Placer County Neighborhood, Housing and Homeless Resources, including some funding for affordable housing.
a) In addition to Affordable housing, there are a number of programs for Fair Housing, Foreclosure Assistance, 20% Electric discounts for lower income households, Household Hazardous Waste Cleanup, PG&E rebates and support, Landlord Tenant Mediation Services, First Time Homebuyer Program (funded through CDBG and HOME) https://www.placer.ca.gov/7317/First-Time-Homebuyer-Assistance-Program
b) Homeless Resources: Gathering Inn, provides: Homeless Resource Helpline – 211 or 1.833.3PLACER (1.833.375.2237) 916.791.9355 to access resources. www.thegatheringinn.com, The provide: A Nomadic shelter for Placer County, and a Fixed site shelter for Placer County residents 11442 E Street, Auburn, 530.885.8102
and 11517 F Ave, Auburn, Call 530.537.4811, a Mobile Temporary Shelter (MTS) for Auburn residents with low barrier options with 50 onsite tents.
c) Domestic Violence Shelter with Stand Up Placer, 916.773.7273, 24-hour Crisis Line at 800.575.5352
d) County Funding for Affordable Housing: Several funds under the Economic Development and Housing Division dedicated to administration and implementation of affordable and workforce housing programs. These are separate funds administered by Health and Human Services via State and Federal allocations, used toward a variety of services that support homelessness and clients accessing permanent supportive services. Additionally, Health and Human Services also operates the Housing Authority who administers Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8 program. A snapshot of the County’s budget can be found online at https://publuu.com/flip-book/175317/435992/page/2.
e) County staff is currently working on a strategic plan and will work with the budget team to answer this question because the County’s work on affordable housing spans multiple departments.
f) Code Enforcement is administered under the Community Development Resource Agency, and enforces regulations related to a variety of land use issues and helps other County departments as needed.
2. Housing Info and Statistics:
a) As of 2022, the homeownership rate is 73.3% and the renter rate is 26.7%.[1]
b) Placer County does not have additional tenant protections beyond State regulations (Senate Bill 567 allows no rent increases allow beyond 5% plus Consumer Price Index or 10%, whichever is lower, over the course of any 12-month period.
c) In unincorporated western the County there are 415 (338 Muli-family & 77 single family) deed restricted affordable housing homes and apartments.
d) There are 434 total Section 8 vouchers, 20 project-based vouchers (PBV) issued to Mercy Housing North Auburn, and the Housing Authority will continue to work with County-led development and the City of Rocklin on issuance of more PBV as affordable housing developments come forward.
e) County staff is currently working on a GIS map of existing affordable units in the unincorporated County, in addition to affordable obligations met through Specific Plan development with the hope to show they are spread throughout the county.
f) Placer County Housing Authority Section 8 voucher holders are generally able to find landlords willing to rent to them. But recently, an recent increase in federal pay to landlords are helpful coupled with changes disallowing landlords from deny a voucher holder. Landlord incentives for veteran’s help, but most funding resources are for a Housing Navigation helping voucher holders identify units to rent.
3. Homeless statistics.
· In 2023 in Placer County, there were only 541 beds available in the interim and permanent housing supply for persons experiencing homelessness. The 2023 count of sheltered and unsheltered individuals surveyed a minimum of 240 individuals experiencing homelessness in Roseville and 709 in Placer County. By comparison, the 2022 count surveyed a minimum of 323 individuals experiencing homelessness in Roseville and 750 in Placer County. See: Placer County 2023 PIT (hrcscoc.org) and Placer-County-Regional-Planning-Effort-Phase-2 (ca.gov)
· The number of individuals who identify as Black, African American, and African and American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous represents 6% and 3% of total people experiencing homelessness despite accounting for 3% and 1% respectively of all people living in poverty in Placer County
· Are there homeless prevention plans and programs in place? The focus seems to be more of an emergency response using shelters to prevent on the street homelessness, but little to nothing indicating a homeless prevention measures. see: Microsoft Word - Placer Homelessness Response Emerging Strategies Phase One Report.docx (ca.gov)
· To address homelessness: Implement a pilot program that utilizes peer (or “lived experience”) staff, with master’s-level clinicians outreaching together.
