Santa Rosa Housing Authority kicks off 2025-26 budget process amid HUD funding uncertainty

The City of Santa Rosa Housing Authority on Jan. 27 began its fiscal year 2025-26 budget process while warning that final federal allocations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are not yet known.

Megan Basinger, executive director of the Housing Authority, and Kate Goldfein, the authority’s administrative services officer, presented projected revenue sources, spending assumptions and a schedule that would bring a finalized housing authority budget back to commissioners for adoption in June.

The presentation laid out local, state and federal revenue assumptions and the authority’s approach to uncertainty from the federal level. “We have not received any communications from HUD on what they will be in the upcoming fiscal year,” Basinger said. Kate Goldfein described local revenue expectations and conservative budgeting choices: “We always budget these really, really, really conservatively,” she said of impact fees, adding that the authority is planning for loan repayments and other smaller local revenues.

Why this matters: Santa Rosa’s housing programs rely on a mix of federal entitlement dollars, state grants and local fees to fund rental assistance, affordable housing loans and compliance monitoring. Delayed or prorated HUD funding can constrain voucher utilization and administrative capacity, affecting the authority’s ability to place households and to monitor affordability requirements.

Key budget…