Purpose
Equitable Connections to Housing Opportunities (ECHO) invites affordable housing developers, property owners, investors, and mission-aligned organizations to submit proposals for potential partnership opportunities throughout Los Angeles County.
ECHO seeks to identify housing developments and existing multifamily properties that align with its mission of expanding access to affordable housing, promoting housing stability, and creating long-term community benefit. Through this RFP, ECHO is evaluating opportunities for strategic partnerships that may include affordability preservation, resident services, tenant placement, regulatory compliance support, and nonprofit participation in housing developments.
Submitting a proposal allows ECHO to assess project compatibility and determine whether further discussion is appropriate.
What ECHO Brings to the Table
Partnership with ECHO isn't just about filling units. Here's what we bring to every project:
- Affordable housing expertise and regulatory compliance support
- Welfare Tax Exemption implementation strategies
- Leasing, tenant placement, and resident screening services
- Resident services and housing stabilization programs
- Community engagement and long-term mission alignment
Eligible Project Types
ECHO welcomes proposals involving:
- New construction affordable housing developments
- Adaptive reuse projects
- Acquisition and rehabilitation projects
- Mixed-income, workforce, senior, veteran, family, and permanent supportive housing
- Existing multifamily properties seeking affordability preservation
- Projects utilizing affordability covenants, regulatory agreements, or other affordability mechanisms
Preference may be given to projects located in high-opportunity neighborhoods, developments with long-term affordability commitments, and projects that demonstrate strong potential for positive community impact.
Proposal Review Process
Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed as capacity permits. Upon receipt, ECHO staff will screen each submission for alignment with organizational goals and partnership objectives. The general process is:
- Initial proposal screening
- Internal evaluation and scoring
- Follow-up discussion with the project sponsor, if warranted
- Additional due diligence and document review
- Recommendation for further partnership discussions
ECHO may request additional information, supporting documentation, site plans, financial information, or meetings as part of the review process.
Submission Requirements
Applicants should be prepared to provide information regarding ownership or development entity, project location, type, and stage, number and mix of units, affordability structure and existing or proposed covenants, development timeline, property management approach, financial capacity and project experience, and site plans or supporting documentation if available.
Incomplete submissions will be followed up by ECHO staff. However, proposals that do not include a project description after follow-up will be declined. A project description is the minimum information ECHO needs to evaluate whether a partnership opportunity is worth pursuing.
Confidentiality
All proposals and supporting materials submitted to ECHO are held in confidence by ECHO staff and used solely for the purpose of evaluating partnership opportunities.
Reservation of Rights
ECHO reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal, request additional information, conduct interviews, modify the review process, or decline to enter into partnership discussions at any time and for any reason.
Submission of a proposal does not create any obligation on the part of ECHO to enter into a partnership, contract, memorandum of understanding, limited partnership agreement, or any other formal relationship. All partnership opportunities remain subject to further review, due diligence, negotiation, and approval by ECHO.