Berkeley

New Affordable Housing Preferences Can Help You Return or Stay in Berkeley

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2024

New rules will help people who were forced from their homes because of BART construction or foreclosure since 2005. Photo courtesy City of Berkeley.

By Matthai Chakko

Households who lost their homes in Berkeley through foreclosure since 2005 or by the construction of BART in the 1960s-70s can apply to be included among seven groups who will have higher priority in many affordable housing lotteries, which already filter households by income.
Under new rules now in effect in Berkeley, people in those two categories can apply for certification before applying for housing. They would join five other categories for which people would provide further information when applying for housing:

• Current or former residents of formerly redlined neighborhoods, areas devalued by the federal government through discriminatory practices
• Child or grandchild of those who’ve lived in formerly redlined neighborhoods
• People displaced due to a no-fault or non-payment eviction in Berkeley over the past seven years
• People in Berkeley who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, or those who are homeless with a previous address in Berkeley and are not already being prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing
• Households with at least one child aged 17 or younger

These policies will apply to a portion of new affordable housing units created through the City’s Housing Trust Fund and Below Market Rate programs, which cover all new affordable multi-unit construction in Berkeley.
Affordable housing applications in Berkeley will ask questions about all seven criteria to see if you qualify for any of the preference categories. If selected for housing, you will need to provide additional information to verify your eligibility.

For the two preference categories that require a certificate — a BART Displacement Certificate or a Foreclosure Displacement Certificate — apply now to help speed a future application for affordable housing.
Anyone can also sign up to receive email alerts for affordable housing openings in Berkeley or Alameda County.

APPLY FOR BART CONSTRUCTION OR FORECLOSURE PREFERENCES
Households eligible for the BART construction or foreclosure preferences can apply for a certificate at any time for use in affordable housing applications. For all other preferences, households do not need certificates and will indicate their eligibility when applying for housing.
Please allow up to two weeks for your application for either certificate to be processed. The City may reach out to request more information. If approved, you will receive a certificate number by email to then use when applying to eligible affordable housing units.

Displaced due to BART construction
You are eligible for the BART Construction Certificate if you, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent lost their home in Berkeley due to the construction of BART in the 1960s and 1970s. If approved, you will get first preference over other categories in an affordable housing lottery.
To apply, submit the BART Construction Displacement Certificate Application.
The application will ask for:

• Address you or your family was displaced from
• Name and birthdate of the adult(s) who rented or owned the property
• Birth or adoption records linking you to the person who was displaced (if you need time to gather these records, you can still apply and send the records by email afterward)
Displaced due to foreclosure
You are eligible for the Foreclosure Certificate if you or a member of your household was displaced due to foreclosure since 2005 of a property in Berkeley.

To apply, submit the Foreclosure Displacement Certificate Application.
The application will ask for:

• Address of the foreclosed property and year of move-out
• Name of adult(s) who owned the property
• Notice of Trustee Sale (legal notice of foreclosure)
• If your name is not on the Notice of Trustee Sale, you will also need to submit proof that you lived at the property (if you need time to gather these records, you can still apply and send the records by email afterward)

ASSISTANCE FOR BART CONSTRUCTION OR FORECLOSURE DISPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES
Schedule a 30-minute in-person assistance appointment at 2180 Milvia St. to get support in applying for a Berkeley BART Construction Displacement Certificate or Foreclosure Displacement Certificate.

After scheduling, details will be provided in a follow-up email. Visit the affordable housing preferences and certificates page for more information, and email HousingPreferences@berkeleyca.gov with questions.
APPLY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Find affordable housing opportunities on the Alameda County Housing Portal. Sign up to receive email alerts when opportunities in Berkeley become available.

When applying for housing, check the appropriate boxes for any preferences for which you are eligible. If you are selected for a unit, the property manager will reach out to request more information and documentation to verify your eligibility.
Applicants with the BART Construction Displacement Certificate will receive first preference over other categories. Other applicants will be sorted by the total number of preference categories for which they are eligible.

HOUSING PREFERENCE SUPPORTS ANTI-DISPLACEMENT EFFORTS

The City of Berkeley’s Housing Preference Policy helps families stay in or return to Berkeley. The City partnered with two nonprofit organizations — Healthy Black Families and East Bay Community Law Center — to develop the policy through a collaborative, community-driven process.

The policy aims to reduce displacement and address historical injustices such as redlining. Under this practice, the federal government designated redlined neighborhoods as the riskiest places to issue loans during the 1930s-60s. Redlining devalued properties, undermining housing stability and enabling ongoing displacement.

The City of Berkeley is also making historic investments in affordable housing, including the $135 million Measure O bond dedicated to affordable housing, of which $53 million is dedicated to affordable housing at Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations. Measure O is increasing the pace of affordable housing development, with over 1,000 units in development.

If you or your family were displaced or are at risk of displacement from Berkeley, applying for affordable housing preferences offers a path to return to or remain in your community.

Everyone eligible should sign up for notifications and apply to affordable housing listings on the Housing Portal as they become available. Those who were displaced due to BART or foreclosure should apply for their preference certificate now.
Matthai Chakko is the communications director for the City of Berkeley.

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