|  | Year-End Giving: We Need Your Support |
| Dear members and supporters, At the end of this extraordinary year, we at Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County are grateful for your partnership. You’ve given us time, energy and money to help us help others. With your support, we will continue to fight to increase the availability of affordable housing as a direct and meaningful solution that will strengthen public health conditions, address racial inequities, and combat climate change. We hope you will join us, as we continue to build our movement and push for public policies that will lead everyone in our County to a safe and decent home. Will you please help us with a donation by year end? We believe in you and wish you good health, comfort and joy. Warmest regards, HLC staff and board members |
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| The Housing Leadership Council's Letter to the California Debit Limit Allocation Committee This week, the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County submitted a letter to the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC), asking them to allocate $600 million to new affordable homes, and to prioritize extremely low-income populations. |
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| | Measure Y Opponents: Don't Panic, There are Still Votes to be Counted! |
| The city-wide height and density limit that has hampered new housing for the past 30 years in San Mateo has edged ahead, but only by 34 votes! The next update is today at 4:30 pm. Please check our social media accounts for the latest numbers. |
| You're Invited! No on Measure Y Gratitude Tour |
| To acknowledge the hard work of our supporters and thank our elected leaders in San Mateo, the Housing Leadership Council will be hosting a bike ride through the city on Saturday, December 5th from 10 am to 11:30 am! The event will be limited to 20 participants on a “first-come” basis. All participants will be required to wear masks, socially distance and abide by the state’s guidelines for safety. |
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| | Housing Our Most Vulnerable Populations with Project Homekey This is a personal message from one of our organizers, Alex Melendrez |
| You might be wondering why this strange image is in our newsletter. When it comes to the topic of those experiencing homelessness, I struggle to write out how I feel. I have so much to say and sometimes my emotions get the better of me. So I decided to lead with this image. As silly and simplistic as this image is, I've seen it shared around my friends and colleagues. The cold recently set in and California has hundreds of thousands of unsheltered people who are exposed to the routine elements, as well as COVID-19. In San Mateo County, one of the wealthiest counties in America, we also struggle to provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness. |
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| This is why I want to thoroughly thank the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors for their compassion and bravery approving two “Project Homekey” proposals in Redwood City, to provide shelter to those experiencing homelessness. Project Homekey is an initiative by the State to rapidly turn hotels into homes for our most vulnerable populations. One of the things the image above undersells, however, is the process of creating homes and shelter, which can be difficult, expensive, and sometimes unpopular. The speed of Project Homekey is unprecedented, and that reflects back to the County on their incredible efforts to turn land, money and political will into homes. We know permanent, supportive and transitional housing is very much needed in our County, so I seriously can’t overstate how great an opportunity this is. For more info about Project Homekey in San Mateo, check out this Daily Journal article. At the Grand Opening of Colma’s Veteran’s Village, I vividly remember someone describing the perceived restoration of their humanity and the dignity of what a home provides. I’ve thought about that moment a lot recently and couldn’t help but choke up a bit when these proposals were passed. The longer I work at the Housing Leadership Council, the more often I tend to think about our unhoused populations as the weather shifts. The summer heat, wildfire smoke, the winter cold are all increasing as the effects of climate change become worse (which we could combat by creating more homes close to transit). Now, I think of these proposals and the manifestation of the phrase “Housing is Healthcare.” |
| ASK📣: I know this topic unfortunately riles up very negative feedback to officials who make the brave decision to shelter those experiencing homelessness. I’d highly encourage our readers to send a thank you email to the Board of Supervisors. If you need help, let me know at: amelendrez@hlcsmc.org Sincerely, Alex Melendrez, Digital Organizer |
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| | | Whoo hooo! Redwood City has been on a roll. This Monday, the Redwood City Council approved 540 homes, 147 of which (27%) will be affordable. “South Main” in Redwood City will go a long way to providing some of the deepest levels of affordable housing, while housing critical populations like those with developmental disabilities. We want to thank the City of Redwood City and the Council for their continued commitment to affordable housing in Redwood City. If you would like to join in our gratitude, email the Council here (If you need assistance we can help with that as well). |
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| | Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
🤝Action: Send your comments to ABAG As California enters the final phase of the 5th RHNA cycle, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) has the task of allocating 441,176 new homes for the next one; which begins in 2023 and ends in 2031. On October 15th, the ABAG Executive Committee took the very important first step of approving Methodology 8A, using the Plan Bay Area 2050 Households blueprint last October 15th. The methodology considers cities that are located in high opportunity areas (i.e. high economic and educational outcomes), proximity to jobs and public transit for our very low and low income residents; and looks at access to high opportunity areas and job proximity for moderate and above moderate income residents. |
|  | What does this mean for the Peninsula? We are tasked with building 48,490 new homes over a 9-year period. A mere 11%! This 11% ensures that our communities keep pace with the rate of future job creation in our County. It allows our neighborhoods to stay intact by keeping our essential workers housed. It allows our children to stay in Peninsula schools and to strengthen our local businesses. The methodology has now entered the critical public comment period; which runs through Friday, November 27th. Please show your support by writing to RHNA@bayareametro.gov today! |
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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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