Acquisition & Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) Program

Acquisition & Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) Program is sponsored by City of Oakland Housing and Community Development Department. Provides funding to nonprofit affordable housing developers and community land trusts to acquire and rehabilitate existing multifamily residential properties, converting them into long-term, permanently affordable housing.

Housing & Community Development Information Below is a comprehensive list of the services and activities provided by City departments to internal and external customers, which describes the City’s operations throughout the Oakland community, including collaborative efforts with other governments and community partners.

Internal customers include other City departments and elected officials, while external customers are comprised of residents, businesses, visitors, and similar persons. Fund New Construction of Affordable Housing Underwrites, reviews, and administers loans through Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) to produce new affordable housing units. Monitors construction draws and ensures loan compliance.

​Predevelopment Loan Program​ ​Provides loans to non-profit housing developers to cover pre-development costs (feasibility analyses and preparation of loan applications) and costs of preparing projects for syndication. ​ First-time Homebuyer Loan Program​ Provides loan funding to first-time homebuyer Oakland residents and workers, and creates and participates in homebuyer education activities.

Additionally, reviews and approves resales and refinance of restricted affordable below market-rate units. ​ Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) program​ ​Program that administers funds to developers, including a specific pool for CLTs/coops, to acquire "naturally occurring affordable housing", deed restrict them to ensure affordability for 55 years, and rehabilitate them.

​ ​Owner-Occupied Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Programs​ ​Offers building rehabilitation programs to Oakland's low-to-moderate income, senior and disabled homeowners including lead-safe paint and accessibility improvement, emergency home repair, home maintenance improvement, and major/minor home repair programs.

​ ​Earthquake Seismic Retrofitting Grants​ ​The Safer Housing for Oakland Program (SHOP) offers grants to reimburse owners for a portion of the costs to seismically retrofit a multi-unit apartment building with a “soft-story” condition. The Earthquake-Safe Homes Program offers grants to owner-occupants of 1-4 unit properties for partial reimbursement of the cost of a seismic retrofit.

​ Homeless Housing Production, Conversions and Preservation (Homekey, R2H2)​ ​Apply for and commit local, County, State and federal funds to housing projects for people experiencing homelessness. Review proposals and work with non-profits developers and service partners to refine project scopes and feasibility.

​ ​Existing Housing Portfolio Monitoring and Rehabilitation​ ​Monitors HCD's existing affordable housing portfolio for habitability and financial health; tracks affordability restrictions and loan compliance over time; and provides loans for property rehabilitation and emergency health and safety repairs.

Building Electrification Initiative​ ​Ensures HCD's affordable housing portfolio complies with the citywide goal stating that by 2040, all residential units in Oakland must be fully electric.

​ Housing Counseling, Education, and Referrals ​ Provides direct holistic counseling and workshops to tenants and housing providers regarding state and local residential rental housing laws, including the City's Rent Adjustment Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, Tenant Protection Ordinance, Tenant Move Out Agreement Ordinance, and the Uniform Relocation Ordinance.

Supports via phone calls and emails residents seeking housing services and information. Rent Adjustment Hearings and Mediations​ Reviews petitions, hears cases, holds mediation sessions, renders decisions, reviews appeals, communicates with tenants, landlords, and their representatives, and coordinates appeal hearings before the Rent Adjustment Board.

Rent Registry and Eviction Filings​ ​ Enforces and implements the City's Rent Registry Ordinance. Manages the annual and ongoing collection, monitoring and compliance, and reporting of registered rental properties in Oakland. Provides education and technical assistance to property owners to register their properties, and to tenants about their property's registration status.

Responds to rent registration public inquiries. Holds virtual and in-person outreach and education events on rent registration requirements. Provides administrative support to the unit.

RAP staff receives every eviction notice and tenant move-out agreement filed in the City of Oakland for residential rental units subject to the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, either via email, paper, or otherwise, and ensures they are accurately entered into the City's database for recordkeeping.

​ Anti Displacement and Housing Stability Services​ ​Provide services in the form of eviction prevention and homelessness prevention via service providers to Oakland tenants at risk of displacement or homelessness. Includes legal assistance, emergency rental payments and wrap around services. ​Code Compliance Relocation Program​ Reviews applications for tenant eligibility for relocation benefits in accordance with O.

M. C. 15.

60. Assists tenants and property owners in understanding their rights and responsibilities under the law. Administer payment and reimbursement processes.

​ Housing Policies, Research, Plans, and Data​ ​Community Engagement and Public Education​ Staff attend multiple community events annually to provide information on housing programs and resources offered by HCD. Prepares materials that provide information and guidance on tenant protections, rent and eviction laws at local, state, and federal levels to educate public about their rights and responsibilities under these laws.

​ ​Update and Post Annual Rent and Income Limits​ Track and update annual rent and income limits and utility allowances and publicly post on the Department website​. ​Loan Repayments, Servicing, and Property Resales​ ​The loan servicing team receives loan payments and handles issues relating to repayment and resale of properties with loans from the City.

