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Summary of Policy Recommendations 

Produce Housing for All 

1Create strong institutions and reliable processes 

Recommendations: 

  • Support strong public and private housing institutions and agencies that are each specialized and all seen as part of a single ecosystem.

  • Centralize the system of accessing affordable housing in LA County with a single point of contact and support services for application and placement.
  • Implement social housing pilot projects, including through ULA, LACAHSA, and other initiatives.

2Ensure permanent funding and simplify the capital stack 

Recommendations 

  • Continue to build permanent sources of financing for affordable housing and ensure permanent affordability. 

  • Continue to explore the LPHA model to identify ways to simplify the existing financing process. 
  • Continue to explore ways to contain and control costs. 
  • Explore a “public guarantee” for bank loans financing affordable housing.

3Use public land and social housing zoning 

Recommendations: 

  • Scale up social housing through land banking, public land development, and partnerships with other institutions. 

  • Continue using entitlements to incentivize development. 
  • Utilize zoning as a tool. 
  • Further Equitable Housing Policies. 

Preserve Vulnerable Housing 

4Maintain existing housing stock 

Recommendations: 

  • Dedicate public funding to new production and preservation of affordable housing. 

  • Create financial incentives to retrofit existing housing that requires affordability commitments.
  • Consider including essential services and other community resources within new housing developments.

Protect Tenants & Prevent Displacement 

5Support tenants 

Recommendations: 

  • Establish and enforce strong tenant protections. 
  • Centralize the system of accessing affordable housing in LA County with a single point of contact and support services for application and placement.
  • Invest in care-first approaches.

Promote Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability 

6Create mixed-income communities

Recommendations 

  • Broaden the base of support for affordable housing by expanding eligibility, where appropriate, to include households earning more than the median income, while also prioritizing low-income households.

  • Do not require affordable housing residents to recertify income eligibility after moving in.
  • Design housing projects and neighborhoods to integrate mixes of incomes, household sizes, and types. Maintain the benefits of ethnic enclaves by integrating design, programming, and leasing practices that are culturally meaningful.

7Promote alternative housing models 

Recommendations 

  • Continue pursuing alternative ownership models. 

  • Ensure greater resident agency. 

  • Continue to explore ways to increase wealth-building beyond homeownership. 

8Create a new housing narrative 

Recommendations

  • Participants were extremely energized after learning about the Viennese model and brainstormed ways to develop a new narrative and more public support for this model in two broad manners: building off the LA region’s existing work to increase the base of support through narrative change; and being clear, thoughtful and strategic within a coalition. 
  • Build off existing work to broaden the base of support through narrative change. 
  • Being clear, thoughtful, and strategic within a coalition. 
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