The City published the draft Prohousing Designation Program application for public review. The application package is published by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and is then filled in by the jurisdiction applying to the program.
Many questions have been received about the application package itself—what the scoring criteria mean, how the points were decided, why there is a homelessness component (the required Appendix 5), and many others.
This document has been put together to explain each section of the application package so that reviewers can better understand the application. It is organized by the section of the application package.
The main part of the application – the section where all of the City’s policies and scores are located – is Appendix 3 Self-Scoring Sheet.
The City already has Prohousing Designation, but because the designation expires in December 2025, the City is applying for renewal.
All policies and programs in the City’s application are already adopted/enacted; there are no proposed or new policies or programs.
Front Matter – Cover Page through the Threshold Requirements Checklist (PDF page 1–6)
These sections describe the materials an applicant will need to submit, includes a checklist to make sure the materials have been included, require basic applicant information (contact info, etc), a signature page, and a checklist of threshold requirements. The threshold requirements are the minimum statements that must be true in order to apply for the program. Most of these confirm that an applicant is currently complying with various laws related to housing, homelessness, and the submittal of required annual reports.
Scoring Criteria – Scoring Criteria through Self-Scoring Sheet Instructions (PDF page 7–14)
The Prohousing Application is a scorecard for an applicant’s housing policies. The Scoring Criteria section describes all of the available point categories for an application, and how many points each category is awarded. No double-dipping is permitted, which means that each category can only be used once per application. Even if an applicant had multiple policies or programs that qualify in a category, only one of those could be scored. In addition, most applicants will not have eligible policies to score in every single category. For example, the City’s application
does not include points in the following categories: 1A, 1B, 1D–1G, 1J, 1K, 2F, 2M, 3B, 3F–3H, 4A, 4C–4G, and 4J–L. This is why it can be difficult for an application to successfully score the minimum points required for Prohousing Designation. Of the more than 500 jurisdictions in California, fewer than 50 have Prohousing Designation.
After the Scoring Criteria are the Scoring Criteria Enhancement Factors. The enhancement factors can only be used once per scoring category but may be used on more than one category. For example, the City’s application applies Enhancement Category 1 once to Category 2B, once to Category 2C, etc. The enhancement factors add one or two points to each score.
Finally, there is the Self-Scoring Sheet Instructions. This describes the information that will be required in the applicant’s self-scoring sheet (Appendix 3).
Appendix 1 – Formal Resolution (PDF page 15–16)
This is a template provided by HCD. A Resolution is the documentation of an action taken by a City Council or County Board of Supervisors. Once all steps in the application process are completed and the package is ready to submit to HCD, staff would be required to take the completed application to City Council to approve a resolution like this template. The Resolution confirms that the City is complying and will continue to comply with state housing laws and that City Council is authorizing identified staff to sign the application and related forms.
Appendix 2 – Proposed Policy Completion Schedule (PDF page 17)
An applicant may not have enough points to qualify based on existing policies and programs or may be in the process of adopting new policies or programs that would qualify. This section allows an applicant in that position to describe the proposed policies and score them. The City has no proposed policies or programs, so this section is blank in the City’s application package. All policies and programs in the City’s application are already adopted/enacted.
Appendix 3 – Self-Scoring Sheet (PDF page 18 – 52)
This section is the main body of the application. The table contains the following columns:
- Category Number: This lists the Category of the Scoring Criteria section that is being applied.
- Concise Written Description of Prohousing Policy: This is where the City describes the policy or program that is being scored.
- Enacted or Proposed: This indicates whether the policy or program is already adopted (enacted) or is being proposed. All of the City’s policies and programs are enacted.
- Documentation Type: Supporting documentation is required for every policy or program. This is where the City describes where to find the policy or program language.
- Insert Web Links to Documents or Indicate that Electronic Copies are Attached as Appendix 7: As described, if the supporting documents are available online then a link is provided and otherwise a PDF is provided in Appendix 7.
- Points: The number of points scored in the category (based on the Scoring Criteria section).
- Enhancement Category Number: If applicable, this is where the City lists the Enhancement Factor being applied.
- Enhancement Points: The number of points scored in the enhancement category (based on the Enhancement Factors section).
- Total Points: The point total for the row.
Appendix 4 – Examples of Prohousing Policies with Enhancement Factors (PDF page 53–54)
These are examples provided in the HCD application package to help applicants understand how to use the enhancement factors.
Appendix 5 – Homeless Encampments Treatment (PDF page 56–58)
This section requires the City to describe its approach to the treatment of encampments of people experiencing homelessness, to ensure the City’s existing procedures and policies comply with law. The City’s application addresses each of the seven Principles for Addressing Encampments, as required.
Appendix 6 – Public Participation Checklist (PDF page 59–60)
This is a checklist designed to ensure the application process has met all of the public disclosure requirements of the law enacting the Prohousing Designation Program. Once the application is complete and ready to submit to HCD, this checklist will be completed. The below describes the City’s outreach, to date, related to this checklist:
The draft application was published via the City’s social media (e.g. X, Nextdoor, Facebook, etc.), on the City’s website, and through the City’s Housing Element email listserve, various City email newsletters, and hard copies of the application were made available at the Civic Center and at all City libraries, along with fliers in both English and Spanish language. The City has provided both electronic and hard copies for review, has provided notices in both English and Spanish, ensured the Housing Element listserve included updated contact information for organizations that serve the diverse members of our community (including the Latino Leadership Council, United Auburn Indian Community, non-profit and market-rate housing developers, and service organizations focused on people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity such as Connecting Point and the Sacramento Housing Alliance), and interpreter services are available for any person who needs materials in another language. As of the writing of this document, the City published the application for the 30-day review period ending on September 29, 2025 and has scheduled a public workshop at City Council on September 17 at 6 p.m. and will also be discussing the application at the Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations regular Board meeting on September 18.
Appendix 7 – Supporting Documents (PDF page 61–137)
This section includes hyperlinks to all supporting documents available online and PDF copies of all other documents used to support the application.