The City of Long Beach has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to help fund the development of new affordable rental housing projects in the city.
“This funding will help us continue to provide safe, high-quality, accessible homes to Long Beach residents for years to come,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “We’re thankful to the State of California for prioritizing the development and preservation of affordable housing to address this crisis.”
The HCD’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) grant provides funding to cities and counties statewide to help finance housing-related projects and programs that assist in addressing the unmet housing needs of local communities and increasing the supply of affordable housing.
PLHA funding is awarded to entitlement jurisdictions based on a federally-prescribed formula over a five-year funding period, as well as to non-entitlement jurisdictions through a competitive grant program. In May 2020, the Long Beach City Council approved a resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for and execute the standard agreements for PLHA funds. The grant will continue to fund new affordable housing projects in the city through 2025.
As an entitlement jurisdiction, Long Beach is eligible to receive a total estimated $17.5 million in support of affordable housing production efforts. Administered by the Long Beach Development Services Department, this is the second consecutive year that the City has secured PLHA funding. Long Beach was awarded $2.9 million in 2021.
“The City remains committed to improving access to safe, quality housing for residents across all income levels,” said Long Beach Development Services Director Oscar Orci. “We are dedicated to promoting a diversity of housing types and increasing the feasibility of development throughout the city as well as focusing new housing near transit and jobs.”
Since 2020, more than 880 affordable units have been completed or are currently under construction or proposed throughout the city. Last month, the City’s comprehensive Housing Element update was certified by the State. Earlier this year in Midtown, the City celebrated the groundbreaking of Long Beach Senior, a 67-unit affordable housing development and community resource center along Pacific Coast Highway, and commemorated the grand opening of nearby Vistas del Puerto, a new 47-unit affordable housing project.
In September 2017, the State approved Senate Bill 2 (SB 2), known as the Building Homes and Jobs Act, to establish permanent, ongoing sources of funding dedicated to the development of affordable housing. The PLHA program is made available through the passage of SB 2.
For more information on the City’s affordable housing resources, visit the Long Beach Development Services webpage.