State Roles in Delivering Quality Affordable Housing Kalima Rose Senior Director PolicyLink

2 State’s Highest Calling Guiding State Resources to Meet Diverse Housing Needs Maximizing Federal Resources Incentivizing Local Housing Action Getting Growth and Affordability Where You Want it

3 State’s Highest Callers Advocacy Networks that bridge developers, providers, legal services, agencies, environmental groups Legislative champions Strong agencies, staff, and governance Sophisticated affordable developers, leagues of cities, financial institutions, etc

4 Guiding State Resources to Meet Diverse Housing Needs Characterize the Need Set benchmarks for meeting need Assemble policy tools most relevant to need Assign resources, incentives, or regulations to deliver on need

5 Guiding State Resources to Meet Diverse Housing Needs: California Characterize Need Housing Element Requires Regions/Jurisdictions to Plan for Housing Growth Every 5 Years Set benchmarks for meeting need Jurisdictions assigned population growth at income levels, must identify sites, housing types, affordability levels Assemble policy tools most relevant to need Inclusionary zoning, housing bonds, housing trusts, first time buyers, as of right density Assign resources, incentives, or regulations to deliver on need State bond issuances, local land use regulations, awards of state & federal subsidies

6 Maximizing Federal Resources Draw down maximum available funds Set criteria for low income housing tax credits Weigh in on pending legislation

7 Maximizing Federal Resources: Louisiana Draw down maximum available funds Inventory all eligible funds to state, and help entitlement jurisdictions do same Set criteria for low income housing tax credits Prioritize locations that offer opportunity (proximity to jobs, transit, services), economic integration, and green building standards Weigh in on pending legislation Increase bonding capacity, promote National Housing Trust Fund

8 Incentivizing Local Housing Action Target State Resources to Identified Needs Enable density Provide for local leveraging of resources Tie infrastructure funds to housing goals

9 Incentivizing Local Housing Action: Massachusetts Target State Resources to Identified Needs Rental vouchers, Enable density Allow local zoning override for any jurisdiction that doesn’t meet minimum affordable housing standard Provide for local leveraging of resources Community Preservation: Housing-parks-historic preservation funded by state match to local tax levy Tie infrastructure funds to housing goals Transit-housing overlay districts

10 Getting Growth and Affordability Where You Want it Set criteria for housing resources Couple housing goals with other infrastructure spending (especially Transit Oriented Development) Align with general plans and environmental goals

11 Getting Growth and Affordability Where You Want it: Florida Set criteria for housing resources Sadowski Act creates housing trust that directs resources to localities for new construction, first time ownership, rental housing Couple housing goals with other spending Work to establish community land trusts to preserve affordability Align with general plans and environmental goals Growth boundaries to protect Everglades tied to housing investments

12 Important Roles Advocacy Networks Outlast term limits, know local needs, protect most vulnerable Legislative champions Key to navigating politics, winning resources Strong agencies, staff, and governance Build on successes, grow sophistication and efficacy over time Sophisticated affordable developers, leagues of cities, financial institutions, etc Key to spreading successes across state, institutionalizing financing

Affordable Housing Tools deeply described in our Equitable Development Toolkit Kalima Rose