RHNA

RHNA (pronounced “ree-nah”) stands for Regional Housing Needs Allocation. This is a target number of housing units that a municipality must plan for. The number comes from the COG and is assigned based on a number that HCD assigns to the region, called the RHND (Regional Housing Needs Determination.)

A city’s RHNA allocation is divided into four categories based on income and affordability levels: Very Low Income, Low Income, Moderate Income, and Above Moderate Income, The income thresholds are percentages of the median income of the region’s residents, called AMI or Area Median Income.

The state comes up with RHNA numbers on a regular cycle. As of early 2021, the state is in its 6th RHNA cycle, and this campaign is focused on that cycle.