Housing Leadership Day 

 Don't miss out on Housing Leadership Day, happening in less than 2 weeks! Join community leaders, policymakers, and advocates as we tackle pressing housing challenges and shape the future of housing together. Register now to be part of the conversation and make a lasting impact on affordable, sustainable communities.

Need more of a reason to register? Here is a sneak peek of what we have planned for the conference of the day:

• 3 Engaging Workshop Sessions with 8 workshops
• Keynote Speaker: Tomiquia Moss, Founder & CEO of All Home
• Housing Hero Award Honorees: Peggy Jensen, Betsy Zobell, Maurice Goodman, Angelina Cahalan, and Karen Camacho
• Special Performance by Lyrical Opposition an arts non-profit organization dedicated to social change through poetry, music, and activism.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain insights, network, and be inspired by these remarkable leaders and artists. Register now to secure your spot at Housing Leadership Day before it's too late!

✧Volunteers✧

Want to be a part of Housing Leadership Day but prefer a different way to participate than registering as an attendee?

We are also seeking dedicated volunteers to be part of our team and help make this event a resounding success. Your support can truly make a difference. Plus, as a token of our appreciation, volunteers receive complimentary tickets to our event! If you're interested in volunteering, fill out the volunteer form below! 

✧Thank you to our sponsors!✧

Policy Updates

✧Measure K Updates✧

This past Tuesday, October 3, the County Board of Supervisors met to discuss the ongoing reallocation of Measure K sales tax dollars. The County anticipates $110 million in revenue will be available for the FY 2024-2025 tax year, $67.3 million of which has already been allocated to preexisting programs. 

That means $42.7 million in projected revenue remains unallocated, available to distribute as the Board of Supervisors sees fit. Though County staff provided few specifics, they indicated plans to allocate the money into five primary buckets: Emerging Need; Emergency Preparedness; Housing & Homelessness; Children, Family, & Seniors; and Data and Evaluation. In total, the county anticipates $16.4 million going to housing and homelessness programs. 

Leading up to the meeting, HLC and our partners advocated for the County to increase total funding for a number of programs, including:

• $10 million for the Affordable Housing Fund, which will enable the County to invest in hundreds of new affordable homes. 

• $1.6 million for Legal Aid services for eviction defense, supporting enforcement of existing tenant protections to ensure vulnerable county residents can stay in their homes. 
• $400,000 for County Department of Housing staff support to implement policies from the County’s draft housing element.

The Board next meets on October 17 to discuss the TPO, and they need to hear from their constituents if they are going to support the funding we need! Use resources linked below to support tenant protections enforcement and affordable housing development. 

✧Bay Area Housing Finance Authority - Regional Bond✧

Support Funding for Affordable Homes!

It’s not too late for you and your organization to endorse the nine-county Bay Area affordable housing bond!

Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) was established by the California State Legislature in 2019 to come up with and implement region-wide solutions to the Bay Area’s affordable housing issues and raise funding for affordable housing across all nine counties. Its focus is rooted in the “3P’s” of affordable housing. These are:

• Protection for current residents to prevent displacement
• Preservation of existing homes affordable to lower- and middle-income community members
• Production of new (especially affordable) homes at all income levels 

Many of our cities and counties in the Bay Area address their housing needs individually, usually with limited to no staff and financial resources. BAHFA’s success is important because it takes a more regional approach through coordination and provides access to funds and resources -- it helps create a level playing field among all 101 cities and 9 counties in the Bay Area.  

For San Mateo County, the Bay Area affordable housing bond will generate $1 billion for the protection of at-risk renters and the creation and preservation of affordable homes, but it won’t happen without your support. Please pass this along AND sign on to support Affordable Housing funding HERE! 

If you have any questions, please direct them to kchan@hlcsmc.org! 

Opportunities

✧League of Woman Voters Housing Caucus Update✧

Monday, October 16 at 5pm, HLC’s Policy Manager Jeremy Levine will speak to the League of Women Voters of North & Central San Mateo County about housing policy. All are welcome to join the event! 

