We build affordable homes with site-based services that offer opportunities to change lives and strengthen communities on the Central Coast of California.
Affordable Housing – housing which costs less than 30% of income. These costs, whether it is rent or a mortgage, also include your utilities. No state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest-income renters. Learn more
Area Median Income (AMI) – the midpoint of a specific area’s income distribution and is calculated on an annual basis by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Want to calculate your AMI for your area? Click here and enter your address
Builders Remedy – In California, if a jurisdiction does not plan in its Housing Element for the number of homes required by the state through the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) the city has to approve any housing project as long as at least 20% of the homes are low-income or 100% of them are moderate-income. Learn more
Gentrification – recognized as an imprecise definition, it is commonly described as the process by which neighborhoods which have undergone disinvestments and economic decline experience a reversal, a reinvestment and an in-migration by a more affluent class, resulting in community displacement. Learn more
Housing Element – This law acknowledges that, in order for the private market to adequately address the housing needs of Californians, local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for (and do not unduly constrain) housing development. Learn more
Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) – Developed in 1986, LIHTC is a government program that gives tax credits to housing developers in exchange for agreeing to reserve a certain number of units for lower-income households. Learn more
Project Homekey – Known in California by this title, this method of creating housing employs the use of surplus commercial accommodations such as hotels and motels by repurposing them into studios and single room occupancies (SROs). Learn more
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) – California requires that all local governments adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in their community. The state first determines how much housing at a variety of affordability levels is needed for each region in the state which then develops a methodology to develop this housing (see Housing Element). Learn more
Rehab – Affordable housing can be preserved or created by rehabilitating existing buildings. This can happen by purchasing a property and turning it into affordable housing, it can also happen when a property has reached a certain age and needs to be renovated or updated.
Single Room Occupancy (SRO) – unit that provides living and sleeping space for the exclusive use of the occupant, but requires that the occupant share sanitary and/or food preparation facilities with others.
