In the aftermath of Southern California’s wildfires earlier this year, as many as 250 victims in LA county applied for ADU permits. Some hoped to build ADUs for an affordable place to stay before continuing construction to rebuild their homes, and others thought about living in ADUs more permanently.

Context

This comes at a time when California is relying on ADUs more than ever. With the state being one of the world’s most unaffordable areas, Gavin Newsom and other policymakers have been working to streamline processes to build more housing — and ADUs are one of the easiest ways for residential areas to increase affordable housing options.

Further, Congressman Sam Liccardo of California’s District 16 recently introduced legislation to give homeowners a second mortgage to build ADUs with the ultimate goal of making affordable housing easier to construct. ADUs, at least in Southern California, can cost between $80,000 and $600,000 — not sums readily available for your average homeowner. Thus, this legislation, along with an executive order by Newsom making ADUs more easily built in this time of crisis, will likely increase affordable housing options where it’s needed most.

My thoughts

I’ve already been clear in previous blogs that while I understand ADUs are part of the solution the state needs to construct more housing, I also believe that prioritizing multifamily developments is also vital. Ultimately, though, in times of crisis I realize that ADUs should be attended to first. Thousands of families lost their homes, and the most ready solution in many cases is not to wait for more multifamily apartments and developments to be built or become available, but to build and live in an ADU as long as they need.