Stay ConnectedDwellings is a podcast from the City of San José Housing Department, where we discuss ending homelessness, building affordable housing, and housing policy at the City and State level with local experts in the field.
Theme music: “Speed City,” composed and performed by Etienne Charles, courtesy of San Jose Jazz.
Copyright: © 2021 City of San José Housing Department
Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) - a local policy that requires developers to include a portion of affordable units in new residential projects or pay a fee instead, helping cities ensure mixed-income communities.
Area Median Income (AMI) - a measure of the average household income in a region used to determine eligibility for affordable housing programs and to set rent or price limits.
Market-rate housing - housing rented or sold at prices determined by the open market, without income restrictions.
Missing middle housing - includes housing types like duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes that fall between single-family homes and large apartment buildings and are often more affordable.
Entitlement process - the phase where a developer gets approvals from a city for a project’s design, density, and use before construction can begin.
Workforce housing - typically refers to housing affordable to moderate-income earners such as teachers, nurses, and service workers, often within a defined AMI range.
Incentive programs are financial or regulatory benefits offered by cities, such as fee reductions or tax waivers, to encourage developers to build housing that might otherwise be too costly.
Podium construction refers to mid-rise buildings where residential units are built on top of a concrete base, typically used for parking or retail, and is generally cheaper than high-rise construction.
Office-to-residential conversion is the process of transforming underused commercial buildings into housing units, though it depends heavily on building design and feasibility.
Predevelopment refers to the early stages of a project, including site acquisition, financing, design, and approvals, all of which involve significant time and risk before building starts.
Administrative burden describes the time, cost, and complexity associated with complying with regulations, paperwork, and program requirements in housing development.
This episode of the Dwellings Podcast features Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination: Home, who offers a wide-ranging look at homelessness in Silicon Valley and the mix of hope and urgency driving local solutions. Jennifer discusses the unique roles of the City of San José and Santa Clara County, the importance of data-driven strategies like Housing First, and the growing need for new revenue sources to build housing that extremely low-income families can actually afford.
Targeted Outreach and Engagement Program(TOEP) - a model focusing on resolving encampments. Collaboration between departments helps bringing specific services and resources to sites and encourage unsheltered residents to seek shelter and forge a path to rehabilitation.
The Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool(VI-SPIDAT) - an assessment tool for frontline workers at agencies that work with homeless clients to prioritize which of those clients should receive assistance first. The SPDAT tools are also designed to help guide case management and improve housing stability outcomes.
• Visit the Housing Element website to learn more.
• San José's Envision 2040 General Plan
• Learn about Chapter 3: Housing Goals and Strategies
• Check out the Housing Catalyst Workplan Dashboard to keep up with the progress made in San José.
Affordable Housing - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines “affordable housing” as housing on which the occupant pays no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.
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