Housing Assistance in Alameda  

• Foreclosure Prevention and Assistance
• Rental Assistance
• Emergency Shelter
• Fair Housing and Housing Counseling
• Affordable Housing Information

City of Alameda First-Time Home Buyer Programs

• Free Home Buyer Workshops

• Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program

• Alameda County Mortgage Credit Certificate

• Minor Home Repair Program

• Housing Rehabilitation Program

• Rental Rehabilitation Program

• Substantial Rehabilitation Program

• Alameda Co. Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Housing Assistance in Alameda:

The City of Alameda offers a variety of housing assistance programs for renters, homeowners, and first time homebuyer. For most programs, participants must meet income eligibility criteria. Click here for current income limits. (03/08)

Forclosure Prevention and Assistance

Help is available for households who are having trouble making mortgage payments, at risk of foreclosure, or already in the foreclosure process. Click here for information aobut the different resources available. An additional resource is here www.makinghomeaffordable.gov. (04/09)

First-Time Home Buyer Programs:

Hundreds of people have taken advantage of the City's Home Buyer Workshop. The workshops cover the complete home buying process including the following topics:

Overview of the Home Buying Process

• Credit & Budgeting
• Qualifying for a Loan
• The City's Downpayment Assistance Program
• The Loan Application/Preapproval Process
• Selecting a Home
• Role of the Real Estate Agent
• Home Maintenance
• Foreclosure Prevention

Workshops are conducted by My Home Gateway and participants must register to attend. Please register by calling 415.561.5600 x121, or Click here to register for any local workshop.

The next Alameda workshops are scheduled for:

2010 Workshops

• Rescheduled - Saturday, February 27th, Alameda High School cafeteria, 9:a.m. to 2:p.m.

(01/10)

Downpayment Assistance Loans - Now Available
The Downpayment Assistance Program offers generous financial assistance to first time homebuyers looking to purchase a home in Alameda. The program provides loans from $50,000 to $80,000 and is available to households with a wide range of incomes. Eligible uses of program funds include downpayment and/or closing costs for the purchase of a single family residence anywhere in Alameda.

This program is being administered by My Home Gateway. For more information, please call My Home Gateway directly, at (415) 561-5600 ext. 121. Click here to visit their website.

To view the Down Payment Assistance Program brochure, click here. (5/08)  

The Mortgage Credit Certificate Program (MCC) is a federal program that helps first-time homebuyers to qualify for mortgage loans. MCCs give homebuyers a “dollar for dollar” tax credit against federal income taxes equal to up to fifteen percent (15%) of annual mortgage interest. By effectively reducing monthly mortgage payments, MCCs give homebuyers greater ability to qualify for and support a mortgage loan. Program participants are subject to limits on maximum household income and maximum home purchase price. If the home buyers’ tax liability is lower than their available MCC tax credit, they can carry forward the unused tax credit for three additional years.

The MCC program for the City of Alameda is administered by the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department. The County has administered the MCC program since 1989, assisting home buyers in traditionally high-cost housing markets throughout Alameda County. Since 1994, 110 households have been assisted through the MCC program in the City of Alameda. From 1999 through 2003, seven Alameda households were assisted through the Alameda County MCC for more information about the MCC program, or to obtain a list of participating lenders, contact the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Department office at (510) 670-5246, or visit their website at www.acgov.org/cda/mcc_program/. (02/04)

The (AHA) owns and/or manages 572 housing units throughout the City of Alameda and manages more than 1,600 Housing Choice vouchers that are given to low income residents to use in the private market. This rental subsidy offsets the cost of housing so that households pay no more than 40% of their income for rent. To visit their website Click Here. (05/04)

For more information about the RRAC, including past meeting agendas, click here.
(2/04)

Rehabilitation Programs:

The Minor Home Repair Program provides grants of up to $1,000 for emergency repairs to health, safety and security items, or minor repairs of carpentry, plumbing, heating, and electrical items. This program is available to low-income Alameda homeowners on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, send an E-mail or contact the City’s Development Services Department at (510)749-5800. (03/08)

The Housing Rehabilitation Program helps low-income Alameda homeowners repair and improve their homes. Low-interest loans are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be used to correct substandard and/or health and safety conditions (including lead-based paint hazards), to extend energy conservation, or to repair or replace major systems in danger of failure. For more information, send an E-mail or contact the City’s Development Services Department at (510)749-5800. (03/08)

The Rental Rehabilitation Program provides loans at 2% interest to landlords who rehabilitate rental property in Alameda. The majority (at least 51%) of the households in the structure must be low income, and the majority of the units must be two-bedrooms or larger with rents not in excess of Alameda fair market rents. Per unit loan amounts are based on unit size. For more information, send an E-mail or contact the City’s Development Services Department at (510)749-5800. (03/28/07)

The City of Alameda is a member of the Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. This Joint Powers Agency is partially funded by a $10/per unit assessment on residential units constructed before 1978. The Program provides information and technical assistance to prevent lead poisoning and reduce residential lead hazards such as lead-based paint, soil and dust. People of all income levels are eligible for free lead paint test kits, environmental testing, abatement planning, and referrals for blood lead screening. For more information, please contact the information hotline at 1-800-B-Lead-Safe, or visit their web site at: www.aclppp.org. (12/21/2000)

The city of Alameda contracts with ECHO Housing to provide emergency rental assistance. The program offered on a limited basis is available by calling ECHO Housing at 888.887.ECHO (3246), for their website, click here.(3/2009)

The Midway Shelter in Alameda offers emergency shelter, job readiness and housing placement assistance, and counseling for women and children. For more information on obtaining shelter or to volunteer at Midway, or for referrals to other Alameda County shelters for men, women, or children, call 1-866-A-WAY-OUT.

The Family Violence Law Center is a nonprofit organization providing legal support and crisis intervention services for victims of domestic violence and their children. They offer 24-hour telephone crisis counseling, including coordination with collaborating shelters to facilitate immediate placement when possible. The Center is contracted by the City to provide legal counseling and accompany victims to court to secure restraining orders. For more information, call (510) 540-5370. (8/7/03)

The City of Alameda is committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing. ECHO Fair Housing is contracted by the City to counsel tenants and landlords on their rights and responsibilities, mediate landlord / tenant disputes, and investigate complaints of housing discrimination. For more information, call (888) 887-3246. Also check your local branch of the Alameda Free Library for a copy of California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants’ and Landlords’ Rights and Responsibilities or go to: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/catenant.pdf

To view a list of resources for renters, click here. (02/09)

Affordable Housing and Social Service Information

2-1-1 is a free, non-emergency phone service that provides easy and confidential access to housing, health, and services information. The 2-1-1 service is manaaged by Eden I & R and offers multi-lingual capabilities.

Also available - Individuals and families with housing questions can call the County's Community Housing and Information Network line at 2-1-1 or (888) 886-9660 from outside Alameda County. www.edenIR.org. (02/09)

For the City of Alameda housing services page, click here.