HOP’s Homes · September 2026
Housing Affordability & Public Land Opportunity Report
Perris and the Inland Empire, with public-land research across Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties.
This readable overview presents the report’s main findings and proposed next steps. The original PDF includes the complete analysis, detailed screening criteria, and source links.
The crisis is bigger than homelessness.
A family can be housed and still be in crisis: paying too much to stay, sharing space because another home is out of reach, or unable to save toward ownership. The report connects housing costs, overcrowding, instability, and barriers to buying a first home.
| Finding | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| 65% of U.S. households | Cannot afford the median-priced new home in NAHB’s 2026 estimate—not every home on the market. Its model assumes a $413,595 home and a 6% mortgage rate. NAHB source |
| 49% of renter households | Spent more than 30% of income on housing in 2024: 22.7 million U.S. households. Harvard JCHS source |
| Roughly 1 in 4 Perris renter households | The report cites the City’s Housing Element overcrowding analysis. This is historical planning data, not a new 2026 count. It highlights the need to consider family-sized housing. City housing analysis |
| 100 people in the 2025 Perris PIT count | The report cites 56 unsheltered and 44 sheltered people. A point-in-time count is a snapshot—not a count of everyone experiencing housing instability throughout the year. City report |
These are community-need findings, not HOP’s service outcomes. The report’s local figures should be read with their original sources and reference periods.
Why public land matters.
Land is one part of a home’s total cost. Public land partnerships may reduce acquisition costs, but infrastructure, approvals, construction, financing, and long-term maintenance still need to be paid for.
California’s Surplus Land Act provides a process for local public land dispositions, including affordable-housing opportunities. It does not guarantee free land or an award to HOP’s. Read HCD’s official guidance.
The report recommends exploring discounted conveyances alongside long-term ground leases. A ground lease can allow an agency to retain land ownership while a developer controls its use, subject to negotiated terms and affordability requirements. No lease terms or land price have been secured for HOP’s.
A local precedent worth studying
The report cites Riverside County planning documents describing 39 self-help single-family homes developed on 39 infill parcels in collaboration with a nonprofit developer. That is a research lead for understanding a local model—not a HOP’s project or a promise that similar parcels remain available. County planning document cited in the report.
Where the research points.
These are agencies and programs to investigate, not an inventory of available land. Current ownership, deadlines, eligibility, and parcel status must be confirmed directly.
- Riverside County Housing Authority
Study the report’s cited self-help housing precedent and request a current inventory of remaining infill parcels. - City of Perris / Perris Housing Authority
Ask about current surplus-land proceedings and the status of parcels identified in the report. A past surplus declaration does not establish present availability. - Riverside County HOME Program
Explore funding eligibility and a partnership with an experienced nonprofit developer or Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO). - San Bernardino Regional Housing Trust
Explore regional land-banking and development partnerships. - City of San Bernardino
Review the public-property inventory and screen potentially suitable sites. - Los Angeles County Land Bank
Study its acquisition and ground-lease approach and check future development opportunities. - San Diego County
Monitor future surplus-site notices and developer solicitations rather than assuming existing projects are open opportunities. - California HCD / DGS
Review the Excess State Land program and developer notices for suitable Southern California sites.
Stay. Stabilize. Own.
The report proposes a long-term framework. Its housing-navigation elements connect with HopScotch; development and ownership pathways require additional capacity and partnerships.
STAY
Help households find resources that may prevent displacement: benefits, utility support, emergency-assistance referrals, and qualified tenant and fair-housing services.
STABILIZE
Explore support for families facing overcrowding, unsafe housing, or excessive housing costs through housing-resource connections and readiness support.
OWN
Study affordable-homeownership models, qualified homebuyer partners, shared-equity or deed-restricted ownership, and potential small-scale development. These are proposed pathways, not services or homes promised today.
Start small. Do the groundwork.
The report proposes studying one parcel or a small group of infill sites with an experienced development partner. Before calling a site affordable, evaluate the whole project—not just the land price.
- Site feasibility: ownership, zoning, residential approvals, environmental conditions, infrastructure, access, and family-sized layouts.
- Total cost: utilities, grading, fees, professional services, insurance, construction, financing, and ongoing maintenance.
- Lasting affordability: identify the households to be served and evaluate resale restrictions, shared equity, ground leases, or other appropriate mechanisms with qualified advisers.
The proposed 90-day agenda
- Create a public-parcel inventory, beginning with Perris, Riverside County, and San Bernardino.
- Ask Riverside County’s Housing Authority about remaining parcels and its self-help housing precedent.
- Confirm the status of Perris surplus-land and Housing Authority sites.
- Review HCD’s developer notices and participation requirements.
- Recruit an experienced nonprofit housing-development partner.
- Model the full cost of one realistic pilot site.
- Develop an affordability structure with qualified professionals.
- Evaluate a funding mix; availability and eligibility must be verified before commitments.
This is a recommended planning agenda, not a funded construction schedule.
The full research, in one place.
The original September 2026 report includes the complete opportunity table, site-screening checklist, recommendations, and linked sources. It is provided unchanged.
Research note: this is community education and planning material, not legal, financial, engineering, or real-estate advice. Public-land availability and program rules change. Verify any proposed project with the owning agency and qualified professionals before making commitments.