ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
MEETING DATE: September 16, 2026 AGENDA CATEGORY: Consent - Agreements TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Phillip Burns, Development Services Director
DATE: August 12, 2026
SUBJECT: Loan Agreement with Golden Empire Affordable Housing Inc. II (GEAHI II) (not to exceed $2,630,000)
in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) grant funds for the development of 16 new affordable housing units at 1302 Eye Street (Ward 2)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the agreement.
BACKGROUND:
Golden Empire Affordable Housing, Inc. II (GEAHI II) submitted a proposal in response to the City’s 2025 Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to develop the property located at 1302 Eye Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301. The proposed project would consist of a 16-unit multifamily housing development, serving individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness with incomes at or below 30% and 50% of Area Median Income (AMI).
Out of the 16 homes, 11 units would be funded with federal HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program funds, with the remaining five units supported through other project financing sources. One ground-floor home would be fully accessible to individuals with mobility impairments, and one would be accessible to individuals with sensory impairments, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Fair Housing Act.
Units at 1302 Eye Street will be made available to individuals within the target population who have the greatest need. This will be achieved by accepting applicants from the Coordinated Entry System (CES), who have been assessed with vulnerability scores, placing them amongst the most vulnerable.
Supportive services will be also available to residents through the CalAIM program supplemented with services reserves and in coordination with The Open Door Network as the service provider. The Eye Street Project will house the most vulnerable persons in Bakersfield and provide the tools and resources needed for those residents to successfully maintain permanent housing through case management, life skills, and health care.
City staff conducted a panel review of the NOFA applications and on July 21, 2025, recommended to the Finance, Economic Development and Jobs Committee that GEAHI II be awarded $2,630,000 of federal HOME Investment Partnership funds. HOME funds will be provided for the project as a loan to be paid back out of the residual receipts from the project.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The loan is funded by the City’s allocation of Federal HOME Investment Partnership funds which is part of the entitlement funding and does not impact the City’s General Fund.
COUNCIL GOAL:
Community Character & Quality of Life
ATTACHMENT:
1. Loan Agreement