Evidence page
The Voucher Lottery
Only 25 affordable homes exist per 100 extremely low-income renters
Updated with 2026 California housing-gap data
Why this page matters
California’s housing shortage is so deep that many of the households most likely to qualify for help still face a market with far too few affordable units.
Key takeaways
- •NLIHC’s 2026 Gap report finds only 25 affordable and available homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in California.
- •The report also shows a statewide shortage of 981,986 affordable and available homes for these renters.
- •When assistance is limited and housing supply is this constrained, families are effectively forced into a lottery for stability.
Sources
These pages use recent California-specific evidence currently wired into the site. As newer state data is added, the hub can be updated without changing the page structure.
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