Skylight Homes

To be eligible for the mortgage, applicants must:

• Be approved for a conventional home loan program
• Qualify for a minimum first mortgage loan of $400,000 through $450,000, with a qualifying home loan payment of no more than 40% (housing ratio) and a total debt ratio of more than 50% of the qualifying gross income
• Minimum income requirements apply. Buyers will need to qualify with sufficient gross income to support the mortgage payment + their monthly debt.
• Be pre-approved prior to the lottery date

Homeowners association dues will be approximately $175 per month. (Association involvement is encouraged at any community with a homeowner’s association. Homeowners will be advised of updates on a regular basis.)

To be eligible for the farmworker designated homes, the applicant must meet the general eligibility requirements and at least one applicant must:

• Earn at least 50% of their annual income from agriculture related work
• OR be a retired farmworker
• OR live with a disability, with prior work as a farmworker

Evidence of U.S. citizenship is not required.

The key requirements are:

• Applicant is a first-time homebuyer and will live in the home as a primary residence
• Household has less than 80% of the Santa Barbara County Area Median Income.
  • The maximum income limits are determined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, are updated annually, and are based on the household size. Below are the maximum income limits for Skylight Homes:

*Effective as of 06/23/2026

Property taxes are estimated to be 1.25% of the purchase price of the home.

The minimum down payment is $21,000 of the homebuyer’s own funds. Gifts are allowed and exceptions may be reviewed on a case by case basis. Households providing sweat equity may be eligible for additional assistance.

Yes! Down payment assistance programs from third party local organizations will be available for Skylight Homes. Eligibility and qualification for each program will be part of the home loan pre-approval. More information will follow.

The following documents will be necessary for each household member over the age of 18 years old:

• Valid drivers license, state identification card, or passport
• Past 30 days of pay stubs
• Tax Returns and W2s for 2025, 2024, 2023 tax years
• Personal bank, retirement, and investment account statements for the past two months

Construction has begun and is projected to finish in spring of 2028.

The Skylight Homes project partners includes the following organizations:

• Owner: People’s Self-Help Housing
• Architect: Rea & Luker Architects, Inc
• Civil Engineer: Bethel Engineering
• Landscape Architect: Jim Burrows Landscape Architecture

Work that consists of one of the following:

• Cultivation and tillage of the soil;
• The production, cultivation, growing and harvesting of any agricultural or horticultural commodities;
• The raising of livestock, bees, furbearing animals, or poultry; dairying, forestry, and lumbering operations;
• Or any work on a farm in conjunction with farming operations, including the delivery and preparation of commodities for market or storage.

Agricultural Employment also includes work done by anyone processing an agricultural commodity until it is shipped for distribution.

The Skylight Homes construction subsidy is partially funded by the California Department of Housing and Community Development Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Program (FWHG). The definition of a Agricultural Employment/Agricultural Worker is specified in the 2024 Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Program Guidelines.

An Agricultural Worker(s) and the other people who reside with them.

An individual who derives a substantial portion of their income from Agricultural Employment. Retired and disabled farmworkers are also included in this definition.

Refers to programs that help homebuyers cover the upfront costs of purchasing a home, typically through grants, forgivable loans, or low-interest loans. Eligibility for down payment assistance programs varies by location and program but generally includes:

• Being a first-time homebuyer or not having owned a home in the past three (+) years.
• Meeting income limits
• Completing a homebuyer education course

You have not owned a home as a principal place of residence within the last three (3) years

State law allows for certain exceptions to the three-year requirement, as described in the definition of a First-Time Homebuyer in California Code of Regulations, Title 25 Section 7151:

• A displaced homemaker who, while a homemaker, owned a home with his or her spouse or resided in a home owned by the spouse. A displaced homemaker is an adult who has not, within the preceding two years, worked on a full-time basis as a member of the labor force for a consecutive twelve-month period and who has been unemployed or underemployed, experienced difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment and worked primarily without remuneration to care for his or her home and family;
• A single parent who, while married, owned a home with his or her spouse or resided in a home owned by a spouse. A single parent is an individual who is unmarried or legally separated from a spouse and has one or more minor children for whom the individual has custody or joint custody or is pregnant; or
• An individual or individuals who owns or owned, as a principal residence during the three-year period before the purchase of a home with Program Funds, a dwelling unit whose structure is:
  • Not permanently affixed to a permanent foundation in accordance with local or state regulations; or
  • Not in compliance with state, local or model building codes and cannot be brought into compliance with such codes for less than the cost of constructing a permanent structure.

The percentage of an applicant’s monthly income that goes toward the housing costs. This includes mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners insurance, and other related expenses. 

Lenders use this number to decide if you can afford your home without overstretching your budget.

The formal process of verifying and documenting an applicant’s declared income to confirm it meets the program’s eligibility requirements.

The most money a household can earn in while still qualifying for Skylight Homes. The amount is informed by the county’s Area Median Income (AMI) and is adjusted by number of people in the household.

Some Skylight Homes are designated for “low-income households” and some are designated for “moderate-income households”. The maximum household income for these groups are defined as:

• Low-Income: no more than 80% of the Santa Barbara County AMI
• Moderate-Income: no more than 120% of the Santa Barbara County AMI

Household income and size must be certified during the application process. The combined income of all members of the household (18 years old or older, living in the home) must be included. To be considered a member of the household, individuals must be either:

• On the title and loan of the home.
• Claimed as a dependent on the tax returns of the household member who will appear on the title
  • A spouse is not a dependent; they must be on the title and loan of the property

• Any other household member 18 years of age or older earning an income
• • • Earnings of full-time students are exempted

2026 maximum household income limits for Santa Barbara County are shown below. This year’s income limits are the same for 80% and 120% due to high countywide cost adjustments.

Area Median Incomes are published annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are adopted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The limits above were published on May 26, 2026, and updated on June 23, 2026. These income levels reflect the State Hold Harmless Policy of not lowering maximum income levels based on a decline in the Area Median Income. New limits will be published in 2027.

A financial benefit provided by a government or organization with the goal of lowering production costs, keeping consumer prices affordable, or encouraging specific social and economic activities.

The percentage of your gross monthly income that goes towards paying all recurring debt obligations. This includes mortgage or rent, loans, and credit card minimums.

Lenders use this ratio to decide whether you can manage additional debt.