News
Webinar Recording: New GCAHT Affordable Housing Tools & $5.2M REAP Project Outcomes
June 22 2026
The Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (GCAHT) has successfully concluded several major initiatives funded through approximately $5,215,000 in SCAG REAP grants. To ensure member cities and developer partners can immediately leverage these new resources, a series of one-hour online briefings was recently conducted.
For those who were unable to attend the live sessions, the complete webinar recording is now available for viewing. This briefing details how these initiatives help advance affordable housing projects, achieve local housing goals, and support upcoming project pipelines.
Key Topics Covered
The recorded presentation includes strategic overviews, implementation timelines, and live demonstrations of the following resources:
New Predevelopment & Acquisition Loan Program: An overview of the program structure and launch timing for approximately $10,000,000 in available funding for acquisition and predevelopment loans.
Parcel Amenity Mapping Tool: A demonstration of the new GIS mapping tool, which scores parcels based on the State Tax Credit financing scoring system to simplify multifamily rental housing project evaluations.
Regional Affordable Housing Project Database: A review of the new Trust-maintained database designed to improve project tracking, reporting, and regional coordination.
Strategic and Funding Updates: Comprehensive updates regarding the Trust’s Strategic Plan for member cities, as well as the June NOFA construction and permanent financing guidelines for developers.
Gateway cities band together to bridge housing funding gaps
January 1, 2024
With interest rates at a historic high, many developers are having trouble finding the money to finish or even start housing construction. The Gateway Cities Council of Governments — the umbrella organization for the 27 cities in Southeast Los Angeles County — hopes its new affordable housing trust can help bridge those funding gaps and move it closer to fulfilling its state-mandated housing planning goals.
A housing trust can apply for funding that cities might not be eligible for or may not have the resources to pursue individually. A trust also allows cities to pool financial resources and share technical expertise. California has several dozen affordable housing trusts, including in nearby San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, and Ventura County.
$5 MILLION IN STATE FUNDING FOR GATEWAY CITIES AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST
November 22, 2023
The Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust (Trust) was awarded a five-million-dollar ($5 million) grant as part of a competitive grant program through the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).
The Trust will leverage the $5 million with an additional $5 million from non-profit financial entities in Southern California. The Trust will utilize this $10 million for a new revolving low-interest loan program for acquisition and pre-development expenses. The funding will help cities and developers identify, entitle, and secure construction and permanent financing for affordable housing development projects. The anticipated outcomes include funding seven affordable housing developments with 679 affordable housing units by 2028.
“This funding will bring much-needed financial support to our cities and developers to build high-quality affordable housing in our region. We hope that this program will provide invaluable early money to developments, increasing their competitiveness for other funds, reducing delays and costs, and speeding up construction so that our region can respond to this housing affordability crisis,” said Fernando Dutra, Trust Chair and Whittier Councilmember.
The funds awarded from SCAG are designated to support transformative, innovative finance strategies that can be leveraged to increase supply, choice, and lasting affordability, and to achieve a mix of housing types in the greater Southern California region.