Research

California Community Builders

Middle-Income California is Large, Diverse, and Left Out of the Housing Conversation

Income levels based on Area Median Income (AMI) are central to housing policy in California and throughout the country. Despite this, we don’t have much research to answer these simple questions: Who is lower-middle-income California? Who is upper-middle-income in California? What are their demographics and their housing challenges? How do these compare to lower- and higher-income California?

UnidosUS

Given demographic trends in California, examining the homeownership status of Latinos throughout the state can help to illustrate the systemic problems that Californians are facing which could result in deeper economic troubles in the coming years. At a median age of 30.2, Latinos in California are entering into prime “homebuying” ages yet are often locked out of homeownership opportunities. A failure to address the systemic barriers to homeownership for Latinos today could devastate California tomorrow and affect our nation’s economy.

California Community Builders

Multifamily homeownership can play a significant role in solving our state’s housing dilemma, but only if both its potential and its pitfalls are understood and addressed. This initial assessment of MHO in California and the U.S. seeks to establish a baseline from which we can improve our understanding of this area and develop policies that can take us to a future in which every resident has a comfortable, secure and affordable home and homeownership is within reach of all who want it.

Unidos US

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is one of the primary tools for creating much needed affordable rental housing. Yet, according to recent studies, the program faces shortfalls in funding, and needs improvement to become more effective in meeting the affordability challenges of states like California. This fact sheet highlights UnidosUS research on the need for affordable housing for California’s essential workers and how the LIHTC program might better address that need.

UnidosUS

Californians working in frontline essential jobs are risking their lives and their families’ lives to keep California fed, housed, and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic. Frontline essential workers have no choice but to show up to work while others shelter in place and work from home. Compounding the health risks, low wage frontline essential workers—many of whom are Black and Latinx*—also face housing insecurity and overcrowding. This fact sheet highlights who California’s frontline essential workers are, where they live, and what housing challenges they face.

California YIMBY

The process that the City of Los Angeles uses to approve multi-family housing proposals within its jurisdiction is a recipe for political corruption and high housing costs, and should be reformed to achieve broad housing affordability.

California YIMBY

To better understand the scale and geography of California’s housing shortage, the California YIMBY Education Fund commissioned a study by MapCraft of relative housing underproduction rates across the state. To do this, we estimate a “conversion rate” for each city and county that compares historical rates of housing permitting to potential market-feasible housing development opportunities, assuming no limitations due to zoning. For example, a jurisdiction might have permitted 1,000 housing units last year while having an estimated 100,000 zoning-free market-feasible housing development opportunities on sites that were not environmentally encumbered, which would amount to a 1% conversion rate.

Terner Center

Developing new housing is a complicated process that requires years of planning and resources before the first shovel ever hits the ground. These costs and complexities have become even greater in recent years.

Given these additional layers of uncertainty and the ongoing housing supply shortage, it is more important than ever for policymakers and housing advocates to understand the “math” that developers use to decide whether they can start a project to build more homes.