RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council receive an Informational Report on the Oakland Housing Authority.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Authority presents a brief overview of its function as a partner to the City of Oakland, the magnitude of the services it provides, and its integral role in the affordable housing landscape of Oakland. All told, the Authority supports approximately 18,400 Oakland families by providing monthly rental assistance, affordable housing, resources and family supports, and innovative self -sufficiency programming to more than 15,000 housing voucher households, 1,300 public housing families, and 2,000 low-income households.
BACKGROUND/LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Since its formation in April 1938, the Authority has served as a foundational component of the housing delivery system for low-income people, with the mission to assure the availability of quality housing for low -income persons, to promote the civic involvement and economic self -sufficiency of residents, and to further the expansion of affordable housing within Oakland.
As one of the 39 original housing authorities with a Moving to Work (MTW) designation from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development , the Authority uses its federal MTW funding and regulatory flexibility creatively to serve the required number of families in the traditional public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs and stretches the reach of that same funding to support an estimated 2,000 more affordable housing units using local strategies tailored to fit community needs.
Across all housing programs, the Authority assists approximately 18,400 families to live affordably in Oakland.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The citywide portfolio administered by the Authority is made up of almost 11,000 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) households living in homes owned by private property owners, 3,300 Project-based Voucher (PBV) households in properties managed by more than 80 partners, and ten public housing or mixed -income properties, including two OHA - managed sites (762 units) and eight properties under third -party management (1,208 units). Since 2004, the Authority also created about 2,000 affordable housing units through par tnerships with the City of Oakland and County of Alameda, mixed -finance redevelopment using the Low -Income Housing Tax Credit program, and subsidized homeownership. The map below highlights key public housing, PBV, or mixed -income sites in the Authority’s housing portfolio.
The primary focus of the agency rests on providing affordable, safe, and sanitary housing paired with housing retention services and resource referrals to support long-term stability and growth . Key to ensuring uplifted and thriving families, OHA engages a holistic approach to healthy communities through its primary resident-facing departments of Family and Community Partnerships (FCP) , Leased Housing, Asset Management, Property Management, and the Oakland Housing Authority Police Department (OHAPD).
Each of these departments is responsible for providing impactful services in a coordinated way that support resident economic mobility, housing stability, quality housing conditions and standards, lease compliance, and community safety and engagement.
Furthermore, as a complement to its internal suite of housing and family supports , the Authority also leverages the expertise of other public agencies and provider partners to meet the needs of special populations and further local priorities, as demonstrated by its partnership programs with the Oakland Human Services Department to provide $4.2million in housing assistance for low-income households annually and the PBV and new Rental Assistance Subsidy f unding dedicated to support housing production and preservation efforts throughout the City led by the Housing and Community Development Department (HCD). To date, the Authority has committed over $20million in RAS funding to HCD-funded projects to offset costs for 401 new units of permanent supportive housing.
Similarly, the Authority continues to invest in the development and rehabilitation of its own portfolio to ensure the long-term availability of high -quality affordable housing, a critical element of healthy neighborhoods. The team currently is exploring a transformation and strategic repositioning of its OHA -managed PBV portfolio to address the aging of the scattered site properties and to capitalize on opportunities to build additional affordable
housing on the sites’ underutilized land. The strategy team has been identifying viable solutions to renew these properties efficiently and anticipates beginning a series of public meetings to gather feedback in 2027.
Overall, the Authority’s impact on the City of Oakland cannot be overstated, as it assists 18,000 Oakland families, representing more than 30,000 people, approximately 7% of Oakland’s population . While the targeted populations that receive the Authority’s assistance range from chronically homeless individuals, veterans, former foster youth, families with children, and seniors, the common thread is that 95% of the families served by the Authority have incomes at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. In f act, a typical family receiving housing authority assistance earns less than $30,000 in income annually, underscoring the great need for continued affordable housing resources in Oakland and the overwhelming importance of developing creative solutions to expand the positive impact of Authority-provided housing assistance to other households in need.
FISCAL IMPACT
The production of this report has no fiscal impact on the City of Oakland.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST
No public outreach has been conducted for this information report beyond the required posting to the City’s website.
COORDINATION
This report was prepared by the Oakland Housing Authority with support from the City of Oakland Housing and Community Development Department.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
To expand partnerships, leverage resources, and increase support for families served by Authority programs.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff recommends that the City Council receive an Informational Report on the Oakland Housing Authority.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Dominica Henderson, Chief Social Impact Officer, at 510-874-1518.