Housing policies and programs are the strategies and laws that cities and counties legally have at their disposal to produce more and preserve existing affordable housing, as well as protect existing residents from getting displaced from their homes and communities.
Local housing policies and programs, as part of a housing element, have significant impacts on a city or county reaching its affordable housing goals. Each additional housing policy has a significant impact on the residents who are most in need of affordable housing. However, the number of policies or programs that a jurisdiction includes in their housing element is not meant to imply how well a city or county is addressing local housing needs since the quality and impact of each will need to be determined as well. Policies and programs listed here from jurisdictions’ Housing Elements are intended to allow readers to review the text themselves and see if a city or county is doing all they can to reach their affordable housing goals.
To further policy innovation and local action, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) contacted all of the region's jurisdictions to track the adoption of key housing policies throughout the nine county Bay Area in four major categories Protect, Preserve, Produce, and Prevent. This data is from ABAG’s Policies and Program list and was last updated in 2018/2019.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development tracks all of the ongoing and completed programs from 2018 onward and can be seen in the table below.
YEAR | PROGRAM NAME | PROGRAM OBJECTIVE | STATUS | ACCOMPLISHED DATE | HOUSING CYCLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) | 1,600 households assisted annually | In 2022, the Housing Program was authorized to lease up to 1845 households via Housing Choice and project based vouchers. The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda received an additional 57 emergency housing vouchers and was able to issue 60 by the end of 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Preservation of At-Risk Housing Units | Monitor existing units annually | There were no projects at risk of converting in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Homeless Shelter Funding | Provide up to $40,000 annually to Midway Shelter. | In 2022, the City granted $49,706.62 to the Midway Shelter for providing domestic violence prevention and related services and $370,338.64 towards replacing the deck and three of the shelter's four portables which were beyond their useful life. In addition, the City contributed $25,000 towards planning for Dignity Village, a shelter which is currently under construction. Dignity Village will be two stories with 47 sleeping rooms, private in-suite bathrooms, and community spaces, including a dining building, community garden, courtyard, meeting rooms, offices for support services staff, and storage for clients' belongings. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | In-Law Units and Senior Housing | One secondary unit per year, and two senior housing projects between 2014 and 2022. | In 2022, the City approved 59 building permit applications for accessory dwelling units (ADU). | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Housing Rehabilitation | Eight units rehabilitated annually for very low- and low- income households. | In 2022, three City-owned properties were rehabilitated and made available to formerly homeless individuals and families. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Sustainable Development | Review progress annually | In 2022, the City provided $173,332.53 toward the Energy Assistance Program (Program 2.7) and $192,799.95 toward Project EASE in 2021. In addition, $183,953 in residential customer incentives were provided, including Alameda Municipal Power's washer/dryer, heat pump water heater, LED bulbs/fixtures, EV charger, and used EV rebates. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | First-Time Homebuyer Program | One household assisted biannually | In 2022, the City assisted eight first-time homebuyers. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Existing Neighborhood Transportation Improvements | Improved transportation services for all Alameda residents. | In 2022, work continued on the Cross Alameda Trail. When complete, the trail will provide a continuous protected bicycle and pedestrian trail from the Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point to the Miller Sweeney Bridge in east Alameda. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Special Needs Housing | Identify and support two special needs projects between 2014 and 2022 | In 2022 monies for the 90 units of homeless housing at North Housing includes 1) funding commitments from the City of Alameda for approximately $1.26 million in combined local city funding programs, 2) an AHP award in the amount of $660,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco 3) additional twenty (20) Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers, 4) SB35 streamlined design review approval, and 5) submittal for building permits. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Affordable Housing Development Review and Processing | Complete Design Review process in three months if no other entitlements required, and subdivision approvals within six months | In 2022 no SB 35 Affordable Housing applications were received. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Inclusionary Housing Ordinance | Provide at least 15% affordable housing in all new housing projects with over nine units. | In 2022, all residential projects with 10 or more units included at least 15% affordable housing in accordance with the City's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Funding for 5-year Pipeline Projects | Update the 2010-2015 Report for the period of 2016-2021, and provide financial assistance for one 100 percent affordable housing project biannually. | The City's current 5-Year Affordable Housing Pipeline Projects Report covers 2020-2025. The report was presented to City Council in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Amnesty Program | Three units legalized annually | Two units were legalized through the Accessory Unit Program in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Public Notice and Participation | Review procedures as part of annual report. | A review of the public notice and community involvement processes indicates that the City's processes are working. The Planning staff has worked successfully with neighborhood groups to ensure that all interested parties are informed about upcoming hearings. The Planning, Building & Transportation Department made changes to its website to make it easier for the general public to keep informed about current applications and upcoming public hearings. Since moving to virtual public hearings the participation by the public has increase. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Annual Review | Complete Annual Review and Hold Annual Public Hearing. | The Planning Board heard the annual review at a publicly noticed public hearing in February 2023 and City Council heard the annual review at a publicly noticed public hearing in March 2023 . | Annually monitored | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Alameda Rent Program | Reduce excessive rent increases, limit no fault evictions and provide relocation payments to certain displaced tenants. | In 2022, the Alameda Rent Program received 29 submissions for terminations of tenancy for no fault grounds, 3 submissions for temporary relocations and 41 submissions for buy-out agreements. The Rent Program also received 90 submissions requesting or necessitating a staff review of past or current rent increases and 23 petitions requesting a rent adjustment. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Alameda County Mortgage Credit Certificate Program | One to two households assisted annually | In 2022, the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) did not provide MCC funds to counties statewide. As a result, Alameda County did not distribute any MCCs in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Utility Assistance Programs | Provide up to $100,000 annually to households in need. | In 2022, $366,132.48 was provided to assist Alameda households with their utility bills. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | New Housing TDM Programs | Require of all projects over 10 units in size. | In 2022, the City continued to require TDM programs for all major new housing developments of 10 units or more. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Transit Oriented Housing | Require of all projects over 10 units | In 2022, all the major housing projects under consideration by the City used density bonuses, and reduced parking requirements to maximize density on transit corridors. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |