updates that provide deep analysis. I hope this newsletter becomes a useful go-to in your toolbox as we collectively work to grow power for our affordable housing movement and secure housing and racial justice for our communities! |
| Coming down the pipeline in this month’s edition: - On the Federal Level: The American Rescue Plan passes!
- NPH’s priority bills for the 2021-22 legislative session
- Bring California Home - AB 71
- ABAG and MTC Release Report on Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA)
- Other things to know: Roadmap Home release, first policy committee hearings in March
|
|
|
| | On the Federal Level: The American Rescue Plan Passes |
| On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan relief package, which contains $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus. The core housing components include: - $21.55 billion in additional funding for emergency rental assistance
- $9.96 billion for homeowner assistance
- $5 billion for emergency housing vouchers for those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking support
- $5 billion for the HOME program
|
|  | | As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cripple our state, drive unemployment, and push renters closer to the brink of homelessness, the assistance contained in this bill is critical, as it will help stabilize millions of low income households across California. However, NPH is disappointed that the bill does not lower the 50% bond test to 25%, NPH’s main federal ask that could add an additional 36,000 affordable housing units in the next 18 months. NPH is meeting with our US Senators and Congressmembers to discuss fixing the 50% bond test in upcoming must-pass federal legislation. Read more. |
|
|
|
|
| | | NPH’s Priority Bills for the 2021-22 Legislative Session |
| With the 2021-22 legislative session in full swing, legislators are focused on many priorities that were unable to move forward last year, including affordable housing, homelessness, climate change, cannabis policy, public safety reform, COVID-19 recovery, wildfire prevention, tax reform, and revenue measures. |
|  | | NPH has finalized our priority bills for the 2021-22 legislative session: AB 528, Tax Delinquent Properties (Wicks): NPH is proud to co-sponsor AB 528 with the City of Oakland. This bill will remove abandoned and blighted properties from neighborhoods, give affordable housing developers an opportunity to build in more places, and remove tax delinquent properties from the County ledger all the while keeping existing tenants housed by strengthening and improving the existing Chapter 8 process for acquiring and rehabbing tax delinquent second homes. Read detailed info. |
|
|
| |
|
| AB 1271, Surplus Land Act (Ting): California is facing a housing crisis and unused public land has the potential to promote affordable housing development throughout the state. Most affordable housing in the Bay Area is built on previously publicly-owned land, making it a central strategy for meeting our region’s affordable housing goals. AB 1271 clarifies and strengthens provisions in the Surplus Land Act that will promote the use of public land for affordable housing. Read detailed info. |
|
|
| | SB 5, Affordable Housing Bond (Atkins): SB 5 is a $6.5 billion affordable housing bond. NPH is committed to advancing additional resources for affordable housing and at the same time, we are concerned about the addition of “skilled and trained” requirements into the bill that will require the use of only certain workers to build affordable housing. NPH continues to closely monitor this bill, which was recently amended on March 11. NPH has not sponsored this bill, but will continue to closely engage with it as it evolves. |
| |
|
| ACA-1, Lowering Voter Threshold (Aguiar-Curry): This constitutional amendment would lower the voter approval threshold for some local dedicated revenue measures, like bonds used to fund affordable housing, to 55% (from 66.67% currently). To advance in the state legislature, it requires 2/3 support from each chamber and must be passed with a simple majority on the next statewide general election ballot. NPH continues to work towards building the political will for its eventual passage and is focused on this as a longstanding priority. |
| | Bring California Home: AB 71 |
| AB 71 would secure an annual $2.4 billion allocation for homelessness prevention, services and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). NPH is working in coordination with All Home, CSH, Housing CA, United Way LA, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff, and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to lead the Bring California Home campaign. Read more. |
|
|
|
|
| | ABAG and MTC Release Report on Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) |
| The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) recently released a white paper, Momentum For Lasting Solutions, which contains five housing strategies for the newly formed regional housing agency, the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA), in order to advance affordable housing in the Bay Area. |
|  | | MTC, in partnership with the Bay Area Housing for All (BAHA) coalition, is seeking to secure a one-time state budget appropriation of $18.5 million to support the five pilot programs. Add your support to the sign-on letter. |
| |
|
| Other Things to Know The Roadmap Home: The Roadmap Home initiative, co-led by Housing CA and California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC), launched on March 25. Learn about bills contained in the initiative.
March Policy Committee hearings: The state legislature has started hearing bills in March through policy committees, where bills are first heard by legislators and can be stopped at any time. NPH is tracking 50 housing related bills and has been asked to weigh in on over two dozen. As we finish our analysis of the bills, we will bring them to you with our recommendations of support, neutrality, or opposition. |
| | If you have any questions about the topics covered in this newsletter, please feel free to contact me directly: [email protected]. |
|
|
| In solidarity, 
Pedro Galvao,
NPH Policy Director |
|
|
| | Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)
369 Pine Street Suite 350 | San Francisco, California 94104
415-989-8160 | [email protected] |
| |
|
| |
|
|
