California Construction News staff writer
Six months after wildfires tore through the Greater Los Angeles Region, displacing thousands of residents, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on Monday announced $101 million in new funding to accelerate the construction of affordable multifamily rental housing in fire-affected areas.
“Los Angeles has taken significant steps to rebuild after January’s fires, but the devastation is significant and there remains a long road ahead,” Newsom said in a statement. “Thousands of families – from Pacific Palisades to Altadena to Malibu – are still displaced and we owe it to them to help.”
The funding, part of a special Multifamily Finance Super Notice of Funding Availability (MFSN-LA Disaster), is aimed at supporting projects that are near wildfire burn zones, ready to begin construction, and include a preference for households displaced by the fires.
Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, said the funding will “galvanize the collective public-private response” and accelerate both stability and health outcomes for low-income residents.
The $101 million is in addition to $382 million in statewide funding announced in February under HCD’s Multifamily Finance Super NOFA, which allows developers to apply for multiple funding streams through a single application. A separate $50 million Tribal MFSN was released in March.
The MFSN-LA Disaster NOFA introduces a two-phase award process to prioritize shovel-ready developments. If funding remains after the first phase, additional applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.
Eligible projects may receive grants for infrastructure, low-interest loans for construction, and operating subsidies to ensure long-term affordability. All projects must remain affordable for at least 55 years.
Application materials for the new disaster-specific funding will be available July 21. Phase one applications are due by 4 p.m. PDT on August 21.
