Housing finance: Affordable Housing Common Application Act.

Existing law establishes the Department of Housing and Community Development and requires it to administer various housing programs, including the Multifamily Housing Program, pursuant to which the department provides assistance in the form of deferred payment loans to pay for specified eligible costs of development of specified housing projects. Existing law provides for the financing of housing development under various other programs, including the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program administered by the Strategic Growth Council. This bill would enact the Affordable Housing Common Application Act, which would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to create, or enter into a contract with a contractor to create, and administer an online portal for applicants to apply for grants or loans administered by the department for the purpose of acquiring, developing, or rehabilitating affordable housing, as provided. The bill would require the department to collaborate with other state agencies that administer grant or loan funds for the purpose of acquiring, developing, or rehabilitating affordable housing in order to ensure that applicants may apply for those grant or loan funds using the online portal created pursuant to the bill. The bill would allow an applicant seeking grant or loan funds made available under any program included in the online portal to use, and require the applicable state agency to accept, a common application included as part of the online portal, provided that the applicant provides all necessary information required by law for the applicable program.