California Public Housing Agencies and Homeless Admission Preference

Find the Percent of New Homeless Household Admissions into
Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Programs for the
California Public Housing Agency(ies) in Your Area?

 

As a promising practice, a homeless admission preference has the potential to end homelessness for many households as evidenced by several high percentages (50%+) of new admissions into Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs for several California Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) listed in the table below.

A homeless admission preference expands housing opportunities for households experiencing homelessness over households not experiencing homelessness through Public Housing and HCV programs. This preference must be based on local housing needs and priorities supported by local data sources such as a point-in-time count or the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). PHAs must work with local organizations to establish a homeless admission preference including the local Continuum of Care (CoC), which generally consists of a wide-range of public and private service providers committed to preventing and ending homelessness.

The table below lists the answers that California Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) gave to their local California Continuums of Care (CoC) who were asked two questions by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that focused on local PHAs and homeless admission preference in section 1C-4 of their 2017 Continuum of Care Program application.

CoCs were asked to provide the following information for up to five of the largest PHAs in their geographic area:

  • identify the percentage of new admissions to the Public Housing or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs in the PHA’s last fiscal year that were homeless at the time of admission; and
  • indicate whether the PHA has a homeless admission preference in its Public Housing and/or HCV program.

The answers in the table below reveal that of the 83 Public Housing Agencies listed,

  • 31 or approximately one-third (37.3%) had a percentage of 10% or less of new admissions to the Public Housing or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs in the PHA’s last fiscal year that were homeless at the time of admission;
  • 10 or 12% had a percentage of 50% or higher of new admissions to the Public Housing or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs in the PHA’s last fiscal year that were homeless at the time of admission;
  • 26 or nearly one-third (31.3%) of PHAs has a general or limited homeless preference in their public housing and/or HCV programs.

In 2013, HUD provided “strategies that PHAs can pursue to expand housing opportunities for individuals and families experiencing homelessness through the Public Housing and HCV programs.”

Also, in 2013, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness provided “guidance to PHAs on how to collaborate and align resources to best prevent and end homelessness” and “how partnering with a variety of organizations can make a substantial impact on ending homelessness.”

Recommendations in these publications focus on increasing the percentage of homeless persons who obtain public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers whenever possible. They also focus on encouraging Public Housing Agencies to establish written homeless preference policies.

 

Public Housing Agency Name % New Admissions into Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Program during FY 2016 who were homeless at entry PHA has General or Limited Homeless Preference
CA-500
San Jose/Santa Clara City & County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara
79
Yes-Both
Housing Authority of the City of San Jose
9
Yes-Both
CA-501
San Francisco CoC
 
 
San Francisco Housing Authority
5
Yes-Both
CA-502
Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County CoC
 
 
Livermore Housing Authority
100
No
Oakland Housing Authority
9
Yes-Public Housing
Berkeley Housing Authority
13
Yes-Public Housing
City of Alameda Housing Authority
21
Yes-HCV
Alameda County Housing Authority
13
Yes-HCV
CA-503
Sacramento City & County CoC
 
 
City of Sacramento
4
No
County of Sacramento
21
Yes-HCV
CA-504
Santa Rosa, Petaluma/Sonoma County CoC
 
 
Sonoma County Housing Authority
16
Yes-HCV
Santa Rosa Housing Authority
66
Yes-HCV
CA-505
Richmond/Contra Costa County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of Contra Costa County
42
Yes-HCV
City of Pittsburg Housing Authority
7
No
City of Richmond Housing Authority
12
No
CA-506
Salinas/Monterey, San Benito Counties CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Monterey
35
Yes-Both
Santa Cruz Housing Authority
37
Yes-HCV
CA-507
Marin County CoC
 
 
Marin Housing Authority
45
Yes-Both
CA-508
Watsonville/Santa Cruz City & County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz CA072
53
Yes-HCV
CA-509
Mendocino County CoC
 
 
Community Development Commission of Mendocino County
1
Yes-HCV
CA-510
Turlock, Modesto/Stanislaus County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority County of Stanislaus
39
Yes-HCV
Riverbank Housing Authority
0
No
CA-511
Stockton/San Joaquin County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority County of San Joaquin
19
Yes-HCV
CA-512
Daly City/San Mateo County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of San Mateo County
29
Yes-HCV
CA-513
Visalia/Kings, Tulare Counties CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of Kings County
0
Yes-HCV
Housing Authority of Tulare County
2
Yes-HCV
CA-514
Fresno City & County/Madera County CoC
 
