Kamlager-Dove Convenes Government Agencies, Housing Developers, and Faith Communities to Advance Affordable Housing Development in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA — On Friday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) hosted a series of roundtables at LA Trade Technical College focused on increasing affordable housing development in Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – RealEstateRama – The first roundtable, co-hosted by Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region IX Administrator Jason Pu, brought housing developers together with local, state, and federal housing agencies. The event served as a forum to brainstorm innovative solutions to address challenges in the affordable housing development process and inform developers about the resources available to them. Participating government agencies included HUD Region IX, the Los Angeles County Development Authority, the City of Los Angeles Housing Department, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, and the California Housing Finance Agency.
A subsequent roundtable centered on the development of affordable housing on land owned by faith organizations following the enactment of California Senate Bill 4 (SB4), which permits faith institutions to build affordable housing on their property. This legislation unlocked an additional 170,000 acres of land across Los Angeles for potential affordable housing development. The conversation addressed recent successes with the development of affordable housing on land owned by faith organizations, the challenges that remain with these developments, and how federal partners can assist faith institutions with establishing these developments. Panelists on the roundtable included representatives from the City of Los Angeles Housing Department, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Ward Economic Development Corporation, West Angeles Community Development Corporation, and IKAR.
“Tackling Los Angeles’ housing crisis will require partnerships between developers, nonprofits, faith communities, and agencies across all levels of government. It was crucial to bring these stakeholders together to ensure that all developers can take advantage of the opportunities and resources available to them,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “Currently, only 26% of unhoused individuals in Los Angeles are sheltered, and increased access to resources—including land made available through SB4—will be a game-changer in providing safety and security to more Angelenos. Los Angeles’ faith communities have long been champions in addressing social and economic injustices, and I look forward to seeing how faith institutions utilize their additional resources to ensure all Angelenos can live with dignity.”
“The federal, state and local collaboration is helping to get the job done in terms of affordable housing. We know we’re not where we need to be but, with the help of private-sector developers and philanthropy we’ll get there. I appreciate all who’ve taken the time to be here. We want to continually hear from you—to hear about things which are working and things we can do better so we move forward, collectively, to build affordable housing,” said HUD Regional Administrator Jason Pu.
During this year’s government funding process, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove secured a total of $12.4 million for 15 community projects, of which $6.4 million will be used to build and improve hundreds of public and affordable housing units in Los Angeles. This funding included $500,000 for the IKAR Center and Supportive Housing Project, a 55-unit permanent supportive housing development that will be constructed atop a new Jewish community center and worship space in a high-opportunity, transit-rich corridor with a shortage of affordable housing.
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