Indio has landed another round of California housing money, joining a dozen other communities across the state in splitting $11.3 million in new Prohousing Incentive Program funding announced Thursday. The exact amount headed to Indio's coffers hasn't been made public, and neither has word on which local projects the city plans to fund with its share.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the awards on August 20, saying the money reflects “strong local partnerships” that are “delivering results and creating more opportunities for Californians to have safe affordable housing,” according to KESQ. The station reported that the governor's office did not specify how the $11.3 million would be divided among the 13 recipients, nor which projects Indio intends to fund with its portion. Other communities sharing in the round include Culver City, Santa Ana, Sunnyvale, Lancaster, Benicia, Vista, Woodland, Arvin, Trinity County, Nevada County, Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County.
The award comes through the fourth round of distributions under the Prohousing Incentive Program, which the station's report says has now pushed the program's cumulative total to $70.3 million awarded to local jurisdictions statewide. Gustavo Velasquez said Prohousing communities “are embracing real, forward-thinking solutions,” adding that the designation signals communities are ready to “get homes built by cutting red tape,” per the same account.
How Indio Earned Its Prohousing Status
Indio became the first city in the Coachella Valley and third in Riverside County to receive California's Prohousing Designation, a status it secured on September 2, 2025, according to the City of Indio. The designation is reserved for cities and counties that adopt policies meant to accelerate housing production, lower development costs and expand housing opportunities, and it requires local governments to score at least 30 points across four criteria: favorable land use, faster approval timelines, reduced development costs and local financial subsidies, per the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
That status does more than open the door to direct grants like this week's award. It also gives Indio priority scoring and preference points when competing for other major state programs, including the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities and Infill Infrastructure Grant programs. As of the August 20 announcement, 75 jurisdictions across California now hold the Prohousing Designation, according to the Governor's Office.
Meeting a State-Mandated Housing Target
Indio isn't chasing this money for its own sake. Its housing efforts are taking shape through projects in the Coachella Valley.
In March, Indio broke ground on JFM Villas, which will build 150 affordable homes, including 100 family units and 50 senior units, replacing the former Fred Young Labor Camp, with 50 project-based vouchers carrying an estimated value of $23.9 million in rental subsidies over 20 years, according to the Housing Authority of the County of Riverside. Then in June, the city continued its housing work.
A Regional Push Beyond City Hall
Indio's efforts fit into a wider Coachella Valley campaign. Regional housing coalition Lift to Rise has set a goal of building 10,000 new affordable housing units across the valley by 2028 to ease local rent burden, with more than 9,000 units already in planning or under construction as of mid-2025, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Prohousing Designation Program was established in the 2019–2020 Budget Act, per the state housing department. Prohousing designation policies that qualify cities for the program can include streamlining multifamily housing development and allowing increased housing density near jobs and public transportation.
Newsom framed the latest round of funding as part of a longer-term bet on the state's growth. “Investing in our communities by creating more homes is an investment in California's future,” he said, according to KESQ's report. For now, Indio residents will have to wait for city officials to detail exactly how much of the $11.3 million lands locally and where it will go.