 
Fresno Housing Authority
13
Yes-Public Housing
Madera Housing Authority
9
Yes-Public Housing
CA-515
Roseville, Rocklin/Placer, Nevada Counties
 
 
Regional Housing Authority of Sutter and Nevada Counties
24
No
Placer County Housing Authority
3
No
City of Roseville
22
No
CA-516
Redding/Shasta County CoC
 
 
Del Norte County Housing Authority
22
No
Plumas County Housing Authority
10
No
Shasta County Housing Authority
City of Redding Housing Authority
4
Yes=Both
CA-517
Napa City & County CoC
 
 
Housing Division, City of Napa
13
Yes-HCV
CA-518
Vallejo/Solano County CoC
 
 
City of Suisun City Public Housing Authority
1
No
City of Fairfield Public Housing Authority
8
Yes-HCV
City of Vacaville Public Housing Authority
4
No
City of Vallejo Public Housing Authority
15
No
City of Benicia Public Housing Authority
0
No
CA-519
Chico, Paradise/Butte County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Butte
5
Yes-Public Housing
Housing Authority of the County of Butte
3
Yes-HCV
CA-520
Merced City & County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Merced
20
Yes-Both
CA-521
Davis, Woodland/Yolo County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of Yolo County
19
No
CA-522
Humboldt County CoC
 
 
County of Humboldt/City of Eureka Housing Authority
23
No
CA-523
Colusa, Glen, Trinity Counties CoC*
 
 
CA-524
Yuba City/Sutter County CoC
 
 
Regional Housing Authority of Sutter and Nevada County
14
No
CA-525
El Dorado County CoC
 
 
El Dorado County Public Housing Authority
1
Yes-HCV
CA-526
Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa Counties CoC
 
 
Stanislaus County Housing Authority
0
Yes-HCV
CA-527
Tehama County CoC
 
 
Plumas County Community Development Commission
4
No
CA-529
Lake County CoC*
 
 
CA-530
Alpine, Inyo, Mono Counties CoC*
 
 
CA-600
Los Angeles City & County CoC
 
 
Burbank Housing Authority
0
Yes-HCV
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
61
Yes-HCV
Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles
57
Yes-Both
Inglewood Housing Authority
46
No
Santa Monica Housing Authority
3
Yes-HCV
CA-601
San Diego City and County CoC
 
 
San Diego Housing Commission
50
Yes-Both
County of San Diego Housing & Community Development
42
Yes-HCV
Oceanside
12
Yes-HCV
City of Carlsbad Housing & Neighborhood Services
17
Yes-HCV
Housing Authority of the City of National City
0
No
CA-602
Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County CoC
 
 
Orange County Housing Authority
20
Yes-HCV
Garden Grove Housing Authority
5
Yes-HCV
Anaheim Housing Authority
15
Yes-HCV
Santa Ana Housing Authority
42
Yes-HCV
CA-603
Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara
7
Yes-Both
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara
24
Yes-Public Housing
CA-604
Bakersfield/Kern County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Kern
75
Yes-Both
Wasco Housing Authority
0
No
CA-606
Long Beach CoC
 
 
City of Long Beach PHA
40
Yes-HCV
CA-607
Pasadena CoC
 
 
City of Pasadena Housing Department
32
Yes-HCV
CA-608
Riverside City & County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the County of Riverside
28
Yes-Both
CA-609
San Bernardino City & County CoC
 
 
San Bernardino County Housing Authority
31
Yes-Both
Upland Housing Authority No
No
Needles Housing Authority
4
Yes-Both
CA-611
Oxnard, San Buenaventura/Ventura County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura
14
Yes-Both
Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura
7
Yes-HCV
Oxnard Housing Department
15
Yes-HCV
Port Hueneme Housing Authority
0
No
Santa Paula Housing Authority
0
No
CA-612
Glendale CoC
 
 
Glendale Housing Authority
100
Yes-HCV
CA-613
Imperial County CoC
 
 
Imperial Valley Housing Authority
0
No
Calexico Housing Authority
0
No
CA-614
San Luis Obispo County CoC
 
 
Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo
63
Yes-HCV

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