Affordable Home Ownership Program

The division of housing in the department of local affairs (division) administers an affordable home ownership program (program) that makes grants to nonprofit organizations, local governments, tribal governments, community development financial institutions, and community land trusts (eligible organizations) to support affordable home ownership, including the development of residential housing units that are described in an eligible organization's funding request (project). Current law specifies that only a household with an income less than or equal to 120% of the area median income is eligible for assistance through the program, but it is unclear whether this requirement applies to housing units constructed by an eligible organization through one of its projects. The bill clarifies that only a household with an income less than or equal to 120% of the statewide area median income is eligible for housing constructed by an eligible organization through one of its projects.

In addition, the program requires that housing offered through the program, including all taxes and fees, costs not more than 35% of a household's monthly income. The bill allows the division to modify this percentage as applied to a residential unit constructed by an eligible organization as part of an affordable housing project pursuant to a waiver process initiated by an eligible organization if a substantial need for housing the project's target population exists, the unit has been adequately marketed to eligible buyers for purchase for at least 6 months after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, and the unit has not been purchased by an eligible buyer within that 6-month period. In lieu of this process, the division may approve an eligible organization's process for determining when to exceed the maximum monthly household income for a unit funded by the program.

The division may issue a waiver with a different housing cost limit from the limit requested by the eligible organization if a different limit would better serve needs identified in a housing assessment and the project remains financially feasible in the division's discretion.

For an eligible organization, the bill specifies that the division is required to accept a local affordability mechanism in lieu of any state-prescribed use covenant if the division determines that the local affordability mechanism allows the state to maintain its obligations for compliance and compliance monitoring and is substantially equivalent to or more protective of long-term affordability and primary occupancy than a state-prescribed use covenant or the local affordability mechanism is necessary to access financing for disproportionately impacted communities.

The division may allow an eligible organization to rent residential units constructed as part of the project. On or before December 31, 2026, the division is required to issue guidance for when units within a project may be rented.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)