Affordable Housing In Santa Clara County
California
285 Low Income Apartment Communities In Santa Clara County
Vivente II
There are 285 low income housing apartment complexes which contain 29,049 affordable apartments for rent in Santa Clara County. Many of these rental apartments are income based housing with 7,597 apartments that set rent based on your income. In Santa Clara County, HUD housing programs support 6,159 rental assistance apartments through programs like Project-based Section 8. There are 20,509 other low income apartments that don't have rental assistance but are cheaper than market rate rents.
Housing Authorities that serve Santa Clara County
| Housing Authority | Programs |
|---|---|
| San Jose City Housing Authority | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) |
| Santa Clara County Housing Authority | Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Public Housing; Moving to Work |
Guide To Affordable Housing in Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, CA Affordable Housing Snapshot
| Total Affordable Apartment Properties | 285 |
|---|---|
| Total Low Income Apartments | 29,049 |
| Total Rent Assisted Apartments | 7,597 |
| Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters | 43.22% |
| Average Renter Household Size | 2.86 |
| Total Population | 1,868,149 |
| Housing Units | 621,463 |
| Average Household Size | 2.95 |
| Median Household Income | $96,310 ±$783 |
| Median Rent | $1,705 ±$10 |
| Percentage Of Renters Overburdened | 46.18% ± 0.79pp |
Population and Household Demographics
Santa Clara County is a County in California with a population of 1,868,149. There are 621,463 households in the county with an average household size of 2.95 persons. 43.22% of households in Santa Clara County are renters.
Income and Rent Overburden in Santa Clara County
The median gross income for households in Santa Clara County is $96,310 a year, or $8,026 a month. The median rent for the county is $1,705 a month.
Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Santa Clara County, a household making less than $5,683 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 46.18% of households who rent are overburdened in Santa Clara County.1
Area Median Income In Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $131,400
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 Santa Clara 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.
Income Qualifications for Santa Clara County HUD Rental Assistance in Santa Clara County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30% of Median | $30,750 | $35,150 | $39,550 | $43,900 | $47,450 | $50,950 | $54,450 | $57,950 |
| 50% of Median | $51,250 | $58,550 | $65,850 | $73,150 | $79,050 | $84,900 | $90,750 | $96,600 |
| 80% of Median | $72,750 | $83,150 | $93,550 | $103,900 | $112,250 | $120,550 | $128,850 | $137,150 |
Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Santa Clara County
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program aims to create affordable rental housing for low and very low income families.
From 1988 to 2012, 186 low income apartment communities containing 19,790 rental apartments have been constructed and made affordable to low income persons in Santa Clara County by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
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.
Income Qualifications for Low Income Housing Tax Credit Apartments in Santa Clara County
| Income | 1 Person | 2 Person | 3 Person | 4 Person | 5 Person | 6 Person | 7 Person | 8 Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% of Median | $51,250 | $58,550 | $65,850 | $73,150 | $79,050 | $84,900 | $90,750 | $96,600 |
| 60% of Median | $61,500 | $70,260 | $79,020 | $87,780 | $94,860 | $101,880 | $108,900 | $115,920 |
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 Santa Clara County is $79,020 a year, or $6,585 a month. To determine the maximum rent in the table below we multiply the monthly maximum income, $6,585 by 30% to get a maximum rent of $1,976 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 | 1 Bed | 2 Bed | 3 Bed | 4 Bed | 5 Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $1,281 | $1,373 | $1,646 | $1,903 | $2,123 | $2,342 |
| 60% | $1,538 | $1,647 | $1,976 | $2,283 | $2,547 | $2,810 |
Fair Market Rents in Santa Clara 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.
2019 Fair Market Rents
| Studio | One BR | Two BR | Three BR | Four BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,952 | $2,316 | $2,839 | $3,829 | $4,394 |
Cities In Santa Clara County
Select A City to View its Apartment Communities and Waiting Lists.
| City | Listings | Served By |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 165 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve San Jose are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Palo Alto | 17 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Palo Alto are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Gilroy | 21 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Gilroy are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Sunnyvale | 17 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Sunnyvale are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Morgan Hill | 17 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Morgan Hill are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Mountain View | 15 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Mountain View are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Santa Clara | 16 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Santa Clara are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Los Gatos | 3 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Los Gatos are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Campbell | 6 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Campbell are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Saratoga | 2 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Saratoga are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Burbank | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Burbank are the Burbank Housing Authority, San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Cupertino | 2 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Cupertino are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Milpitas | 4 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Milpitas are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Alum Rock | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Alum Rock are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Cambrian Park | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Cambrian Park are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| East Foothills | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve East Foothills are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Fruitdale | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Fruitdale are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Lexington Hills | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Lexington Hills are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Los Altos | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Los Altos are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Los Altos Hills | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Los Altos Hills are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Loyola | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Loyola are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Monte Sereno | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Monte Sereno are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| San Martin | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve San Martin are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
| Stanford | 0 | The HUD funded Public Housing Agencies that serve Stanford are the San Jose City Housing Authority and Santa Clara County Housing Authority. |
