How Do We Know How Much Housing To Plan For?

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) develops a state-wide housing needs determination (RHND) number, based on projected housing needs in various income categories as outlined in the table below:

Regional Housing Needs Determination from HCD for the San Francisco Bay Area:                                                                                                                                                                        

Income Category
Percent
Housing Unit Need
Very Low25.9%114,442 
Low14.9%65,892 
Moderate16.5%72,712 
Above Moderate 42.6% 181,130 
Total100%441,176




HCD further breaks the RHND into regional assignments, and then allocates a lump number of units to each area’s regional coalition of governments (COG). The Bay Area’s COG is the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

This number is then assigned by the COG to the various jurisdictions within the region. This known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA; pronounced ree-nuh) process. The State is currently in the sixth cycle of this allocation process, known as "RHNA 6."

Show All Answers

1. What is Let’s Talk Housing?
2. What is a Housing Element?
3. What is RHNA?
4. How Do We Know How Much Housing To Plan For?
5. How Does ABAG Decide How to Distribute the Regional Assessment?
6. What’s the timeline for completing RHNA?
7. Where Can I Get More Information on the RHNA Process?