From the LWV’s email announcement: “Join us as we welcome Jeremy Levine, Policy Manager with The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLC), for a freeform Q&A about all things housing. He can address your burning questions on the status of our local cities’ Housing Elements or the County’s Measure K, proposed Tenant Protection Ordinance or Project Homekey, or something else about which you want to learn more. The discussion will be driven by us, so please come ready to participate!”

✧Just Action Book Event✧

In the fall of 2019, Richard Rothstein, author of the bestselling book The Color of Law, delivered an address to a standing-room-only crowd at the Congregational Church of San Mateo (CCSM). With nearly 400 community members in attendance, he described how government at all levels—national, state, and local—acted to segregate our communities and prevent all but whites from owning homes. 

On October 26, 2023, Richard Rothstein will return to San Mateo, accompanied this time by his daughter and housing policy expert, Leah Rothstein. Together they will discuss how concerned community members can act to undo the harms of this history and remedy a profoundly unconstitutional aspect of our nation’s past. The name of the event is Just Action, which is also the title of a book the two of them have co-authored, just released in June. The evening’s program will also feature examples of work being done locally to achieve the ends that are the focus of the event. 

Join Us from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, October 26, at Congregational Church of San Mateo,  225 Tilton Avenue, San Mateo. 

The program will include a Q&A period and be followed by a brief reception in the CCSM community hall.

The financial sponsor for this event is the San Mateo Anti-Displacement Coalition. Organizations involved in the planning include One San Mateo, Menlo Together, Housing Leadership Council, NAACP, the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort, Peninsula for Everyone, Pacifica Housing for all, and the social action ministries at St. Bart’s Parish and St. Matthews’ Catholic Church.

✧Menlo Together Community Meeting✧

Our partners at Menlo Together will host a community meeting to talk about you can help make Menlo Park more integrated and diverse, multi-generational and environmentally sustainable. This is an open meeting for anyone interested in meeting like-minded Menlo Park community members and learning more about topics and areas where Menlo Together is active, including:

• Environmental Justice
• Local history and education
• Housing
• Safe and sustainable transportation

Refreshments will be provided by The Neighborhood Pizza Guy and Cafe Zoë. In addition, a craft table with art activities, scissors and tape will set up. So bring your ideas AND your kids!

Here’s all the information you need to attend:

Menlo Together General Meeting 

Saturday, October 21, 3 - 5pm 

Location: Cafe Zöe, 1929 Menalto Ave, Menlo Park

✧Creating Equitable Housing Solutions through Community Involvement✧ 

Wednesday, October 18, 12:30 pm

Explore the critical role that community involvement plays in the creation and implementation of policies for equitable housing solutions. Too often, decisions about housing are made without sufficient input from the communities they will impact, exacerbating existing inequalities and failing to meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries. Collaborating with the community will provide insights from lived experience, develop trust between the community and government, and is a step towards redressing historical and ongoing inequities in housing. The panel will examine the best practices for engaging the community and identify obstacles communities and policymakers face.

Register Today!

✧Nonprofit Office Space Available in Daly City✧ 

Sweeney Lane is a 51-unit multifamily housing development at 6800 Mission Boulevard in Daly City. The available space is 2,230 square feet on the ground floor, with a separate entrance and 4 dedicated parking spaces. The site is a 15-minute walk from the Daly City Bart Station, with a bus stop across the street with many neighboring businesses.

The space is currently a core and cold shell, meaning the interior does not have furnishings, fixtures, or built-out bathrooms. Funds are available to assist with the build-out of the space, which can be tailored to specific needs. 

For more information, contact Serena Ip, at sip@midpen-housing.org

HLC News

✧Meet HLC's New Associate Director!✧ 

Introducing HLC’s new Associate Director, Kalisha Webster! A Bay Area native, Kalisha graduated from San Jose State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work. Kalisha’s passion for supporting the fight for housing justice is fueled by both her professional and lived experiences. Prior to joining HLC, Kalisha supported people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find affordable housing in San Mateo County as both a housing coordinator and affordable housing advocate. From this work, Kalisha saw how the housing crisis affects some of the most vulnerable members of our community. She is bringing to HLC her organizing skills, lived experience, and strategic vision. We are so fortunate to have Kalisha on our team!