Housing Division

Housing Programs

A variety of housing opportunities in the city of Arcata is a primary goal of the City Council. The Housing Division has been successful in applying for and obtaining grant funding to provide affordable housing opportunities in Arcata. The Housing Division also collaborates with the Planning Division to assist developers of affordable and market rate housing projects.

Housing programs offered vary depending on grant funds that are available at the time. Current programs support the following:

  • A range of housing choices, including affordable housing for individuals and groups;
  • Infill development in vacant, brownfield, and underutilized land;
  • Creation of residential units on upper floors of businesses; 

Most housing programs are open to applicants who meet State income qualification guidelines. Income limits are determined by the CA Department of Housing and Community Development.

Affordable Housing in Arcata

Click here for a list of Affordable Housing resources in Arcata.

Assistance for Qualified Homebuyers

The Homeownership Program provides assistance toward the purchase price and closing costs of affordable housing units that will be occupied by the homebuyers as their primary residence. This program provides gap financing for homebuyers who meet income qualification requirements. The gap financing is secondary to other lender financing, and is the difference between what a buyer qualifies for with conventional financing and the home purchase price.  

  • Applicants must have incomes at or below 80% of the County's area median income, adjusted for household size.  Find limits effective June 1, 2021 here.
  • Homes must be located within the Arcata city limits. 
  • The maximum purchase price is $307,000 (effective June 1, 2021).
  • Applicants must qualify for primary financing with another lender.
  • Secondary City loans are made at 1.5% simple interest with payments deferred for 30 years.

Complete details about the Homebuyer Program are available in the Homebuyer Assistance Acquisition Only Guidelines.

Application Process

  1. Complete a Homeownership Program Pre-Application to be placed on the waitlist.
  2. Obtain Preapproval from a Primary Lender.
  3. When the Preapproval is received from a Primary Lender, a Full Application will be provided to the applicant to complete.
  4. Once an executed Purchase Contract is obtained, the application will be re-evaluated for program compliance.
  5. Each applicant must participate in Homebuyer Counseling.
  6. The potential homebuyer is given 90 days to find a qualified home and begin securing a primary loan for the housing unit.

Forms

Sewer Lateral Rehab Loans

The City of Arcata offers low-interest sewer lateral rehabilitation loans to qualified applicants.  Please visit the Sewer Lateral Rehab Loans page for more details.

  1.  Tenant Protection Programs
  2. Mobilehome Parks
  3. Housing Projects
  4. Housing Element
  5. Substandard Housing

Tenant Protection Act of 2019

The Tenant Protection Act of 2019 went into effect on January 1, 2020, and provides for two tenant protective measures:

  1. Limits Annual Rent Increases
  2. Requires "Just Cause" for Termination

To determine if the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 applies to your situation, visit Tenantprotections.org.

COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act

The COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act – SB91 (Act) was signed into law January 29, 2021. The Act extends eviction protections to COVID-19 impacted tenants and establishes the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

Eviction Moratorium Extended

The Act extends tenant protections included in the Tenant, Homeowner, and Small Landlord Relief and Stabilization Act of 2020 (AB 3088) to June 30, 2021. These protections were originally set to expire on February 1, 2021. The Act includes the same eligibility and program rules as before including:

  • Prevents evictions for nonpayment of rent by tenants experiencing a COVID-19 hardship.
  • Available to any tenant who timely attests under penalty of perjury that he/she has not been able to pay full rent due to COVID-19-related circumstances.
  • If a tenant pays at least 25 percent of his/her rent owed between September 2020 and June 2021, they are permanently protected from eviction for not paying their full rent during this period; however they will still owe their landlord all unpaid rent.
  • Landlords may still proceed with certain other types of “just cause” evictions unrelated to a tenant’s failure to pay rent.

For more information, visit the State of California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency website at  https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/covidrelief/.

City of Arcata Temporary Restrictions on Evictions Due to Non-Payment of Rent During the COVID-19 Emergency

Questions about the City of Arcata's temporary restrictions on tenant evictions can be directed to the City Manager’s Office at CityMgr@CityofArcata.org or #707-822-5953.