January 15, 2026

The Fourth and Fifth Bricks of the Fellowship (Days 4 and 5)

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As we move through the pilot year of the Brick by Brick (BXB) Fellowship, we completed Days Four and Five of the program and are now preparing for Day Six in February. This next session will mark the launch of a new mentor-coaching component connecting Fellows with leaders from SV@Home and Destination:Home. Here is what the days consisted of: 

Day Four: Leadership & Community Engagement

  • Leadership training facilitated by SV@Home Executive Director Regina Celestin Williams
  • Focus areas included values-driven leadership, purpose and vision, courage, adaptability, and leading with love
  • Interactive team exercise emphasizing collaboration and creative problem-solving
  • Co-hosted holiday gathering with Destination:Home for PATH Villas at 4th residents
  • Site tour of Villas at 4th
  • Training on affordable housing preservation, tenant protections, and power-mapping led by SV@Home’s Emily Ann Ramos, covering:
    • Rent control
    • Just cause eviction protections
    • Rent relief
    • Community opportunity to purchase

Day Five: Policy, Communications & Practice

  • Overview of how government functions and how housing policy and advocacy operate within it, led by SV@Home Director of Policy Alison Cingolani
  • Deep dive into local government structures and the policy-making process
  • Introduction to the Fellows’ capstone-style project: planning and hosting Affordable Housing Month events in May
  • Communications training with Strategic Communications Manager Mariela Lopez on developing clear, credible housing messages and visuals
  • Self-care and resiliency session centered on Dr. Shawn Ginwright’s Four Pivots, focused on:
    • Transformational relationships over transactional relationships 
    • Collective care and healing; mindfulness of every person’s own struggles
    • And vulnerability in movement-building

Day Six (Upcoming): Mentor-Coaching & Systems Focus

  • Training on Fair Housing, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, and Housing Elements
  • Mentor-coaching orientation with SV@Home and Destination:Home leaders
  • Overview of the homelessness prevention system

Three sessions remain as we head toward Affordable Housing Month! More to come.