BILL ANALYSIS
AB 725
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Date of Hearing: April 11, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Lori Saldana, Chair
AB 725 (Lieber) - As Introduced: February 22, 2007
SUBJECT : Housing: universal rental housing application
SUMMARY : Creates a mandatory universal rental housing
application to be used if the housing provider receives certain
state financial assistance. Specifically, this bill :
1)Provides that a rental housing provider that receives a grant
or loan from the California Department of Housing and
Community Development (HCD) or the California Housing Finance
Agency, or tax credits or bond authority must provide a
universal rental housing application.
2)Requires the housing provider to make the application
available on its Web site and to make it available to the
public.
3)Requires HCD to develop and adopt the universal application in
coordination with the other housing finance agencies by
October 1, 2008. HCD shall also consult with housing
providers during the process of adoption.
4)Requires HCD to develop accessible formats of the application
to include braille and large print.
5)Requires a 30 day review and public comment prior to adoption
of the application.
6)Requires the application to be made available by January 1,
2009.
EXISTING LAW : Requires the California State Housing Plan to
include a housing strategy that coordinates housing assistance
and activities of state and local agencies.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS :
The housing crisis in the state of California is well
AB 725
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established. According to the Legislative Analyst's Office
(LAO), residential construction will decline by 13 percent in
2007. As the author points out, of the state's 1.6 million
very-low income renters, 72 percent paid more than half of their
income for rent in 1995. By 2003, over 70,000 people in Los
Angeles alone were on a waiting list for federal housing
assistance.
Because there is such an acute shortage of affordable housing in
California, low-income renters seeking housing assistance often
must apply to several providers simultaneously. According to
the author, it can be challenging to determine whether vacancies
exist or to even locate an application. When there are
vacancies, applicants must fill out a different application for
each development, even though nearly identical information is
requested for each unit.
According to the author, this lack of uniformity increases the
amount of time and inconvenience that prospective renters face.
A standardized application, argues the author, would streamline
the process of finding affordable housing.
Supporters note that AB 725 would allow renters to complete just
one application which can be used to apply at multiple
communities, ensuring that prospective residents have the best
possible opportunity to access housing.
This bill requires HCD to create a universal affordable housing
application to streamline the process and minimize barriers to
applying for affordable housing. In order to ensure that the
application include all necessary information, the department
shall consult with rental housing providers, not-for-profit
housing assistance and social justice organizations, public
agencies and others.
Though AB 725 requires all affordable housing providers to use
the universal application, it does not prohibit individual
organizations from collecting additional information from
applicants.
AB 725 also requires the application be made available on the
internet and in formats accessible to disabled applicants.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
AB 725
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Support
Aging Services of California
California Alliance for Retired Americans
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
League of California Cities
Western Center on Law and Poverty
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Hubert Bower / H. & C.D. / (916)
319-2085