Santa Clara County Housing Authority

What Santa Clara County Housing Authority does

Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) is a quasi-governmental public housing authority established in 1967/1968 and headquartered at 505 West Julian Street, San Jose, California. It administers the federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program on behalf of HUD for low-income families, individuals, seniors, disabled persons, and veterans across Santa Clara County, currently serving 19,179+ voucher households with another 37,000+ individuals on interest lists. Beyond voucher administration, SCCHA owns and manages a portfolio of more than 2,700 affordable housing units across 34 properties, financed through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and other federal sources, with ongoing pipeline projects including the Bellarmino Place development.

Operationally, SCCHA distributes assistance through a tri-portal digital infrastructure powered by Securecafe — separate Tenant, Applicant, and Owner portals — supplemented by Mailchimp-driven communications, calendar integrations (Google, iCalendar, Outlook), and an AffordableHousing.com partnership for landlord vacancy listings. Participants pay approximately 30% of monthly income toward rent, with SCCHA covering the balance up to zip-code-based payment standards derived from HUD's Small Area Fair Market Rents. Day-to-day property management for the owned portfolio is outsourced to The John Stewart Company and FPI Management; HQS inspections are performed under contract by Nan McKay & Associates Inspections; and the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is delivered with social services partner LifeSTEPS.

SCCHA's revenue mechanics are entirely federal: HUD appropriations fund Housing Assistance Payments to landlords, administrative fees, and capital development. As a HUD-designated Moving to Work (MTW) agency since 2008, SCCHA holds regulatory flexibility to design local housing interventions unavailable to non-MTW authorities. The agency has issued a 2026-2030 strategic plan titled 'Building the Future through Community Transformation,' signaling continued expansion of both voucher program reach and the owned real estate portfolio within its single-county service area.

Name

Santa Clara County Housing Authority

Legal name

Santa Clara County Housing Authority

Website

https://scchousingauthority.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) is a HUD-funded public housing authority that administers the federal Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program for 19,000+ low-income households and owns more than 2,700 affordable housing units across Santa Clara County, California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Housing Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs (925110), Administration of Housing Programs (92511), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Voucher & Rental Assistance Programs (Tenant-Based/Project-Based) (FSALAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Fair Housing, Compliance & Housing Program Oversight (FSALAKAN)

Keywords

• Affordable housing assistance
• Rental voucher programs
• Public housing authority
• Low-income housing
• Housing choice vouchers

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Housing Assistance Funding: SCCHA receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer the Housing Choice Voucher program. The agency distributes Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) to landlords on behalf of eligible low-income tenants, with participants paying approximately 30% of their income towards rent.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) is a public government agency that administers the federally-funded Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, providing rental assistance to over 20,000 low-income families and individuals in Santa Clara County. The agency owns and manages more than 2,700 affordable housing units across 34 properties and operates three online portals (Tenant, Applicant, and Owner) to administer vouchers, process Housing Assistance Payments to landlords, and conduct Housing Quality Standards inspections.

Product overview

Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) operates primarily as a government housing assistance agency offering the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program as its core product. The organization provides three interconnected online portals—Tenant Portal, Applicant Portal, and Owner Portal—all powered by Securecafe, enabling voucher holders to manage housing paperwork, applicants to join interest lists, and landlords to handle subsidized unit management. Supporting programs include the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program for economic empowerment, the Kathy Espinoza-Howard Scholarship for education, and a Fraud Reporting System for program integrity. SCCHA also manages a substantial Real Estate Portfolio of 2,700+ affordable housing units and participates in the Moving to Work (MTW) federal demonstration program for innovative housing solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Housing Choice Voucher Program: Federal rental assistance program (formerly Section 8) that helps low-income families afford safe and decent housing
• Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program
• Kathy Espinoza-Howard Scholarship

