TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing & Community Services
REPORT BY: Jennifer Palmer, Director of Housing & Community Services
SUBJECT: Napa Valley Made the Rent report
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive a presentation regarding the "Made the Rent" report. (No Fiscal Impact)
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BACKGROUND
Purpose and Context of Made the Rent Report
Affordable Housing in Napa Valley-particularly rent-restricted, income-based units developed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and supported by local investments-serves nearly 2,700 households. These homes form a core part of the county's larger system of housing that is affordable and are a crucial component of the local response to rising housing costs.
High housing costs play a role in various challenges facing the Valley, from workforce attraction and retention, displacement of lower-income families, school disenrollment, and traffic congestion. The high cost of housing is regularly cited as a primary driver of the Valley's drop in in-county workers (or workers who live in the county they work in)-the largest among all Bay Area counties since 2005. Driving this may also be the location of housing that is affordable near lower-wage job centers. Fewer than 5% of California's lower-wage workers work in areas where there are more affordable rentals than low wage jobs. In Napa Valley, this has likely contributed to the loss of 8,000 households making less than $100,000 in the past two decades. Beyond rent relief, Affordable Housing plays a role in Napa Valley's economic stability, community and school life, and climate change strategies.
Not enough is known about Affordable Housing's success in correcting these trends, and what kinds, which locations, and what affiliate services policymakers should prioritize in the development of additional housing that is affordable.
This report is the first of its kind to evaluate whether the cost savings of Affordable Housing have a broade...
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