Meeting San Diego’s housing demand requires a coordinated effort across the region. In the process, we must ensure that all groups are equally informed and educated on the complexities of housing development so that members of the public and stakeholders can provide input on how the regional housing program—SANDAG’s Housing Acceleration Program (HAP)—is formed and implemented, and how funding is allocated.
While developing the HAP, SANDAG has provided ongoing education and outreach with local jurisdictions, community-based organizations (CBOs), tribal governments, elected officials, and members of the public to inform and learn from our residents how best to develop, fund, and implement this program.
Housing Policy Leadership Academy
The SANDAG Housing Policy Leadership Academy (HPLA) provides diverse leaders and community members with an in-depth forum to explore and develop equitable, inclusive policy solutions to increase housing production and affordability in their community and across the region. We invite community members to engage with and develop equitable, inclusionary policy solutions that accelerate affordable housing production in our region.
The HPLA will support elected officials, advocates, and interested stakeholders to build local support for prohousing policies. Participants meet virtually for 10 months to explore the root causes of the region’s housing crisis and discuss best practice policy solutions. The program equips participants with the tools and knowledge to address the physical and social factors that sustain a healthy housing ecosystem using the 5Ps framework: Produce, Preserve, Promote, Protect, and Prevent.
Offered in a dynamic, virtual learning environment, each session combines lectures and panel discussion with opportunities for individual reflection, small and large group discussions, and other leadership and learning activities that enable participants to craft appropriate and scalable responses to the need for housing. Participants also work with a small group to develop one or more outcome-based policy proposals to address the unique housing challenges in your community or region.
REAP 2.0 Engagement Efforts
During spring and summer of 2022, SANDAG met with local jurisdictions to better understand challenges and learn about potential projects that could be funded through REAP 2.0. In October 2022, SANDAG hosted a roundtable discussion with housing professionals, CBOs, and housing developers to discuss REAP 2.0 and other available state funding sources, such as Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grants. We will continue working collaboratively to secure more funding for affordable housing development.
SANDAG is also working with tribal governments in our region to support tribes in meeting their housing needs as part of the statewide REAP 2.0 program.
REAP 2.0-funding initiatives are planned to be implemented through 2026.
Engagement efforts include focus groups, interviews, and meetings to gather community priorities, concerns, and ideas. We work closely with our CBO Outreach Team and Social Equity Working Group to guide our efforts around housing and equity issues in the region. We especially value feedback from under-resourced and underserved communities, communities of concern, disadvantaged communities, and tribal communities, and we’re always looking for more partnership opportunities with individuals, public agencies, and organizations that work with these groups.
Housing Policy Forums
Our housing policy forum series provides opportunities to learn about housing policy issues and trends while identifying cross-sector collaboration and innovation. Since starting the forums in 2022, we have brought together hundreds of engaged residents, leaders, advocates, and policymakers from across the state to help champion better housing in the region.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, SANDAG hosted two virtual housing policy forums and partnered with SCAG for two more virtual housing policy forums. From this collaboration, both SANDAG and SCAG were able to utilize REAP funding to bolster regional partnerships and promote prohousing solutions to address our region’s housing needs.
