Skip to main content

Addressing the Housing Needs of Low-Income Households in the Bay Area: The Importance of Public Funding

Most Bay Area households are affected in some way by the region’s ongoing affordability crisis: housing costs are increasing faster than incomes, nearly half of renters are cost-burdened, and rates of homelessness continue to rise. 

At the heart of the crisis is a lack of housing supply. In particular, both the state and localities need to continue to expand funding dedicated to affordable housing production: insufficient public subsidies remain a binding constraint on efforts to expand the supply of affordable units.

Our new brief starts by providing the most recent data on regional inequality and housing trends for Bay Area renters. Then it describes the challenges to overcome, including barriers to increasing the supply of affordable housing, preserving existing affordable housing stock, and keeping renters stably housed. Throughout, Solution Spotlights highlight various programs, policies, or funding initiatives that hold promise for the region’s housing crisis, but which need additional funding to get to scale.

Read the full report here.

Related Articles

Housing Opportunities: Governor’s Reorganization Plan to Create the California Housing and Homelessness Agency

Authors: Doug Shoemaker, Terner Center Affiliate Geeta Rao, Senior Director, Northern California Market, Enterprise Community Partners Co-authors: Sarah Karlinsky, Director…

Building Housing in Walkable Neighborhoods: Are U.S. Cities and States Making Progress?

Urban form shapes transportation behavior. Built environment characteristics such as housing density, street connectivity, and proximity to jobs and services…

Supporting the Implementation of CalAIM within Permanent Supportive Housing

In 2022, California embarked on an ambitious effort to improve its Medi-Cal system—the state’s Medicaid program that insures nearly 15…

Property Tax Exemptions to Facilitate Affordable Housing: Lessons from California

This brief explores increasing the use of property tax exemptions as a way to enable new construction and preserve affordable…