​ Performance Measures are metrics that collect information about operational activities, achievement of goals, community conditions, or other environmental factors to better understand present conditions and inform operational, managerial, policy, and community decisions.

Performance Measures are composed of Service Output Measures, which describe a specific service measurement and the numerical value of that service on an annualized basis; and Equitable Service Delivery Success Standards, which describe the “gold standard” target service level for every customer/area of the City, including those who have been historically underserved, and is sometimes expressed as a percentage of the service delivery meeting a specific threshold.

Service Levels are designated parameters of City operations, such as weekly facility hours, standard response times for emergency services, and standard response times for requests through OAK311. Performance measures should identify, track, and improve access to City services for Oakland residents with a goal of continuous improvement in equitable outcomes over time through data collection and analysis.

The annualized measurement provided against the Equitable Service Delivery Success Standard will be used to analyze and address areas needing improvement, including racial disparities, for equity purposes.

The initial metrics chosen have a particular focus on assuring equitable service delivery to Oakland’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) residents, and selected for their potential to advance systemic change and close racial disparities in policy outcomes. Administration will provide updated performance measures in the FY25-27 Adopted book.

Housing Development Division Housing Development Services (HDS) The HDS unit produces affordable units by funding the new construction of housing with long-term affordability restrictions, as well as through the opportunity to move into homeownership. HDS services and activities predominantly benefit extremely low- to moderate income (LMI) residents and areas of Oakland.

HDS administers funds through the New Construction Notice of Funding Availability (NOFAs). These NOFA funds, comprised largely of local bond funds as well as impact fees, former redevelopment “boomerang” funds, the City’s HOME allocation, and various other repayments, are competitively issued and recommendations for new construction and rehabilitation are brought to Council for approval.

HDS also runs the city’s first-time homeowner program via the Mortgage Assistance Program (MAP) and Cal HOME loan programs, operating jointly with participating lenders, to assist low and moderate-income first-time homebuyers with the purchase of homes in the City of Oakland. Housing Preservation Services (HPS) The HPS unit works to preserve affordable housing through and is a key component of HCD’s anti-displacement strategy.

The Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) program allows project sponsors to acquire market rate apartment buildings and convert them to deed restricted affordable housing using a loan from HCD. HPS also includes a Residential Lending Services (RLS) team focused on rehabilitation and improvements primarily for homeowner-occupied properties.

RLS offers four programs targeted to income-qualified property owners: Access Improvement Program, Lead-Safe Homes Program, Home Maintenance and Improvement Program and Emergency Home Repair Program. Homeless Housing Development The HHD unit focuses on permanent supportive housing for homeless exits through the Homekey program (funded through State HCD) and Oakland’s analog version the Rapid Response Homeless Housing (R2H2) program.

The housing funded by these programs must be “quick build” ready to house residents within 12 months of an award and fully operational within 15 months. Asset Management Services (AMS) The AMS is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the City’s Regulatory Agreements for the deed restricted affordable housing portfolio.

This includes ensuring compliance with required rental restrictions, property condition, and payment of loans among other factors. AMS administers the Health and Safety Rehab Loan Program for multifamily buildings that have emergency repair needs as well as the Preservation Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), a funding opportunity for existing affordable housing portfolio properties that require major capital improvements.

Community Development Division Rent Adjustment Program (RAP) The mission of the RAP is to promote community stability, healthy housing, and diversity for Oakland residents, while preventing illegal rent increases and evictions, and ensuring a fair return for property owners. RAP is charged with administering the Rent Adjustment, Just Cause for Eviction, and Rent Registry Ordinances for the City of Oakland.

Staff employ an active enforcement model of rent control and use extensive outreach to inform tenants and owners about their rights and obligations under the law and program regulations, maintains full and accurate records through reporting requirements, including eviction notices and a rental registry, provides housing counseling and mediations, and adjudicates rent petitions through the RAP hearings unit.

Community Development & Engagement (CDE) The CDE unit acts as a program administrator and grant manager for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and other U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) resources. CDBG funds rebuild and revitalize depressed neighborhoods and target benefits to low- and moderate-income residents and areas of Oakland.

CDBG provides funding for housing, homeless services, other public services, economic development, and other public infrastructure and neighborhood improvements benefitting low and moderate-income residents. Staff also serve as the lead preparers for the City’s Consolidated Annual Action Plan and Consolidated Annual Performance & Evaluation Reports, both submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.

HCD’s fiscal team manages financial processes for the full department. The unit provides external loan servicing, internal accounting and invoice payments, long-term budgeting, grant compliance, audit management, and more. The Director’s Office supports operational and process improvements that have department-wide impact.

The unit focuses on improving technology and data systems, managing contracting processes, communications, legislative process management, scheduling, strategy development, personnel, and more.