Habitat Monterey Bay Secures $2.5M; Calls for Newsom to restore CalHome funding

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay Celebrates Securing Over $2.5 Million in Down Payment Assistance Through Final CalHome Awards, Urges Governor to Restore Critical Funding for Affordable Homeownership

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay is celebrating more than $2.5 million in newly awarded funding for Monterey County homebuyers through the final round of the State of California’s CalHome and Joe Serna programs. The organization joins Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in recognizing this final allocation of CalHome funding; one of California’s most important and longstanding programs supporting affordable homeownership for lower-income families.

Across the state, Habitat affiliates secured over $46 million in CalHome awards, which together will build and preserve 472 homes in 16 California communities. For Monterey County, these funds will significantly expand homeownership opportunities and help working families build stability, independence, and long-term financial security.

While deeply grateful for this critical investment, Habitat warns that without renewed state funding, these will be the last CalHome awards issued. The 2025–26 state budget eliminated all future CalHome funding, the only state program dedicated solely to increasing affordable homeownership supply. Without restoration in the next budget cycle, thousands of potential ownership opportunities across California may never come to fruition.

“CalHome has been a cornerstone of Habitat’s ability to serve working families who aspire to own a home, build equity, and achieve stability for their family,” said Catherine Stihler, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay. “These final awards will make a meaningful difference for the families and communities they reach, but without new investment, the homes we stand ready to build will be stalled before construction even begins. California cannot afford to walk away from homeownership as part of its comprehensive housing solution. The benefits are too great, improved health and educational outcomes, stronger civic engagement, and reduced reliance on ongoing government assistance.”

Since its inception, the CalHome Program has enabled Habitat affiliates to help thousands of families achieve safe, stable, and affordable homeownership. A major $250 million state investment in 2023 demonstrated what is possible when California prioritizes equitable access to homeownership, fueling the construction and preservation of hundreds of Habitat homes statewide that otherwise would not exist.

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay now calls on Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators to restore CalHome funding in the 2026–27 state budget and support policies that keep affordable homeownership within reach for California’s working families.

“Affordable homeownership changes lives, strengthens entire communities, and builds intergenerational stability,” Stihler added. “Replenishing CalHome funding is an investment not just in homes, but in Monterey Bay’s future.”

Pictured Above: Monterey County family who purchased their new home through Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay’s CalHome Mortgage Assistance Program. “This home gave us stability, space, and the chance to stay close to family.”