3A Public Hearing 2010 0315 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

The following analysis of the availability of affordable rental and ownership housing for low-income households and obstacles to meeting this need was prepared in part by the Consortium. As a Consortium member, the City of San Leandro subscribes to this priority and has proposed activities that meet the objective of providing affordable rental and ownership housing for low-income households. The Alameda County HOME Consortium Housing Market Analysis describes the condition of the Consortium's housing stock, including the existence of substandard rental :and ownership housing. According to the Census 2000, a sizeable percentage of the rental housing stock (36% in the County and 34% in San Leandro) and a small percentage of ownership housing (1% in the County and 2 in San Leandro) were defined as housing with substandard housing problems. The incidence of lead paint hazards, which pose dangers for young children living in these dwellings, is another housing problem that is prevalent in the County's older housing stock. As documented in the Consortium's Housing Needs Assessment, the 2000 Census data reflects that of the 234,998 housing units in the HOME Consortium, seventy-one percent (71 %) of the housing units were built before 1980. This older inventory may have lead-based. paint which may have subsequently been covered by latex or oil-based paint. Much of the HOME Consortium's older housing units are in need of rehabilitation due t o their age. However, many low-income homeowners cannot afford the substantial costs involved in rehabilitating their homes. In Alameda County's Owner Rehabilitation Program, the average cost of maj or rehabilitation projects is $3 5,000 - $45,000 per unit as the cost of building materials and labor continue to steadily increase each year. In particular, low-income elderly owners are unable to afford to rehabilitate their homes. Per the 2000 Census, out of the 62,172 elderly homeowner households in the HOME Consortium area, approximately fifty percent (50%) are low-income and thirty-two percent (32%) are considered ,very low to extremely low income. In San Leandro approximately fifty-seven percent (57%) are low-income and thirty-eight percent (38%) are considered very low to extremely iow income out of the 5,721 elderly homeowner households. The Housing Needs Assessment also shows that low-income households in the HOME Consortium are not only highly likely to pay more for housing than they can afford ("cost burdened", as previously discussed), but they also encounter other housing-related problems. These housing- relatedproblems include overcrowding of units, substandard plumbing and electrical, and inadequate kitchen, baths, and/or electricity. The low number of affordable housing units and high housing rents are even more problematic. The affordability problems facing low-income renters in the Consortium were summarized under the previous Priority and more fully discussed in the Housing Needs Assessment Section. Additionally, the expiration of affordability restrictions on affordable housing properties has diminished the number of affordable housing units in the Alameda County HOME Consortium. For instance, according to the California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC), as of January 2010, 410 project-based Section 8 units in five (5) properties located within the Consortium jurisdictions may face conversion to market-rate rents in the next five (5) years. Since 2000 the City of San Leandro has lost fifty-two (52) affordable rental housing units due to expired affordability restrictions in five (5) properties. The private owners of these Below Market Rate (BMR) properties chose not to extend the affordability period on their properties. DRAFT Housing and Community Development Strategic Plan - FY 2010-14 City of San Leandro Page 8