4 What is the need for more affordable housing?
· 68% of extremely low-income (ELI) households in Placer County are paying more than half of their income on housing costs compared to 1% of moderate-income households
· In 2023, 8,360 low-income renter households in Placer County do not have access to an affordable home.
· State and federal funding for housing production and preservation in Placer County is $20 million, an 89% decrease from the year prior.
· Renters in Placer County need to earn $37.63 per hour - 2.4 times the state minimum wage - to afford the average monthly asking rent of $1,957. (see: PLACER COUNTY 2024 Affordable Housing Needs Report C)
· Cost Burdened: Total owners cost burdened = 32.9%, Total renters cost burdened = 52.2% (see chart on cost burdened households)
5. How has the county unincorporated areas done on meeting the RHNA (Regional Housing needs Assessment numbers and reaching benchmarks in the past and today? Please note the results from the 2013-2021 Housing Element (HE) and the 2021-2029 HE:
2013-2021
2021-2029
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA= # of units needed to address the housing need that are planned for –and hopefully built—between May 2021-2029):
Combination of moderate/above moderate (countywide) – 4,445 units
Combination of low/very low (countywide) – 3,409 units
Total units needed 2021-2029 – 7,854
According to the 2023 Annual Progress Report submitted to HCD earlier this year, 2,213 moderate/above moderate income units have been built and 118 low/very low units have been built.
· Average moderate/above moderate units needed per year = 556
· Average low/very low units needed per year = 427
· Total units needed per year to reach RHNA targets = 983
· Average number of moderate/above moderate units per year built from 2021-2023 = 278
· Average number of low/very low units per year built from 2021-2023 = 214
6. County’s plan for more affordable housing:
a. Dollar Creek Crossing, Tahoe City – 140 units (in pre-development), below 80% of the AMI—Area Median Income, 80-120% of the AMI.
b. Placer County Government Center, Auburn, CA – 65-75 units (pre-development/due diligence stage) on 4.6 acers site, with a Cohousing Community (EAH Inc. based in Marin County)
c. Parkside at Sabre City, West Placer – 44 units, 3.78 acres, 22 SFH—Single Family Homes, 3-4 bedroom Manufactured, with 2-bedroom ADUs. Hope Way, Penryn – 240 units (proposed) using SB 330 streamlining.
The County intends to make a contribution to these projects, including land, ground lease, in-kind (grant writing), and other financial contributions like fee offsets.
The County Board of Supervisors Council understands the State’s mandates to build more affordable housing pursuant to RHNA. The Board’s Critical Success Factor #2 is Diversity of Achievable Housing Throughout the County. The County initiates and facilitates efforts to ensure that people of all income ranges can attain housing. The Board supports efforts to expand existing workforce housing, encourage new construction, and improve land-use planning regulations that provide a mix of housing types. The Board recognizes that both rental and home ownership opportunities are necessary to meet the overall housing needs of existing and future residents.
· Some County departments have shared stories about housing affordability related to challenges hiring and retaining workforce.
· According to stacker.com, the average commute time in Placer County is 27.6 minutes, which is 7.4% lower than the state average.[2]
· There are no TOD –Transit Oriented Development eligible sites in unincorporated Placer County or any policy incentives in the county to encourage affordable units in TOD areas.
· The County is currently researching and interested in more information on SB 4-zoning that allows congregations to provide affordable housing.
7. Inclusionary Housing.
Effective since Jan.1, 2021, the County has had an inclusionary ordinance. See: https://www.placer.ca.gov/6954/Affordable-Employee-Housing-Ordinance-Fe This requires 10% of the units to be affordable in developments of 100 or more. And an in-lieu fee is assessed from 8-100 units @ $2.59 per square foot to help create more affordable housing. Board of Supervisors directed staff to prepare a nexus study to analyze in-lieu fees and review the Affordable Housing and Employee Accommodation Ordinance, as well as review inclusionary zoning requirements and incentives, with a review of the RFP for this at the end of September, and return for further action by February 7, 2025. The tentative completion date for a new, adopted study is June 2025.
