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Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities program: advocates urge continuing 20% allocation, officials detail project counts and timelines
Summary
Speakers urged lawmakers to maintain the AHSC continuous appropriation from the GGRF; HCD staff reported roughly 22,000 units funded by the program, with nearly 12,000 completed or under construction and obligations for additional units.
Housing advocates and program administrators told the Assembly subcommittee the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program remains a cost-effective climate and equity investment and urged continuation of a 20 percent continuous appropriation from GGRF proceeds.
Speakers from the California Housing Partnership, Housing California and nonprofit partners highlighted AHSC outcomes: Mark Seivers and coalition partners said the program has funded more than 20,000 affordable rental homes, reduced greenhouse gas emissions over project lifetimes and disproportionately benefited disadvantaged communities. Housing California emphasized AHSC—s role in meeting statewide housing goals and prioritizing low-income residents.
State staff from the Strategic Growth Council and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) provided implementation figures. HCD deputy director Jennifer Seeger and program staff said AHSC has awarded about 210 projects across roughly 90 jurisdictions in prior rounds. As of a March snapshot cited by staff, about 9,800 units are completed and occupied, roughly 4,000 units are under construction, and another 7,600 units have been funded but have not yet started construction. Program awards total roughly $4 billion across rounds, with the housing portion representing a major share of AHSC funding.
Advocates said AHSC projects leverage additional funding stacks, produce long-term affordability (55-year affordability covenants for many projects), and deliver co-benefits including reduced vehicle miles traveled, transit passes and active-transportation infrastructure. Speakers urged the Legislature to continue the program's statutory set-aside and to protect funding levels that prioritize low-income communities.
Why this matters: AHSC ties housing production and reduced driving into a single investment strategy that advocates say produces climate and affordability co-benefits. The committee must weigh AHSC's demonstrated outcomes against other GGRF priorities when shaping reauthorization.
What comes next: HCD and strategic growth staff offered to provide additional per-unit cost stacks, delivery timelines and performance metrics at the committee's request.
