On July 1, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the No Place Like Home program (AB 1618, Chapter 43, Statutes of 2016). This program will distribute $2 billion among counties as deferred payment loans to finance capital costs of permanent supportive housing for persons who are eligible for services under Proposition 63 (2004) and are homeless, chronically homeless, or at risk of chronic homelessness.

The Legislature intends that that the loans will not have to be repaid. This funding program is critical to aid in the effort to end homelessness. California has an estimated affordable housing shortage of more than one million homes. Funding provided by the State for the development and preservation of affordable homes dropped by 79 percent, from approximately $1.7 billion annually to nearly nothing today.

The No Place Like Home program marks the State’s first effort to reinvest dollars into housing for the homeless in recent history. The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) will administer the program in consultation with an advisory committee. This committee comprises directors of various state departments including HCD and Health Care Services Department as well as county administrative officers, a representative of an affordable housing organization and an administrative officer of a city.