Housing financing programs: uniform procedures.

(1) Existing law establishes, among other housing programs administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Multifamily Housing Program, pursuant to which the department provides assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for specified eligible costs of development of specified housing projects. This bill would authorize the department, in administering the Multifamily Housing Program, to establish set-asides for specific project types or projects that serve specific target populations. (2) Existing law requires the department to establish and administer the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program. Subject to the availability of funds in the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, existing law requires the department to provide grants, loans, or both to specified entities for the construction or rehabilitation of housing for agricultural employees, as defined, and their families or for the acquisition of manufactured housing to remedy the impacts of the displacement of farmworker families. Existing law requires the department to supervise grantees of program funds as specified. Existing law authorizes the department, with respect to program grantees, to enter upon and inspect the lands, buildings, and equipment of a grantee and to supervise the operation and maintenance of any housing assisted by the program. Existing law establishes the CalHome Program, administered by the department, to enable low- and very low income households to become or remain homeowners. This bill would authorize Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program funds to be used for additional purposes, including loans for the construction or rehabilitation of rental housing for lower-income agricultural employees, loans that assist development projects involving multiple home ownership units for lower-income agricultural employees, and grants for programs that assist lower-income agricultural employees to become or remain homeowners. The bill would authorize the department to determine the amount of appropriated moneys allocated to each of these authorized purposes. The bill would require the department, in administering the program, to make funds available at the same time it makes funds, if any, available under the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, as specified, rate and rank applications in a manner consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, as specified, and administer the funds consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, as specified. The bill would remove the provisions establishing the supervision requirements described above. The bill would also delete the authorizations of the department to enter upon and inspect the lands, buildings, and equipment of a grantee and to supervise the operation and maintenance of any housing assisted by the program. By authorizing moneys in a continuously appropriated fund to be used for a new purpose, this bill would make an appropriation. (3) Existing law requires the department to administer the Infill Incentive Grant Program of 2007, also known as the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program, and award competitive grants under that program to selected capital improvement projects that are an integral part of, or necessary to facilitate the development of, a qualifying infill project or a qualifying infill area. This bill would require the department, in administering the Infill Incentive Grant Program of 2007 with regard to qualifying infill projects, to make funds available at the same time it makes funds available under the Multifamily Housing Program, rate and rank applications in a manner consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program, and administer program funds consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program. The bill would make other conforming changes in this regard. Existing law requires a project or infill area to satisfy certain conditions to be eligible for funding under the program, including that it be located in an area designated for mixed-use or residential development pursuant to a general plan, project area redevelopment plan, or a regional blueprint plan. This bill would instead require the project or infill area be located in an area designated for mixed-use or residential development pursuant to a general plan, regional sustainable communities strategy, or alternative planning strategy, as specified. (4) Existing law establishes the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program of 2019, which requires the Department of Housing and Community Development, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to establish and administer a grant program to allocate those funds to capital improvement projects that are an integral part of, or necessary to facilitate the development of, a qualifying infill project or qualifying infill area, as those terms are defined, pursuant to specified requirements. Existing law defines "eligible applicant" to include a nonprofit or for-profit developer of a qualifying infill project that applies jointly with the city, county, city and county, or public housing authority that has jurisdiction over a qualifying infill area. This bill would, as of the effective date of these provisions, instead define "eligible applicant" to include a nonprofit or for-profit developer of a qualifying infill project that receives a letter of support from the governing body of the city or county that has jurisdiction over a qualifying infill area. (5) Existing law establishes the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Program, to be administered by the department, to provide grants to local agencies and loans to developers for the purpose of developing or facilitating the development of higher density uses within close proximity to transit stations. This bill would remove the authorization to award grants to local agencies and instead require the local assistance program to provide loans only to developers. Existing law requires the department, in administering the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Program, to make loans for development and construction of housing developments that meet specified requirements, including that at least 15% of the units in the proposed development are made available to persons of very low or low income for at least 55 years and the development be located within 14 of a mile of a transit station. This bill would additionally require a housing development to meet density requirements established by the department, be located in an area designated by the appropriate council of governments for infill development, and meet any other requirements established by the department in order to be eligible for funding. The bill would also require the department, in administering the Transit-Oriented Development Implementation Program, to make funds available at the same time it makes funds available under the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, rate and rank applications in a manner consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, and administer program funds consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, depending on whether the funds are for the development of rental housing or owner-occupied housing. The bill would also require that the loan terms of any loan issued pursuant to the program be consistent with the loan terms of the Multifamily Housing Program or CalHome Program, as specified. The bill would make additional conforming changes in this regard. (6) Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish the Housing for a Healthy California Program to create supportive housing opportunities through grants to counties for capital, rental assistance, and operating subsidies or through operating reserve grants and capital loans to developers. This bill would require the department, in administering the operating reserve grants and capital loans available to developers under the Housing for a Healthy California Program, to make funds available at the same time it makes funds available under the Multifamily Housing Program, rate and rank applications in a manner consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program, and administer program funds consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program. (7) Existing law, the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014, requires the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (referred to collectively as "the departments") to establish and implement programs that focus on veterans at risk for homelessness or experiencing temporary or chronic homelessness, as specified. In this regard, existing law requires the departments to establish and implement programs that, among other things, prioritize projects that combine housing and supportive services. This bill would instead require the departments to establish and implement programs that ensure that projects combine housing and supportive services. The bill would also require the departments, in administering the programs, to make funds available at the same time funds are made available under the Multifamily Housing Program, rate and rank applications in a manner consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program, and administer program funds consistent with the Multifamily Housing Program. The bill would also require that the loan terms of any loan issued pursuant to the programs to be consistent with the loan terms of the Multifamily Housing Program, as specified. (8) Except as specified above, the bill would make these provisions operative on January 1, 2022.