Affordability

Keeping Rent Low:

  1. Co-opers reduce operating costs by acting as their own landlords when they review applicants and do minor maintenance & landscaping.
  2. The Collective of co-ops keeps rent low by getting tax exemptions applicable for low-income housing and non-profits.
  3. Being registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit helps us get grants and donations for projects.

Monthly Room Rates for Summer 2024 and for the 2024-25 Leasing Period: 

  • Summer 2024
    • $710-755 rent for a single room in an off-campus co-op, shared negotiable
    • $550 per person at the Tri Co-ops (bedrooms house 1-3 people, depending on the room size)
    • $762 per person to share a dome that houses 2 people
  • 2024-25
    • $740-785 rent for a single room in an off-campus co-op, shared negotiable
    • $750 per person at the Tri Co-ops (bedrooms house 1-3 people, depending on the room size)
    • $962 per person to share a dome that houses 2 people

On-campus rent is about 75% of average market rate for a bed lease in Davis.
Off-campus rent is about 70% of average market rent for a unit lease in Davis.

Our room rates go up a bit each year as our expenses go up, so the above rates may not be the same for next year. Rents are typically adjusted with inflation.

Spots in our off-campus co-ops are available to low income individuals. All members must earn less than 80% of the Low Household Income Limit for Yolo County ($47,000 for an individual in 2023) as set for the county by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Low income status is determined based on the household’s most recent annual income statement (e.g., tax return or other appropriate document). Certain types of income are exempted (for example, gifts, scholarships, foster care payments): see the county welfare tax exemption Statement of Family Household Income form for a list of exempted types of income (or for a complete listing of income and deductions, see the Department of Housing and Community Development Regulations, section 6914).

Shared resources:

  • Community dinners and bulk food buying helps reduce food costs.
  • Communal houses pay between $50-150 for Board each month, decided by the house.
  • Ample garden space allows for members to grow produce to supplement food budgets.
  • Furniture, kitchen equipment and tools are typically passed on each year, reducing your move-in costs.

SCHA also offers:

  • Payment Plans – Allows you to spread payments over 2 months or more.
  • Emergency Rent Assistance – SCHA budgets to waive a total of $4K for rent each year for co-opers experiencing temporary extreme financial hardship.
  • First Month’s Rent Assistance – Co-opers can choose to donate their security deposit to support in-coming co-opers with move-in costs.
  • Sliding Scale Rent – Co-opers participate in Economic Justice workshops, engaging with the principle of Participative, Distributive and Social Justice to either voluntarily increase their housing charge by an amount of their choosing, to request to pay less on a month-to-month basis, or to keep their rent the same.