Regional Housing Technical Assistance
RHTA Program Delivers Innovative Technical Assistance
The Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program provides one-of-a-kind technical assistance to support local governments in complying with rapidly evolving laws and adopting and implementing compliant Housing Elements.
The program launched in 2020 and has delivered more than 25 trainings and more than 200 pieces of technical assistance. The program’s components include shared consultant services, tools and resources, and they work together to provide holistic support for the region’s 101 cities and towns and nine counties and their elected officials and planning staff as jurisdictions update their housing plans. In 2023, the RHTA Program received an American Planning Association, California Chapter – Northern Section Award of Excellence (first place) in the Planning Agency Category.
Work products are shared statewide through the Technical Assistance Portal. Download the full index of resources.
Technical assistance is being delivered through:
- Interactive trainings
- County-based planning collaboratives that share consultant support
- Suballocations of REAP funding to all jurisdictions in the nine-county Bay Area
- Work Groups and Peer Cohorts for in-depth, targeted technical assistance.
- Data tools, products and resources tailored to assist in meeting state requirements.
New Products
Below are our newest products and services available to jurisdictions in the Bay Area. All materials are also available in the searchable Technical Assistance Portal.
- AB 2339 Housing Element Analysis
- 2023 Potential New Housing Legislation
- AB 2011 and SB 6 Staff Resources for Implementation
- AB 2011 and SB 6 Overview and Summary
- Guide to California State Replacement Housing Requirements
The RHTA program is funded by a $24 million state Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and has saved each jurisdiction more than $30,000 by providing shared consultant services, tools and resources. Additionally, sub-grants to each jurisdiction provided $10.88 million in support of local housing planning priorities.
Upcoming Events
Changes to the APR with HCD |
Jan. 8 @ 10 am |
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Staff Contact
Heather Peters
Email: hpeters@bayareametro.gov
Get More Information
Sign-up for the RHTA mailing list to get additional program information.
Get Trained
ABAG has completed more than 25 training webinars to equip local planners with knowledge, tools and resources to update housing elements to meet the new state requirements. More webinars are planned. You can view recordings of past sessions and register for new ones on the RHTA Training page.
Get Tools and Resources
Visit the Data Tools & HESS page to find the HESS tool and other regional data tools to help you increase housing opportunities in your community.
Get Tailored Assistance
Recognizing that a top-down approach to the historically local issue of housing will be counterproductive, ABAG granted nearly $5 million in RHTA funding to Bay Area counties to support Planning Collaboratives, Peer Cohorts and Work Groups to spark a culture of innovation via peer-to-peer learning, sharing of best practices and lessons learned. More information can be found on the Planning Collaboratives and Work Groups web pages.
