The Legislature finds and declares that there exists within the state a serious shortage of decent, safe, and sanitary housing which is affordable to many persons in the state. This shortage is exacerbated during periods of rising interest rates, particularly as high interest rates have the effect of diminishing the number of otherwise creditworthy buyers from qualifying for private sector mortgage capital sources. In order to remedy this adverse effect on potential home buyers on the lower end of the purchasing spectrum, it is necessary to implement a public program to reduce the cost of mortgage financing for single-family purchases for those persons unable to compete for mortgage financing in the conventional mortgage market.

(Added by Stats. 1979, Ch. 1069.)