New cabinet-level agency unifies civil rights, affordable housing, homelessness, and housing financing efforts to accelerate solutions and strengthen accountability.
SACRAMENTO — Today, California officially launched the California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA), a new cabinet-level agency designed to bring coordination, focus, and accountability to the state’s civil rights, affordable housing and homelessness systems. CHHA unifies the core functions that shape housing access and civil rights protections under one coordinated structure for the first time in state history.
A More Focused Structure to Deliver Results.
The new California Housing and Homelessness Agency will coordinate and shape the state’s work across civil rights, affordable housing, homelessness, and homeownership, including the Civil Rights Department (CRD), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA), the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), and the new Housing Development and Finance Committee (HDFC).
Through this more targeted leadership structure, the state will improve alignment between affordable housing production and financing, streamline approvals and compliance, strengthen accountability and enforcement, accelerate homelessness solutions statewide, and ensure that civil rights protections are upheld consistently across programs and communities. The agency will also work across government, partnering closely with health, transportation, climate, and other sectors to ensure California’s housing and homelessness strategies are fully integrated with the broader systems that shape community well‑being.
This marks the first time in California’s history that the state will have a cabinet‑level agency devoted to housing and homelessness, a structural change intended to lock in long‑term focus, accountability, and urgency around two of the state’s most pressing challenges. To better serve Californians who need housing, CHHA will drive faster, more predictable housing outcomes by cutting barriers to production, coordinating financing and development tools, and simplifying processes for affordable housing developers, and local governments.
By elevating the Civil Rights Department within CHHA, California is recognizing that protecting civil rights is essential to both housing access and overall quality of life. In addition to combating housing discrimination, CRD enforces laws that safeguard Californians from bias and unequal treatment in employment, education, state and local services, public accommodations, and other critical areas of daily life. Integrating this broader civil rights mission into the state’s housing strategy strengthens California’s ability to prevent discriminatory evictions, biased appraisals, and inequitable access to services, while also advancing a more inclusive California.
The launch of CHHA is part of the Governor’s broader effort to modernize state government, streamline service delivery, strengthen accountability, and better meet the needs of Californians.
About CHHA
Established in 2026, the California Housing and Homelessness Agency is a cabinet-level, state agency coordinating California’s civil rights, affordable housing, homelessness, and housing financing efforts under a unified structure. CHHA’s vision is a California where civil rights are protected, and everyone has a place to call home. Learn more at housing.ca.gov.
Media Contact
Katie Talbot
media@housing.ca.gov