An Affordable Housing Informational Outreach Meeting took place on Feb. 10 at Beverly Hills City Hall. The meeting offered a chance for prospective residents to learn more about the city’s Placement Program, income criteria and affordable unit rates. The meeting was led by HouseKeys, an organization that manages the city’s Affordable Housing Placement Program and implements the city’s housing guidelines. Although there are currently no vacancies for low- or moderate-income housing available in Beverly Hills, the meeting provided valuable information on how prospective residents can apply and which applicants will be given priority.
Julius Nyanda, the founder and program manager of HouseKeys, led the meeting to a sizeable audience of both in-person and virtual attendees. Nyanda explained that affordable housing units are those located within private developments and reserved for individuals from low to moderate-income households.
Nyanda said that rent levels for affordable housing units are determined by the income limits set by the state of California, with thresholds for low-and moderate- income also stipulated by the state. Last fall, the city of Beverly Hills updated its affordable housing guidelines for rental units, which oversee the placement of tenants into these units. The city also updated its occupancy priority standards, which dictate who is offered a unit first if multiple applicants qualify based on income.
HouseKeys uses these criteria to see if an applicant is a good fit for affordable housing in Beverly Hills. Nyanda emphasized the difference between applicants being legally able to afford a unit compared to practically affording to live in the city and told the audience that this is the first thing they must determine before starting an application. Applicants must also have a minimum credit score of 620 and meet various tenant screening requirements. There are various income categories set for each type of unit based on both household size and gross maximum annual income. Assets owned by a household are factored into consideration, with 10% of the total asset value added to the gross household income. Applicants must earn below the threshold to qualify. Applicants are also not allowed to own any interest in a property, and they must be at least three years removed from a bankruptcy filing.
Image courtesy of HouseKeys
According to Nyanda, it is not uncommon for affordable housing units to have “hundreds or even thousands” of qualified applicants. As a result, HouseKeys implements a selection process that factors in the city’s occupancy priority preferences. The occupancy priority’s first tier prioritizes applicants who are existing occupants of lower-income units that have been displaced from a project site on which a new project will be developed. The next tier of priority is for senior households who have been displaced from a property in the city of Beverly Hills within the last decade. The third tier prioritizes households with students attending the Beverly Hills Unified School District in the 10th grade or below, who have also been displaced from a property in the city within the last 10 years. The next tier covers all other households displaced from a property in the city of Beverly Hills over the last 10 years. The final two tiers are for senior households (classed as ages 62 and above) or individuals employed full time by public or private entities located within Beverly Hills.
Preempting any possible questions about who qualifies as “displaced,” Nyanda said the program uses the city’s definition of displacement. On Nov 7, 2024, the Beverly Hills City Council adopted an ordinance that defines displacement as when an individual or household must permanently vacate their primary housing unit due to a reason falling within either of the following five categories. Firstly, demolition of a property unit due to a new development project. Secondly, voluntary vacation of a housing unit due to a new development project on the subject property, for example, accepting a “cash for keys” offer. Withdrawal of a housing unit from the rental housing market under the Ellis Act is considered the third category of displacement. The fourth and fifth categories concern involuntary evacuation as a form of displacement for properties that have been affected by a natural disaster in the city of Beverly Hills.
In a brief question-and-answer session at the end of the meeting, several attendees expressed interest in the program and asked when new units will become available. Nyanda said there is no set date for when vacancies will be added to the program, as it depends on when new construction projects are approved by the city. Affordable housing units were previously available at 9265 Burton Way, 250 N. Crescent Drive, 321-327 S. Elm Drive and 8600 Wilshire Blvd.
