FRESNO COUNTY 2021
Affordable Housing Needs Report
KEY FINDINGS
74% of extremely low-income
households are paying more than
half of their income on housing costs
compared to just 4% of moderate-
income households.
36,523 low-income renter
households in Fresno County do not
have access to an affordable home.
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
production and preservation in
Fresno County increased by 3%
between 2019 and 2020.
Renters in Fresno County need to
earn $20.52 per hour - 1.5 times the
state minimum wage - to afford the
average monthly asking rent of
$1,067.
In Fresno County, state funding
increased 51% and federal funding
decreased 15% for housing
production and preservation from FY
2018-19 to FY 2019-20.
MAY 2021
AFFORDABLE HOMES SHORTFALL COST BURDENED RENTER HOUSEHOLDS
36,523 low-income renter households in 74% of ELI households in Fresno County are
Fresno County do not have access to an paying more than half of their income on
affordable home. housing costs compared to just 4% of moderate-
income households.
Extremely
Very Low-
Shortfall Low- Cost Burdened Severely Cost Burdened
Income
Income Households* Households*

70,000 100%

90%
90% 88%
60,000
80%
74%
50,000
70%

36,523
60% 57%
40,000

50%
30,000
40%
36%

20,000 30% 28%

20%
10,000 12%
10% 7%
4%
0 0%
0%
Renter Affordable and Extremely Very Low- Low- Moderate- Above
Households Available Rental Low- Income Income Income Moderate-
Homes Income Income

WHO CAN AFFORD TO RENT

Renters need to earn 1.5 times minimum wage to afford the average asking rent in Fresno County.

Average Asking Rent $1,067 /Month

Income Needed to Afford

$3,557 /Month $20.52 /Hour
Average Asking Rent

State Minimum Wage $2,427 /Month $14.00 /Hour

Home Health &

$2,385 /Month $13.76 /Hour
Personal Care Aides

Farmworkers $2,403 /Month $13.86 /Hour

Retail Salespersons $2,685 /Month $15.49 /Hour

Janitors & Cleaners $2,853 /Month $16.46 /Hour

Medical Assistants $3,237 /Month $18.68 /Hour

$0 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000

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FUNDING FOR HOUSING
In Fresno County, state funding increased 51% while federal funding decreased 15% for housing
production and preservation from FY 2018-19 to FY 2019-20.

$250 FY FY
FUNDING 2018-19 2019-20 % CHANGE
SOURCE
(in thousands)
$200
State Housing Bonds
and Budget $39,615 $57,657 46%
Allocations
(IN MILLIONS)

$150
State LIHTC $11,180 $19,168 71%

STATE TOTAL $50,795 $76,825 51%

$100
Federal LIHTC $115,879 $95,553 -18%

HUD Block Grants $23,663 $23,524 -1%

$50
FEDERAL TOTAL $139,543 $119,077 -15%

$0
2018-2019 2019-2020

LIHTC PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION

Low-Income Housing Tax Credit production and preservation in Fresno County increased by 3%
between 2019 and 2020.

Acq/Rehab Units New Construction Units

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

p.3
 STATEWIDE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

In addition to critical COVID-19 efforts, the Partnership calls on State leaders to take the
following actions to provide relief to low-income families struggling with unaffordable and
unstable housing:

• Initiate a $10 billion statewide housing bond to fund five more years of affordable housing for low-
income families and people experiencing homelessness.

• Permanently fund local governments to implement flexible homelessness solutions by recapturing

$2.4 billion per year lost through corporate tax loopholes and reductions.

• Make permanent the $500 million expansion of the state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to increase
affordable housing production through public/private partnerships.

• Empower voters to support building affordable homes locally by lowering the supermajority approval
threshold required for housing ballot measures to 55%.

• Fund the conversion of commercial properties and market-rate rental properties occupied by low-
income households into affordable homes.

• Allow new apartment and condominium developments to be built in commercial and mixed-use zones
when at least 20% of the homes are affordable to low-income households.

• Speed the construction of affordable homes and reduce uncertainty and costs by streamlining the
award of state funding for affordable housing developments from four different state agencies into
one decision-making process.

DATA SOURCES & NOTES

• FUNDING FOR HOUSING
California Housing Partnership analysis of HCD Program Awards and Annual Reports, HUD CPD Appropriations
Budget Reports, CalHFA Mixed Income Program, BCHS Program Reports, California Strategic Growth Council
Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities Program, and federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.

• AFFORDABLE HOMES SHORTFALL

California Housing Partnership analysis of 2019 1-year American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata
Sample (PUMS) data with HUD income levels. Methodology was adapted from NLIHC gap methodology.

• COST BURDENED RENTER HOUSEHOLDS

California Housing Partnership analysis of 2019 1-year ACS PUMS data with HUD income levels. Methodology
was adapted from NLIHC gap methodology.
* Cost burdened households spend 30% or more of their income towards housing costs. Severely cost burdened
households spend more than 50%.

• WHO CAN AFFORD TO RENT

CoStar Group average asking rent for two bedroom as of January 2021. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average
Annual Wage Data for California Occupations, 2020.

• LIHTC PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION

California Housing Partnership's Preservation Database, January 2021. Please note that this data does not
include manager units or market rate units created through the LIHTC program.

This report was produced by the California Housing Partnership | chpc.net

Danielle M. Mazzella, Preservation & Data Manager
Lindsay Rosenfeld, Policy Research Manager
Anthony Carroll, Research Assistant
Mark Stivers, Director of Legislative & Regulatory Advocacy
Matt Schwartz, President & CEO