SCANPH is a membership association composed of businesses that support the development of affordable housing; nonprofit developer organizations - our core member - build, own, and operate thousands of low-income multi-family units to serve those most in need in communities across our region.
SCANPH does not conduct project-based advocacy; we don’t assess land acquisition opportunities, or perform advocacy for funding/entitlements for individual developments. We secure resources and policy deliverables that provide systems-level change to support the overall facilitation of development across the industry to benefit all members collectively.
Our Advocacy Role + Priorities:
Places of Worship as Underutilized Land to Develop Affordable Housing:
It’s clear there is an alignment in mission between religious institutions and nonprofit affordable housing developers; furthermore, places of worship have experienced negative financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and repurposing underutilized land for affordable housing can be a new source of stable revenue. SCANPH’s advocacy work has strongly asserted that places of worship that want to provide homes on such underutilized land should not be limited, delayed, or prevented from taking this action.
SCANPH was the primary cosponsor of SB 4, often called "the church lands bill”. SB 4 was passed into law in 2023 and makes 100% affordable housing development projects by right on land owned by a religious institution, as well as on land owned by an independent institution of higher education.
However, it’s important to note that affordable housing development is extremely challenging and requires a sophisticated understanding of financing and land use; therefore, joint development with an experienced nonprofit developer is likely necessary.
If you have land that you are interested in possibly transforming into an affordable housing development opportunity, we’ve outlined resources below:
1. Training / Workshops:
SCANPH conducted an Affordable Housing 101 training series in April 2023 featuring 5 workshops to educate those interested in learning more about the development process.
-AH 101 Training Series: View Here
-Training that includes Initial Assessment/Due Diligence Phase: View Here
-Training on LIHTC and Financing: View Here
2. Consultants
Within the SCANPH membership, there are planning and land use consultants that can help you prepare an RFP or joint development agreement.
Hyepin Im, FACE
Andre J. White, Mitchelville Real Estate Group CA
3. In-Take Form
If you have property details ready to share with affordable housing developers, then please fill out this form so that SCANPH members can evaluate the suitability of your land:
4. Developers of Affordable Housing in LA
Find a list of SCANPH developer members who operate and build affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles here.
5. RFP Examples/Template
For an example of a useful RFP to issue to affordable housing developers, please see below:
RFP Example
Contact SCANPH to have completed/official RFPs shared in our communications.
A report from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the UC Berkeley estimates the housing potential for land owned by faith-based institutions. View the report here.
To contact SCANPH with any additional questions, please reach out to our membership and communications staff at kgutierrez@scanph.org.