Apply for Affordable Housing Preferences

Improve your chances in a housing lottery by applying for affordable housing preferences.

Affordable housing preferences give people who have lost or are at risk of losing housing in Berkeley priority when new units become available. These preferences apply to a portion of new affordable housing units in Berkeley.

Check your eligibility for housing preferences

You can get priority in affordable housing lotteries under one or more of the preferences. As long as at least one member of the household is eligible, your household will receive priority.

Displaced due to BART construction
You, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent lost their home due to construction of BART in the 1960s-1970s in Berkeley.

Displaced due to foreclosure
You or a member of your household was displaced due to foreclosure in Berkeley since 2005.

Displaced due to eviction
You were displaced due to a no-fault or non-payment eviction in Berkeley within the past seven years.

Families with children
Your household has at least one child aged 17 or under.

Homeless or at-risk of homelessness
You are eligible if either:

You are homeless in Berkeley, or homeless with a previous address in Berkeley, and are not already being prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing (housing with supportive services to help homeless and disabled households achieve stability).
You are at risk of homelessness in Berkeley (for example, you’re staying with friends or family, at a motel or hospital, or you’ve received an eviction notice or will imminently lose your housing).

Current or former resident of redlined neighborhood
You are a current or former resident of a formerly redlined neighborhood in Berkeley.

Parent or grandparent lived in redlined neighborhood
Your parent or grandparent lives or lived in a formerly redlined neighborhood in Berkeley.

Redlined neighborhoods in South Berkeley, West Berkeley, and elsewhere were designated as the riskiest places to issue loans by a federal government agency during the 1930-60s. Redlining devalued properties, in the process undermining housing stability and enabling ongoing displacement.

Application process

Follow the steps below to apply for preference in affordable housing lotteries.

Step one: If eligible for BART or foreclosure preferences, apply for a preference certificate

If you or your family were displaced due to BART construction in the 1960s-70s or if you lost your home due to foreclosure in Berkeley since 2005, apply for a preference certificate as soon as possible. Applying for your certificate now will help things move faster when you apply for affordable housing.

If approved, you will receive a certificate number by email to use when applying to eligible affordable housing units. If you lose your certificate number, contact HousingPreferences@berkeleyca.gov.

Displaced due to BART construction
You are eligible if you, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent lost their home due to construction of BART in the 1960s-1970s in Berkeley. If approved, you will receive a certificate that gives you first preference in an affordable housing lottery.

Submit the BART Construction Displacement Certificate Application

Displaced due to foreclosure
You are eligible if you or a member of your household lost a home you owned due to foreclosure in Berkeley since 2005.  If approved, you will get one preference point, which combines with other categories (also worth one point each) to give you a higher ranking in affordable housing lotteries.

Submit the Foreclosure Displacement Certificate Application

Step two: Apply for affordable housing

Search for affordable housing listings in Berkeley on the Alameda County Housing Portal or sign up for email alerts about opportunities in Berkeley. When submitting your application for a unit, be sure to select the preferences that apply to your household. Housing lotteries will create waitlists that will then be sorted by preference groups.

Step three: If selected for housing, provide additional information

If you are selected, a property manager will contact you. They will ask you to provide additional information to verify your preference eligibility. Learn more about the required documentation.

Applicants with preference rank higher in affordable housing lotteries

Preferences are applied to a portion of affordable housing units citywide. After you apply for affordable housing, the property manager will use a random lottery to order applicants in a waitlist. For units with preferences, they will then sort the list by preference ranking. Applicants with the BART Displacement Certificate of Preference will receive first priority. Other applicants are sorted by the total number of preference points they have.

Qualifying for a preference does not guarantee you an affordable housing unit. Visit the Affordable Housing Resources page to learn more about applying for housing.