| | A note from Reverend Nixon |
| A recent article in The Atlantic caught my eye. Authored by Jerusalem Desmas, it talks about the interplay between the structural and individual causes of homelessness. The title of the article is less than subtle: The Obvious Answer to Homelessness, and why everyone is ignoring it. Broad in nature, and certainly no news flash to anyone involved in affordable housing, the entire piece is worth a read and a terrific resource to share with people who care enough to volunteer to serve “the homeless” but who have not yet made the connection between the unhoused and the lack of affordable housing. To help connect the dots, some who study the issue of structural causes of homelessness compare it to a game of musical chairs, a game that many of us have played. Here’s the part that grabbed me: “As the game begins, the first kid to become chairless has a sprained ankle. The next few kids are too anxious to play the game effectively. The next few are smaller than the big kids. In the end, a fast, large, confident child sits grinning in the last available seat. You can say that disability or lack of physical strength caused the individual kids to end up chairless. But in this scenario, chairlessness itself is an inevitability: The only reason anyone is without a chair is because there aren’t enough of them.” I played musical chairs numerous times as a child, and I often won. I am small, quick, and extremely competitive. Sometimes, if two of us ended up on the same chair, and the other child was bigger, I lost. Most of the time it was a harmless game. And the point of the game was to take away chairs and leave kids chairless. But having a home is not a game. It is not harmless. And the point should never be to take away homes. Yet this is so many people’s reality. More and more jobs/people, fewer homes. Fewer chairs. During my brief tenure with HLC, I have met so many incredible people who are doing their best, often against daunting odds, to keep adding chairs to the circle, so no one remains chairless, and so the playing field is just a little more level, a bit more equitable. To all those people, and to those who join our ranks here in San Mateo County and in the Bay Area, I am grateful. -Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon |
| | Have questions about Yes in God's Backyard? Contact Reverend Nixon at revgpn@gmail.com |
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| | Affordable Housing Month 2023 |
|  | ✧Sponsor Affordable Housing Month✧ Last year, our sponsors helped us engage hundreds of new and returning supporters. Join us this year to commemorate our affordable housing partners’ achievements, learn about new challenges, and mobilize in response to our region’s housing shortage. |
| | | ✧ We’re looking for Program Partners ✧ We are seeking Program Partner event proposals for Affordable Housing Month! We invite you to submit a program partner event proposal for this well-attended month-long series of events, many of which are created by you, our program partners! To submit an event proposal, please fill out our event proposal form by Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at noon. |
| | How do I Participate? While HLC can offer support on aspects of your event’s implementation, your organization will be primarily responsible for your concept and its logistics. The goal is to showcase and promote your organization's mission to your both audience and the event attendees and sponsors while adding value, creativity, and substance to our series of events. HLC can assist with things like technical support, media, outreach, and timing. Event proposal form. If you have any questions, contact Fernanda and fdevelasco@hlcsmc.org. |
| What is Affordable Housing Month? Every year, the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLC) and our partners dedicate the month of May to affordable housing. We engage hundreds of housing supporters around San Mateo County to collectively learn, mobilize, and understand the positive and extensive impact affordable housing brings. We do this by offering the opportunity of attending informative workshops, groundbreakings, housing policy panels, affordable housing tours, and more. |
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| | | ✧Bay Area Affordable Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA)✧ This Thursday, HLC’s Board of Directors endorsed our work with our partners at the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) in their San Mateo County campaign to get a 9-county regional housing ($10 billion) bond measure on the November 2024 ballot! The funds will go directly to BAHFA and its work to: - Protect our current residents from displacement
- Preserve existing housing affordable to lower- and middle-income community members
- Production of new (especially affordable) homes at all income levels
If passed, San Mateo County may see $1 billion in funds! To learn more, send your messages to kchan@hlcsmc.org. |
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| ✧City of South San Francisco Receives Award of $28.8 Million in State Funding to Build Much-Needed Housing✧ |
|  | The California Department of Housing & Community Development awarded $28.8M to the City of South San Francisco through the Infill Infrastructure Grant to make way for the construction of 158 affordable new homes by BRIDGE as part of an 800-unit master-planned community which includes a childcare center, retail space, and public open space. The new mixed-use development will be located on 5.9 acres of currently vacant land at 1051 Mission Road, known generally as the “PUC site.” It includes affordable housing; subsidized childcare that will accommodate 70-110 children; a “market hall” that will provide incubator space for local retail and maker businesses; more than 900 parking spaces; approximately one acre of publicly accessible open space that includes a public courtyard, improvements to Centennial Trail, a pedestrian bridge connecting the Kaiser property to Centennial trail, and a pedestrian trail connecting Mission Road to Centennial Trail; a series of linked open spaces including a children’s play area, sculpture lawn, and adult fitness station; a picnic area, and a small plaza connected to the Market Hall. As part of this project, there is also a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan that requires 35 percent use of alternative transportation modes (i.e., transit, carpooling, etc.) during peak periods of the day. HLC is proud to participate in anti-displacement strategies with BRIDGE housing and the SSF community. |
| |  | Last weekend, some of the HLC team attended the Dave Canepa Meet and Greet in South San Francisco! Here’s our own Jeremy and Kiana pictured with David Canepa, James Coleman, Juslyn Manalo, and many of the county's behavioral health staff. We appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the work of the behavioral health department and support all they do for the community. Did you know May is not only Affordable Housing Month but also Mental Health Awareness Month? |
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| | Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
2905 S El Camino Real | San Mateo, California 94403
650-242-1764 | info@hlcsmc.org |
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