In Lieu fees and 10% housing goal in Specific Plans: Development regulated under the Affordable Housing and Employee Accommodation Ordinance can pay a fee in lieu of building units under certain provisions or is required to construct housing. The majority of the County’s growth is currently occurring in Specific Plan areas in western Placer County. Specific Plans entitled after the Affordable Housing and Employee Accommodation ordinance adoption are required to construct 10% affordable housing (very low, low, and moderate income). Some projects in specific plan areas are undergoing the pre-development process, including applications to support Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
and return for further action by February 7, 2025.
Managing and leveraging the fees:
Additionally, the County has a five-year Agreement with a private housing trust (Housing Trust Placer) to receive in-lieu fees and leverage funds (through grant or private funds) to support affordable housing development. To date, $1,189,278 has been accrued since January 1, 2021. Housing Trust Placer has been partially funding the development of 44 affordable units (very low and low income) called Parkside at Sabre City (described above) and a potential 240-unit project in partnership with USA Properties (leveraging traditional tax credit financing and serving lower income households) on Hope Way in Penryn (also described above).
How are the renters selected? Lease up is the responsibility of the developer and must be carried out pursuant to Fair Housing laws.
8. ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units)
a) The 2021-2029 Housing Element includes two policies related to ADUs:
· HE-C-2: Promoting Accessory Dwelling Units. The County shall incentivize and encourage ADUs through public education, development fee reductions and/or waivers, and construction resource tools. [Source: New policy]
· HE-C-3: Accessory Dwelling Units Affordable by Design. The County shall consider ADUs of less than 750 square feet to be affordable by design and eligible to satisfy low-income housing requirements in specific plans and new developments alike.
b) There are also several programs related to ADUs:
· HE-27: ADU Promotional Campaign. The County website shall provide guidance and educational materials for building ADUs, including permitting procedures and construction resources. Additionally, the County shall present homeowner associations with the community and neighborhood benefits of ADUs and work with new homeowner and neighborhood associations to prevent CC&Rs (HOA) from restricting the construction of ADUs. The County shall prioritize promoting ADU construction in areas of high opportunity to expand housing choices and reduce displacement risk for lower-income households in these communities.
· HE-28: Prototype ADU Plans. The County shall develop, and offer free of charge, prototype plans for second units to bring down permit costs
· HE-29: ADU Loan Program. The County shall explore options for establishing a loan program to help homeowners finance the construction of ADUs and consider incentives to encourage homeowners to deed restrict ADUs for lower-income households and will promote use of the loans and other incentives in areas of high resource to expand availability of affordable housing and reduce displacement risk in these areas.
· HE-30: Monitor ADU Affordability. The County shall track the number of building permits issued for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and shall monitor the construction, sale, and/or rentals of ADUs annually to ensure that ADUs of less than 750 square feet that are used to satisfy a low-income housing requirement are available and affordable to low-income households. The County will evaluate ADU production and affordability two years into the planning period (2023) and if it is determined these units are not meeting the lower-income housing need, the County shall ensure other housing sites are available to accommodate the unmet portion of the lower-income RHNA. If additional sites must be rezoned, they will be consistent with Government Code Sections 65583(f) and 65583.2(h).
c) Has the County considered Section 8 for low income ADUs to avoid homeowners from having to deed restrict their property be responsible for income qualifying their tenants?
· The County has studied the Napa Sonoma ADU Center model and applied for Pro-housing Incentive Program dollars for low interest forgivable loans to construct income restricted ADUs. The County was not awarded funds under the first round of PIP grants but continues to look for ways to support ADU construction. In eastern Placer County a non-profit organization called The Housing Hub recently started an ADU Accelerator to provide technical assistance (site analysis, permitting assistance, consultation on financing) to property owners in the Tahoe region to break down barriers to advance the construction of ADUs.