Alameda County a county in California
Jump to:About Affordable Housing In Alameda County
There are 307 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 23,382 subsidized apartments for rent in Alameda County, California. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with about 9,489 apartments that set rent based on your income. Often referred to as "HUD apartments", there are 4,759 Project-Based Section 8 subsidized apartments in Alameda County. There are 15,947 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are still considered to be affordable housing for low income families.
Fair Market Rents are used to establish the payment standards for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. In Alameda County, the fair market rents range from $1,435 to $3,477. To learn more about rents for low income apartments in Alameda County read the Fair Market Rents section of the Understanding Affordable Housing in Alameda County guide.
To qualify for low income housing in Alameda County a family of four would generally have to earn less than $52,150. For more detailed income qualification information for affordable apartments in Alameda County read the Income section of the Understanding Affordable Housing in Alameda County guide.
Housing Authorities that Serve Alameda County
The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Alameda County is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda .
- The Housing Authority of the County of Alameda Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is Closed.
- The Housing Authority of the County of Alameda Public Housing Waiting List is Closed.
The Housing Authority of the County of Alameda offers 1 Public Housing complexes containing 174 HUD apartments. The rent at these subsidized apartments are always income based. To find a public housing unit, look for the tag in the apartment list below.
Housing Authorities located in Alameda County
The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that are located in, but may not directly serve, Alameda County are the Oakland Housing Authority, City of Berkeley Housing Authority, City of Alameda Housing Authority, The Housing Authority of the City of Livermore, Housing Authority of the City of Pleasanton and Dublin Housing Authority.Affordable Apartments in Alameda County
Housing Authorities that serve Alameda County
The Housing Authority of the County of Alameda is a Section 8 and Public Housing public housing agency in Hayward, California.
Other Housing Authorities located in Alameda County
The Oakland Housing Authority is a Section 8 and Public Housing public housing agency in Oakland, California.
The City of Berkeley Housing Authority is a Section 8 and Public Housing public housing agency in Berkeley, California.
The City of Alameda Housing Authority is a Section 8 and Public Housing public housing agency in Alameda, California.
The The Housing Authority of the City of Livermore is a Section 8 and Public Housing public housing agency in Livermore, California.
The Housing Authority of the City of Pleasanton is a Public Housing public housing agency in Pleasanton, California.
The Dublin Housing Authority is a Public Housing public housing agency in Dublin, California.
Understanding Affordable Housing in Alameda County, California
- Population And Household Demographics
- Income and Rent Overburden
- Fair Market Rents
- Area Median Income
- Low Income Housing Tax Credit
- Rental Assistance
Alameda County, CA Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 307 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 23,382 |
| Total Rent Assisted Apartments | 9,489 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 46.57% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 2.24 |
| Total Population | 1,510,271 |
| Housing Units | 545,138 |
| Average Household Size | 2.42 |
| Median Household Income | $73,775 ±$762 |
| Median Rent | $1,325 ±$9 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 50.25% ± 0.8pp |
Population and Household Demographics
Alameda County is a County in California with a population of 1,510,271. There are 545,138 households in the county with an average household size of 2.42 persons. 46.57% of households in Alameda County are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Alameda County
The median gross income for households in Alameda County is $73,775 a year, or $6,148 a month. The median rent for the county is $1,325 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Alameda County, a household making less than $4,417 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 50.25% of households who rent are overburdened in Alameda County.1
Data derived from 2010 Census and 2014 5-Year American Community Survey. Learn More.
1 Margin of Error: ± 0.8 percentage points.
Area Median Income In Alameda County
Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.
In Alameda County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $97,400
Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.
Rental Assistance in Alameda County
Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.
Alameda County Rental Assistance Income Limits
| AMI Band | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% | $21,950 | $25,050 | $28,200 | $31,300 | $33,850 | $36,350 | $38,850 | $41,350 |
| 50% | $36,550 | $41,750 | $46,950 | $52,150 | $56,350 | $60,500 | $64,700 | $68,850 |
| 80% | $56,300 | $64,350 | $72,400 | $80,400 | $86,850 | $93,300 | $99,700 | $106,150 |
You can identify apartment communities that participate in a program that provides rental assistance by looking for the tags in the apartment list above. View Apartments.
Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Alameda County
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.
From 1987 to 2012, 183 low income apartment communities containing 12,050 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Alameda County by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
You can identify apartment communities that participate in the program in Alameda County by looking for the tag in the apartment list above. View Apartments.
If your income is less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), you should not expect to pay more than the rent value for a unit in the table below. However, Affordable apartment communities that receive funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program may have rental units that are not subject to income and rent limits.
Rent limits for the LIHTC Program are determined so that a household making the maximum income for the expected household size of the unit would only pay 30% of their income for rent.
Alameda County Low Income Housing Tax Credit Income Limits
| AMI Band | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $36,550 | $41,750 | $46,950 | $52,150 | $56,350 | $60,500 | $64,700 | $68,850 |
| 60% | $43,860 | $50,100 | $56,340 | $62,580 | $67,620 | $72,600 | $77,640 | $82,620 |
For example, the expected household size for a two bedroom apartment is 3 people. Using the table above, the maximum income for a 3 person household at 60% of the AMI in Alameda County is $56,340 a year, or $4,695 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $4,695 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $1,409 a month.
Rent for units in the LIHTC Program include a utility allowance which is determined by the average monthly cost of utilities paid directly by residents. This allowance has not been subtracted from the rents in the table below. These utility allowances are set on a property by property basis.
| % of AMI | Studio | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | 4 Bed | 1 Bed | 5 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $914 | $979 | $1,174 | $1,356 | $1,513 | $1,669 |
| 60% | $1,097 | $1,175 | $1,409 | $1,628 | $1,815 | $2,003 |
Fair Market Rents in Alameda County
Fair Market Rents, often abbreviated as FMR, can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Notably, Fair Market Rents are used to establish the payment standards for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, maximum rents in HOME financed rental projects and initial rents for Section 8 project based assistance.
2017 Fair Market Rents
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,435 | $1,723 | $2,173 | $3,017 | $3,477 |
Cities In Alameda County
Select A City To View its Listings and Waiting Lists. Use the Search bar to filter.
| City | Listings | Served By |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | 9 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Alameda is the City of Alameda Housing Authority. |
| Alameda City | 0 | |
| Albany | 1 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Albany is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Ashland | 0 | |
| Berkeley | 27 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Berkeley is the City of Berkeley Housing Authority. |
| Castro Valley | 3 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Castro Valley is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Cherryland | 0 | |
| Dublin | 5 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Dublin are the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda and Dublin Housing Authority. |
| Emeryville | 8 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Emeryville is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Fairview | 0 | |
| Fremont | 26 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Fremont is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Hayward | 30 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Hayward is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Livermore | 12 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Livermore is the The Housing Authority of the City of Livermore. |
| Newark | 2 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Newark is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Oakland | 153 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Oakland is the Oakland Housing Authority. |
| Piedmont | 1 | |
| Pleasanton | 7 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Pleasanton are the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda and Housing Authority of the City of Pleasanton. |
| San Leandro | 15 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves San Leandro is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| San Lorenzo | 1 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves San Lorenzo is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
| Sunol | 0 | |
| Union City | 7 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agency that serves Union City is the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda . |
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