Mission Statement

The Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) mission is to ensure that all Oakland residents have decent and affordable housing in healthy, sustainable neighborhoods with full access to life-enhancing services.

Learn more about who we are and what we do here.

SERVICE IMPACTS & EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS

Enhancements

Housing Security & Homelessness Solutions

1. Dedicates $216 million in capital funding for the FY 2023-25 budget for affordable housing construction and acquisition/rehabilitation projects through the following funding sources: $120 million from Measure U (5340), an estimated $41 million from the California Housing and Community Development (2144) Homekey grant, $31 million from loan repayment proceeds in the Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund (2830), $12 million in anticipated impact fee revenue, $7 million from Affordable Housing Trust Fund (1870), and $4 million in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) grant (Fund 2109).
   • Equity Consideration: The City’s 2018 Equity Indicators Report and its HCD 2021-2023 Strategic Action Plan identify housing affordability as a central issue in Oakland. Oakland’s lowest income households are experiencing the highest rent burden with approximately 60% of Black renter households being rent burdened and about one-third severely rent burdened — the highest rate of any racial/ethnic group in the city. Homelessness also disproportionately affects Black residents, which represent 68% of Oakland's unhoused population. The additional funding will advance the City’s racial equity goals by facilitating the development of housing units serving low, very low, and extremely low income households, many of whom are comprised of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) household members.
2. Adds 4.0 FTE positions, temporarily funded by the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and reimbursed by Measure U when the bond funds are available, to ensure that the Housing Development Services unit and Housing Community Development will be able to provide a high level of service to fund the construction and acquisition/rehabilitation of affordable housing units in the City over the next four to six years.
   • Equity Consideration: HCD’s process for funding affordable housing construction and acquisition/rehabilitation advances the City’s racial equity goals through facilitating the development of housing units serving low, very low, and extremely-low income households, many of whom are comprised of BIPOC household members who have disproportionately high rent burdens and are subject to displacement pressures. These affordable housing units have long-term affordability restrictions that keep them available as a community resource for fighting displacement pressures for a minimum of 55 years. This will bring the City closer to meeting its goal of having at least 10,000 new and rehabilitated affordable housing units by the year 2030.
3. Adds $1 million of General Purpose Fund one-time funding to maintain the department’s services in its homeless prevention services pilot which provides wraparound support, flexible financial payments, and legal assistance services to Oakland residents on the verge of homelessness.
   • Equity Consideration: The pilot targets those most at risk of becoming homeless as evidenced by the Point-In-Time Count data, specifically low-income Black men coming out of the criminal justice system with prior experiences of homelessness. The pilot’s services address the upstream factors that result in racialized homelessness including removing barriers to accessing long-term affordable housing and increasing the economic stability of Oakland residents that are most at risk of becoming homeless and are over-represented in today’s homeless population. Through continuing to fund this program, the City is dedicating more resources to advancing racial equity and changing equity outcomes in the current housing crisis that Oakland’s BIPOC communities are facing.
4. Adds 1.0 FTE Housing Development Manager, 1.0 FTE Project Manager, 1.0 FTE Administrative Analyst II, and 1.0 FTE Program Analyst II. Deletes 1.0 FTE Development/Redevelopment Program Manager, 1.0 FTE Program Analyst I, 1.0 FTE Community Development Program Coordinator, and 1.0 FTE Employment Services Supervisor. These positions will support the construction and acquisition/rehabilitation of affordable housing units in the City. In addition, these positions will allow HCD leadership to strengthen its ability to apply and receive State and local funding, increase policy and data analysis capacity to measure departmental impacts, and assist departmental initiatives including but not limited to implementing and monitoring compliance with the City’s Housing Element.
   • Equity Consideration: Black residents are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the affordable housing crisis, and homelessness crisis. These Add/Deletes will help enhance the City’s efforts to provide permanent supportive housing and housing targeted to extremely low-income and homeless households, as well as anti-displacement, housing stability and homelessness prevention services.
5. Adds $1.2 million from accumulated loan servicing fees to update HCD’s obsolete electronic equipment and enhance effeminacy and effectiveness for services provided.
   • Equity Consideration: Black residents are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the affordable housing crisis, and homelessness crisis. This technology upgrade will increase the capacity in the department to provide permanent supportive housing and housing targeted to extremely low-income and homeless households, as well as anti-displacement, housing stability and homelessness prevention services.

Budget Neutral Change

Housing Security & Homelessness Solutions

1. Adds $820,000 in O&M to Fund 1885 and transfers 0.55 FTE and 2.48 FTE for FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25, respectively, out of Fund 1885 into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (1870). This staffing transfer was done to ensure the department’s administrative costs are in compliance with bond spending. It amounts to $820,000, which is the same amount as the O&M increase. No staffing costs will be allocated under this bond fund until after FY 2024-25. While this transfer will reduce resources available for Affordable Housing services in Fund 1870 by $820,000, Fund 1885 will have an increase in O&M for the same amount that can be used on Affordable Housing, resulting in no significant service impact.
   • Equity Consideration: Black residents and other residents of color residents are disproportionally impacted by the current housing crisis and represented in the city’s homeless population. This balanced transfer will increase HCD's ability to produce and preserve affordable housing, with a priority towards permanent supportive housing for people exiting homelessness.

Reductions

Housing Security & Homelessness Solutions

1. Transfers 1.70 FTE for FY 2023-24 and 6.90 FTE for FY 2024-25 from various grants to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (1870) for a total cost of $2.5 million over both years. This transfer will reduce resources available for affordable housing services to cover existing staffing costs.
   • Equity Consideration: Reduced funding for affordable housing construction will decrease available affordable housing for BIPOC residents who are disproportionately displaced in Oakland. However, in order to stay within grant compliance for the various federal grants the department receives, HCD staff need to be moved into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Retaining these federal grants will maintain the City’s ability to provide anti-displacement services and homeless protection services to Oakland’s BIPOC communities.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGETARY CHANGES

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

POSITION INFORMATION