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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Fontana, a California city with a history in steel production and auto racing, has a significant Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing inventory. The city has 912 total units in LIHTC-funded projects, with 857 designated as low-income units. Based on the estimated housing inventory of 81,398 units, LIHTC-funded affordable housing comprises approximately 1.1% of the city's housing stock.
Fontana has received $10,219,098 in project tax credits for affordable housing through the LIHTC program. With approximately 14 projects, this translates to an average of $729,936 in federal funding per project. The average federal funding per unit is $11,205. Fontana holds 0.33% of California's total LIHTC funding, indicating a modest share of the state's affordable housing resources.
The city's involvement with LIHTC-funded affordable housing began in 2002 with the Fontana Senior Apts and has continued through at least 2019 with the completion of Cascade Sonrise. This 17-year span demonstrates a long-term commitment to affordable housing development in Fontana. The 2010s saw the most affordable housing projects completed, including Paseo Verde Family Apts I, II, and III, Ceres Way Apts, Toscana Apts, Minerva Manor, Marygold Gardens Apartments, and Cascade Sonrise.
Fontana's LIHTC-funded housing stock includes 2 efficiencies, 356 one-bedroom units, 260 two-bedroom units, 170 three-bedroom units, and 8 four-bedroom units. This distribution suggests a focus on accommodating various household sizes and needs. One project, Paseo Verde Family Apts III, was specifically targeted at the "At-Risk" population, indicating a focus on providing housing for vulnerable community members who may be at risk of homelessness or facing other housing challenges.
Over the past decade, Fontana's population has grown from 203,008 in 2013 to 212,448 in 2022. During this period, the median income increased from $64,679 in 2013 to $93,581 in 2022, suggesting improving economic conditions for many residents. The racial distribution has remained relatively stable, with Hispanic residents consistently making up the majority (around 70%) of the population. The proportion of White residents decreased slightly from 14% in 2013 to 12% in 2022, while Asian and Black populations remained relatively stable at around 6-8% each.
Despite the rising median income, the continued development of LIHTC projects throughout the 2010s indicates an ongoing need for affordable housing in Fontana, possibly due to increasing housing costs or to serve specific populations not benefiting from the overall income growth.
Fontana's LIHTC-funded affordable housing inventory, while modest in comparison to the city's total housing stock, represents a sustained effort to provide affordable options for low-income residents. The city has leveraged over $10 million in tax credits to create a diverse range of housing units, with a particular focus on one and two-bedroom apartments. The consistent development of affordable housing projects over nearly two decades, even as median incomes rose, suggests a recognition of ongoing affordability challenges in the face of population growth and changing demographics.