Products and services

• Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program Federally-funded rental assistance program helping low-income families pay for housing. Participants typically pay 30% of their income towards rent while SCCHA subsidizes the remainder through Housing Assistance Payments to private landlords.
• SCCHA Affordable Housing Property Portfolio A portfolio of 34 SCCHA-owned and managed affordable housing properties across Santa Clara County, comprising 2,700+ units including senior, family, Tax Credit, and Section 8 designated units. Operations are handled by third-party property managers The John Stewart Company and FPI Management.
• Real Estate Development & Asset Management SCCHA's real estate development arm handles property acquisition, design, financing, construction, and rehabilitation of affordable housing, including new pipeline properties such as the Bellarmino Place six-story community at 253 Race Street in San Jose.
• Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program Voluntary program providing support and resources to help voucher-holding families achieve employment, education, and financial goals. SCCHA deposits funds into participants' savings accounts when income increases, with 75% of FSS graduates accruing an average of $11,272 over 5 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of FSS program graduates accrued an average of $11,272 over 5 years

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LifeSTEPScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLifeSTEPS serves as SCCHA's social services partner for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. They provide guidance and support to help FSS participants increase household income and achieve personal goals related to employment, education, and finances.
• Nan McKay & Associates Inspections (NMAI)coreTechnology or IntegrationSCCHA partnered with Nan McKay & Associates Inspections (NMAI) to perform Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspections for rental units. NMAI conducts inspections to ensure units meet safety and livability standards.
• The John Stewart CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe John Stewart Company is a third-party property management company that oversees day-to-day operations, maintenance, and compliance for SCCHA's affordable housing portfolio. They manage multiple SCCHA properties including family and senior housing.
• FPI Management, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPI Management, Inc. is a third-party property management company that provides on-site management, maintenance, compliance and day-to-day oversight of SCCHA's affordable housing portfolio.
• AffordableHousing.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffordableHousing.com (formerly GoSection8.com) is a platform where landlords can list vacant rental units for voucher holders. SCCHA directs landlords to this platform to advertise rental vacancies to Housing Choice Voucher participants.
• Coordinated Entry System (CES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCCHA receives referrals for special voucher programs via the Coordinated Entry System managed by Santa Clara County's Office of Supportive Housing. CES is a community-wide intake process connecting homeless individuals with housing resources. Access points include Bill Wilson Center, Gilroy Compassion Center, HomeFirst, LifeMoves, PATH, and Sunnyvale Community Services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City of Oakland Housing Authority: Bay Area municipal housing authority administering federal vouchers and affordable housing in Oakland, serving a comparable low-income population with similar HUD regulatory exposure.
• San Mateo County Housing Authority: Adjacent Bay Area county housing authority operating the Housing Choice Voucher program and affordable housing portfolio in a similarly high-cost California housing market, with comparable regulatory and landlord-participation dynamics.
• King County Housing Authority: Large Pacific Northwest housing authority administering federal HCV program and owning thousands of affordable units; comparable in scale, mission, and MTW-equivalent program flexibility.
• San Diego Housing Commission: California housing agency administering federal vouchers and affordable housing in another high-cost coastal market; comparable in program mix, regulatory framework, and operational structure.
• Contra Costa County Housing Authority: Adjacent East Bay housing authority running the Section 8 program and affordable housing portfolio; comparable scale and serves similarly high-cost suburban Bay Area communities.
• Alameda County Housing Authority: Bay Area housing authority administering Section 8 vouchers and affordable housing across Alameda County; comparable in scale, regulatory environment, and Silicon Valley-adjacent tenant base.
• San Francisco Housing Authority: Urban Bay Area housing authority administering HCV program and public housing in an extremely high-cost market; directly comparable in mission, funding model, and tenant population challenges.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles County Development Authority: Much larger California housing authority operating across LA County with a substantially bigger HCV portfolio and property inventory; demonstrates the upper end of scale SCCHA could grow into.
• Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA): Major Southern California housing authority administering a very large HCV program and tens of thousands of public housing units; useful broader-incumbent benchmark for California PHA scale and operations.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA): The largest public housing authority in the U.S., administering hundreds of thousands of vouchers and public housing units; relevant broad-incumbent benchmark for federal program design and policy exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SCChousing
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCCHousing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scchousing
• Instagraminstagram.com/SCChousing

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Santa Clara County Housing Authority