Housing

California Democrats carved out the Dream for All money to help first-time buyers. The funds ran out after just 11 days with the average loan hitting $112,000.

A program to help mobile home park residents got a huge revamp last year because nobody was using it. Will more than tripling the size of the loan fund and streamlining the application process yield results?

In the new episode of "Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast," CalMatters Housing Reporter Manuela Tobias shares her findings from a five-month investigation on California’s mobile home parks, the last stop in housing affordability for the state’s most vulnerable residents.

Gov. Newsom wants to spend $300 million the first year, which could help about 2,300 buyers. But home prices are falling and mortgage rates are rising, complicating the launch.

Mobile home parks are a last bastion of unsubsidized affordable housing in California. But when the health and safety of their residents is on the line, is the state doing enough to help?

In the first of an eight-part series, Anna Scott of KCRW takes listeners through the story of Veterans Row, a homeless encampment in Los Angeles.

For the first time, a new state report offers a bird-eye view of how much the state has spent to halt homelessness — nearly $10 billion over three years. Of the half-million Californians who made use of those services, more than 40% ended up housed. Which also means the majority did not, or the state lost track of their whereabouts.

Some seniors have been homeless for years and are now growing older. But the increasing numbers also reflect another trend: those experiencing homelessness for the first time after age 50.

With a majority of housing plans out of compliance with state housing law, developers could theoretically use a little-known law to kick building into high gear. On this week’s podcast, a housing law expert breaks down the untested “builder’s remedy.”

The state is expanding mortgage relief to more California homeowners who are struggling through the pandemic. The program now covers second mortgages and loan deferrals, with a maximum total grant of $80,000.