Improvement
- Coordinate code enforcement. Code enforcement programs should be coordinated with utility, housing code inspection, and rehabilitation programs to effectively utilize funding resources, efficiently ensure safe homes, and avoid displacement.
- Create rehabilitation programs. Regularly seek funding or continue to fund existing repair and rehabilitation programs for ownership, rental and mobilehome parks. Funding resources may include Community Development Block Grants, HOME, etc.
- Maintain single-room occupancy units. Rehabilitate residential hotels for very low- and low-income households including people experiencing homelessness and those at-risk of homelessness.
- Create a “rehabilitation-fee amnesty” program. Provide interim fee relief for rehabilitation in targeted neighborhoods.
- Create targeted rehabilitation programs. Survey and designate neighborhoods and design a rehabilitation program to comprehensively address housing conditions.
- Leverage or create building-code enforcement programs. For example, the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) operates the Substandard Housing Program, which assists the state and local agencies in addressing unsafe living conditions that violate health and safety codes. Because property owners who are in violation of health and safety code standards cannot make certain deductions on their personal tax returns, that additional revenue collected by FTB is transferred to the Local Code Enforcement Rehabilitation fund. These funds are then disbursed to the cities and counties that generated the notification of substandard housing to the FTB.
- Enable neighborhood revitalization. Designate lower-income neighborhoods for concentrated housing rehabilitation assistance through subsidized grants and/or deferred low-interest loans, public facility/infrastructure improvements through general fund capital improvement plans, special assessments districts, Mello-Roos community facilities districts, etc.
- Develop tool-lending programs. Facilitate ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance by developing “tools,” which may include actual tools and supplies, as well as instructions for simple upgrades or repairs (such as changing faucets or washers, heater screens, etc.).
Conservation
- Provide stable zoning to preserve affordable housing. For example, change the underlying zoning for a mobilehome park from commercial to mobilehome park.
- Require presale code inspections. Enact occupancy ordinances requiring presale code inspections and compliance before title to a property is transferred to new owners.
- Maintain long-term affordability restrictions on assisted rental units.
- Offer homeownership education and counseling. Establish pre- and post-purchase homeownership education and counseling to assist people in becoming homeowners and maintaining their homes. Programs can include creating referral centers, promoting toll-free hotlines, and doing outreach to ensure people are aware of the available resources.
- Facilitate rehabilitation by enforce building codes. Bringing older homes into compliance with current building codes can be costly, is not required, and can deter rehabilitation. Building code requires local government flexibility to facilitate rehabilitation while maintaining health and safety standards. To encourage rehabilitation, communities should conduct education programs for public officials, contractors, and property owners to ensure public knowledge of flexibility in building codes for rehabilitation (i.e. minor or moderate).
- Require replacement of lost housing units. Require one-to-one replacement of any housing units demolished due to public or private action.
- Enact demolition ordinances. Enact ordinances governing demolition of housing units and conversions of housing units to other uses (e.g. office or commercial).
- Adopt housing-element and code-enforcement policy. To ensure and promote compliance with health and safety code, when deciding whether to require vacation or repair of property, enforcement agencies must consider the needs expressed in a jurisdiction’s housing element.
- Conduct condition surveys. Conduct annual housing-condition surveys to determine the extent of rehabilitation needed and to prioritize rehabilitation programs.
- Enable neighborhood improvements. Establish and utilize Community Development Block Grant funds for a self-help, paint-up/fix-up neighborhood improvement program.
- Promote neighborhood clean-ups. Annually promote neighborhood clean-up weeks and activities.