Affordable housing: Restricted for households earning up to 120% of the area’s median income, and they must be priced so that families don’t spend more than 30% of what they make on housing. To be considered affordable:
The total cost of housing (rent or mortgage + basic utilities) must not exceed 30% of a household’s income.
This is a standard benchmark for housing affordability.
Only households that meet specific income and household-size requirements can live there.
For example, a family of four has a different income limit than a single person.
Deed-restricted housing: A deed restriction is a legal document filed in the County’s official property records, placing restrictions on the use or sale of a property.
Emergency Shelter: Short-term, immediate housing that provides a safe place to stay for people experiencing a housing crisis. Services often include basic needs such as food, hygiene facilities, and referrals to support programs.
Housing Insecure: Lacking stable or adequate living arrangements, especially because one lives in unsafe or inadequate conditions or is at risk of eviction.
In-Commuters: Workers who earn a wage in one city or unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, CA but live outside of that particular city or unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, CA.
Interim Housing: Temporary housing designed to help people stabilize while they work toward a longer-term housing solution. Stays are typically longer than emergency shelter but not permanent, and may include case management and supportive services.
Market Ownership Workforce: A market ownership workforce unit is a residential unit without any type of protection to ensure affordability or occupancy that is currently occupied by its owner - who is a member of the workforce.
Market Rental Workforce: A market rental workforce unit is a residential unit without any type of protection to ensure affordability or occupancy that is currently occupied by a renter who is a member of the workforce.
Occupied Non-Workforce: An occupied non-workforce unit is a residential unit occupied by a household that does not participate in the workforce; for example a retired household.
Out-Commuters: Santa Barbara County, CA residents who earn wages from a business filing unemployment insurance outside of the city or unincorporated area in which they live within Santa Barbara County, CA.
Permanent Supportive Housing: Long-term, affordable housing paired with ongoing services for people who have experienced chronic homelessness or have significant barriers to housing stability. Support may include healthcare, case management, and help maintaining housing over time.
Protected housing: A housing unit with a deed restriction, ground lease, regulatory restriction, or other mechanism permanently protecting it as affordable and/or workforce housing.
AMI: Area Median Income, the midpoint of a region’s earned income distribution.
MFI: Median Family Income, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s term for AMI (based on a 4-person household).
Protected Ownership: A protected ownership unit is a residential unit with some type of protection to ensure affordability and/or occupancy by the workforce, which is currently occupied its owner.
Protected Rental: A protected rental unit is a residential unit with some type of protection to ensure affordability and/or occupancy by the workforce, which is currently occupied by a renter.
Rent Burdened: A household that spends more than 30% of its monthly income on rent and utilities.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA): 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. RHNA quantifies the need for housing within each jurisdiction during specified planning periods.
Severely Rent Burdened: A household that spends more than 50% of its monthly income on rent and utilities.
Unhoused: A complete lack of a stable dwelling or shelter, including living outdoors, in vehicles, or in places not meant for habitation.
Vacant: A vacant unit is a residential unit not occupied as a households’ primary residence. Vacant units include second homes and residential units being solely short-term rented. Vacant units also include units that are for sale/rent but not occupied, although housing needs assessments find this type of vacancy to be effectively zero.
Workforce housing: Housing designed for households earning above 120% of the Median Family Income (MFI) who still cannot afford market-rate homes. These homes are reserved for people whose households earn at least 75% of their total income from local employment. There are no restrictions on household size or assets.