What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment?

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is mandated by State Housing Law as part of the periodic process of updating local housing elements of the General Plan.

How Does the SCS influences regional and local planning for housing?

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is responsible for allocating each region’s share of the statewide housing need to each of the Council of Governments. The region’s share of the statewide housing need is based on state Department of Finance population projections and regional population forecasts used in preparing regional transportation plans.

The Council of Governments then allocates a share of the regional housing need to each of the cities and counties in the region for the eight year planning period. The allocation must be “consistent with the development pattern included in the Sustainable Communities Strategy.”

The cities and counties then revise their general plan housing elements to accommodate their housing allocation. Housing elements must be updated within eighteen months of the date the metropolitan planning organizations adopts the regional transportation plan.