June 26, 2024

REP. CORREA, MAYOR AITKEN HAIL NEARLY $3.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ANAHEIM

With Federal Support, Anaheim Plans To Create a “City Livability Lab” to Support Innovative Housing Strategies, Launch the Anaheim Housing Trust to Provide Funding for Affordable Housing

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) and Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken announced nearly $3.5 million in federal tax dollars being delivered to the City of Anaheim for affordable housing production and preservation. 

This funding comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development, and is a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s awarding of $85 million in grant funding for the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program. PRO Housing aims to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation, and lower housing costs. 

As an awardee of the PRO Housing program, the City of Anaheim, like other awardees, will update state and local housing plans, revise land use policies, streamline the permitting process for housing construction, and take other actions to create more housing-forward communities. Grants will also be used to preserve existing affordable housing units, provide development subsidies to create new affordable units, and increase access to homeownership.

“Anaheim is facing a housing crisis, and we’ve got to do all we can—at every level of government—to make sure we’re tackling it head-on,” Correa said. “This funding will be transformational, and will build on the millions in federal tax dollars I’ve brought home through the government funding process to address it. Officials and community leaders alike have worked tirelessly to support our neighbors facing housing insecurity, and I’m so proud to see that, today, the City will gain access to even more resources to better serve our community. I’m grateful to work alongside our local partners, especially Mayor Aitken and members of the Anaheim City Council, to ensure that Anaheim continues to get the federal support it deserves for all those who work in Anaheim and call Anaheim home.”

“Anaheim is proud to lead Orange County in affordable housing, a pressing need for our city and across California,” Mayor Aitken said. “This federal investment will advance the first housing trust fund by a city in Orange County and help us bring about innovations that will lower the cost of building affordable housing. This funding will get working people and families into homes they can afford sooner, thanks to our work on the ground here in Anaheim and the strategic support of our federal partners.”

The impact of this pro-housing funding will be expansive as the City of Anaheim plans to: 

Create a “City Livability Lab” to Support Innovative Housing Strategies

  • The City of Anaheim will create a City Livability Lab, which will identify, develop, and implement innovative housing strategies, systemic shifts in local land use policies, improvements in processes, and neighborhood planning initiatives.
  • The dedicated Lab team will further local housing goals through stakeholder engagement, streamlined approaches to affordable housing, updates to neighborhood improvement plans, support for at-risk affordable housing developments, and financing initiatives to spur affordable housing development.
  • Through PRO Housing funding, the City will research, identify, and promote operational efficiencies to reduce the cost and time burden associated with new housing projects.

Launch the Anaheim Housing Trust to Provide Funding for Affordable Housing

  • The City intends to create a new fund for affordable housing—The Anaheim Housing Trust.
  • The Anaheim Housing Trust will offer a flexible funding source to support affordable housing development. Potential uses of the funds include property acquisition costs, revolving and predevelopment costs, and low-interest gap financing loans.
  • The Fund will provide the City with flexibility to address high-priority local needs, shift focus and target specific strategies as needs change, and spur economic development through the creation of new units for rent and homeownership.

“President Biden and I believe that every American deserves affordable housing, so they have a roof over their head and a place to call home. That is why we have a plan to build millions of new units of affordable housing in communities all across our nation, which will bring down the cost of housing for renters and help more Americans buy a home,” said Vice President Harris when announcing awardees of this program. “Today, I am proud to announce that we are taking a critical step forward by investing $85 million to help more than 20 communities throughout our country remove barriers to building more affordable housing.”

“President Biden and Vice President Harris have prioritized reducing housing costs,” said HUD Acting Secretary Todman. “As I travel across the country, I hear from people all the time, including builders, elected officials, and other stakeholders, about how difficult it is to build housing. This is why I am pleased to announce our first round of PRO Housing funding, which will provide communities with incentives to address their local housing barriers. This expands on our ongoing efforts to lower housing costs by increasing the housing supply.”

More information on the PRO Housing competition can be found HERE. Profiles of awardees, including the City of Anaheim, are available HERE.

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