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Frequently Asked Questions about RHNA <br />Topics: <br />•Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Overview <br />•Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) from HCD <br />•RHNA Methodology <br />•ABAG Housing Methodology Committee <br />•Connections between RHNA and Plan Bay Area 2050 <br />•RHNA Subregions <br />•RHNA and Local Jurisdictions <br />REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION (RHNA) OVERVIEW <br />What is RHNA? <br />Local housing is enshrined in state law as a matter of “vital statewide importance” and, since <br />1969, the State of California has required that all local governments (cities, towns and counties, <br />also known as local jurisdictions) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in our <br />communities. To meet this requirement, each city or county must develop a Housing Element as <br />part of its General Plan (the local government’s long-range blueprint for growth) that shows <br />how it will meet its community’s housing needs. There are many laws that govern this process, <br />and collectively they are known as Housing Element Law. <br />The Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) process is the part of Housing Element Law used <br />to determine how many new homes, and the affordability of those homes, each local <br />government must plan for in its Housing Element. This process is repeated every eight years, <br />and for this cycle the Bay Area is planning for the period from 2023 to 2031. <br />How does RHNA assist in addressing the Bay Area’s housing crisis? <br />The Bay Area’s housing affordability crisis is decades in the making. State law is designed to <br />match housing supply with demand—particularly for affordable homes. Each new RHNA cycle <br />presents new requirements to address dynamic housing markets, which in recent years have <br />seen demand dramatically outstrip supply across all affordability levels. <br />RHNA provides a local government with a minimum number of new homes across all income <br />levels for which it must plan in its Housing Element. The Housing Element must include sites <br />zoned for enough capacity to meet the RHNA goals as well as policies and strategies to expand <br />housing choices and increase housing affordability. <br />808