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The City of Eureka has officially been designated a “Prohousing” community, clearing the way for more funding opportunities, according to an announcement today from the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Eureka is one of seven cities in the state to earn the distinction today, bringing the total number of “Prohousing” communities in the state to 37. (We’re not sure why they spell it as a single word like that.)

Reached by the Outpost, Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery said the designation is “huge” in terms of funding availability for future housing projects, whether they’re market-rate, affordable housing or anything else.

It will give Eureka priority when it comes to funding opportunities from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. 

“It makes us more competitive, and it puts us in good standing for our Housing Element,” Slattery said, referring to the city’s blueprint for meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

Last fall, Eureka and Linc Housing were awarded a $30.1 million grant to support the construction of 90 homes in three affordable housing communities at 8th and G Streets, 6th and M Streets, and Myrtle and Sunny Avenues. Slattery said they probably would have landed that grant in the previous round if the city had been designated “Prohousing.”

It’s worth repeating what we observed when that grant was awarded: Two of the three housing developments supported by that award are specifically included in the list of projects that the “Housing for All” initiative, sponsored by Rob Arkley’s Security National, seeks to stop.

If the city were to go out of compliance with its Housing Element, it would lose its Prohousing designation, Slattery said.

Here’s the press release from the Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:  California is facing a housing crisis decades in the making. While some communities fail to meet state housing goals, others have earned the distinction of being Prohousing. Prohousing communities get priority for resources to build housing to help meet the statewide goal of 2.5 million homes by 2030.

Sacramento – Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the cities of Eureka, Healdsburg, Mountain View, Petaluma, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, and the County of Tulare, have earned the Prohousing designation by cutting red tape and speeding up housing approvals. Today’s announcement brings the total number of California’s Prohousing communities to 37.

“We need to aggressively build more housing to support Californians. Prohousing cities move to the front of the line when it comes to incentives, funding and other state resources. It’s critical for more communities to join in this distinction and build their fair share of housing.” Governor Gavin Newsom

WHY IT MATTERS: The state needs to plan for 2.5 million new homes by 2030. Reaching this goal will only be possible with the concerted efforts of state and local governments actively working to implement state housing laws and best practices. The Prohousing designation rewards communities that are willing to reduce barriers to construction, lower costs, and create overall housing policies aligned with state goals.

Prohousing communities receive additional points in the scoring of competitive housing, community development, and infrastructure funding administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

“Communities whether large or small, rural or urban, are actively working to accelerate the development of housing for Californians at all income levels,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “We are pleased to be able to reward our Prohousing partners with incentives to help them build on their innovative efforts to break down barriers to development.”

For local leaders, earning the Prohousing designation takes commitment to policies that accelerate housing production and minimize obstacles. These leaders actively work with the state to combat homelessness and increase the availability of affordable housing in their jurisdictions, bettering the quality of life for all Californians. Jurisdictions earning the Prohousing designation are aggressively taking on that challenge with resilience, steadfast determination, and accountability.

To learn more about today’s announcement, click here.