For the first time, the City of Lancaster has been awarded new funding as part of the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Program. With Lancaster’s focus on creating a better future for its residents, city officials say this is great news for those looking for new housing options after an unexpectedly slim year.
The PLHA Program provides funding to local government entities in California to help increase affordable housing options. When deciding how to award these funds, the PLHA considers the median income for each city that is applying.
For Lancaster residents, this means that the local median income is based on the income of the entire LA County and in this case that is a good thing. Lancaster’s median income is significantly lower than that of our neighbors in the big city. Also, this means that “low income” is defined a bit more broadly here and more of our residents will qualify for assistance through this program over the next several years.
With this new grant award for the city in 2021, Lancaster will receive funding across the next five years totaling $4.1M. Funding for the next couple of years has been allocated for construction of an income targeted development located at the southwest corner of Avenue I and Sierra Highway.
This development is intended to serve the growing demand for housing among community and frontline workers including entry level military personnel, medical technicians, manufacturing workers, and others who are integral to our community, yet who increasingly find it difficult to secure housing to live in the city which they serve.
After the initial phase, there will be opportunity to provide support to residents in other ways through the PLHA grant. Other areas that will be assessed for funding are homebuyer down-payment assistance for qualified residents and the rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing.
