The theme for this year’s Affordable Housing Month is Building Community, reinforcing our relationships with the people, neighborhoods, and local partners committed to making housing justice a reality. This year’s theme emphasizes the need for all of us to deepen our commitment to this work and lay the building blocks of a future that we can only construct together.
Did you miss out on an Affordable Housing Month 2023 event?
Never fear! Going virtual has allowed us to record many of our events and partner events for you to view at your convenience. Check out some of these great events below:
Week 1
5/2/2023: From Scarcity to Abundance: Bringing the Bay Area Together Towards Homes for All (NPH)
Together, we discussed the importance of centering racial equity, lived expertise, and community in our narrative strategies and advocacy for housing justice, all while imagining together what an abundant housing future will look, feel, smell, and sound like.
Week 2
5/8/2022: Permanent Supportive Housing Modular Construction (Episcopal Community Services)
Learn how Federal, State, and Municipal initiatives can be catalyzed through innovation and collaborative partnerships through development, design, construction, and supportive service programs convergence. This presentation explores an actual new 256-units affordable housing development on a 1.16 AC site that serves unhoused residents and seniors over 55
5/9/23: Centering Lived Experience in Our Work to End Homelessness: Why & How (Destination: Home)
The work to end homelessness in our community has historically not included those most impacted by the crisis – and who this work aims to serve – people with lived experience of homelessness. The purpose of this event is to encourage and support organizations involved in this work to not only listen to the true experts of the homelessness experience but really center them every step of the way. Join us to learn about the importance of centering lived experience in the work to end homelessness and the actionable steps you and your organization can take to do so.
5/11/2022: Housing is Healthcare (Latinas Contra Cancer)
How can our Valley become a place where no one becomes unhoused or at risk of losing their current housing because of a diagnosis? What will it take to get there? Listen to a dialogue on how housing is healthcare and opportunities for prevention.
5/11/2022: San Jose for All: SJ Design Standards and Guidelines (Van Meter Williams Pollock)
This panel shares the process of developing the guidelines and the implications for housing, development, and building community in San Jose. The design team and city staff who developed the document will share the background thinking behind the chapters, and how the team tried to make it accessible to the general public, and how this document will shape a livable San Jose for all the community members who live, work, play in San Jose.
5/11/2022: Black Housing: Land, Crisis, and Reparations Passcode: e+5Qc0hS (African American Community Services)
As we engage and inform our African American/African Ancestry community and other hard-to-find populations, it is important to acknowledge the loss of land and the decline of Black homeownership for Black Americans. This conversation encompasses declining rates of land ownership, Black farmland, homeownership, and the long-term effects eminent domain and racism have had on Black wealth building as well as reparations and how to increase ownership moving forward.
5/11/23: Page St. Studios Affordable Housing Tour (Catalyze SV & Housing Choices)
Catalyze SV & Housing Choices hosted a tour of Charities Housing newest affordable housing project. Community members, city staff and residents were given an inside look into what makes Page St. Studios a great place to live.
Week 3
5/15/23: Exploring LGBTQ+ Affirming Affordable Housing for Older Adults Passcode: 4!gGZ4iA (Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs)
Join the County of Santa Clara Office of LGBTQ Affairs in discussing the importance of LGBTQ+ affirming affordable housing options for older adults. This event is part of SV@Home’s Affordable Housing Month series.
5/16/23: One Year Later, Keeping Momentum: Our Vision for Safe, Affordable Housing in Silicon Valley (Momentum for Health)
Momentum for Health exists to help individuals achieve mental and emotional health, discover and reach their potential, and fully participate in life. Last year for SV@Home, Momentum brought you the stories of three clients who were able to take the next steps in their journeys to recovery by accessing safe, supportive housing. We also shared our vision of rolling out 1,000 beds across several new housing projects to serve even more people in our community. Now, one year later, we’re thrilled to share some new developments with you.
5/18/23: Preserving Housing & Centering Tenants with Opportunities to Purchase (SPUR)
One critical solution to strengthen our communities and protect tenants from losing their homes is the Tenant or Community Opportunity to Purchase Act. We’re bringing together community organizers, policymakers, government officials, and affordable housing experts who have been on the front lines of drafting and adopting the act. They’ll explore how they’ve combatted opposition to and misinformation about the act, how government and philanthropy can creatively support the act’s implementation, and how the lessons they’ve learned can assist other jurisdictions looking to adopt a similar act.
5/19/23: May 2023 PIA: Breaking Down Barriers to Racial & Economic Equity in Access to ADU Construction (SV@Home) View in Spanish
Recent research from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley reveals racial and socioeconomic disparities in which homeowners can build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). ADUs can provide much-needed additional homes in our communities and are an important potential source of revenue for lower-income homeowners. Learn about the disparities and innovative actions local jurisdictions can take to remove barriers to ADU construction for lower-income homeowners of color, along with broader recommendations to increase ADU construction overall.
Week 4
5/24/23: Equitable Housing Decarbonization: Visualizing Intersections (Build it Green, SV@Home, & Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County)
This webinar discusses the intersections that are an essential part to lowering the carbon impact of our homes in an equitable and meaningful way. We explore the ways in which sectors like sustainability, health, the workforce, education, policy, and finance are interrelated, bridge connections and raise awareness to understand what is missing in the equitable housing decarbonization conversation for program designers, administrators, and decision makers, and include a mini workshop to provide insights, feedback, and ideas on the collaborative diagram.
5/25/23: Faster Approvals Through Robust Community Engagement (Engage FORA)
Want faster entitlements approval? Invest in community engagement! We’re encouraging project teams to slow down and listen first to community members. Gain hyper-local knowledge and a valuable support system, helping accelerate and streamline the path to entitlements approval. Learn how we accelerated entitlements from 15 months down to 3 months through a meaningful and inclusive community outreach process.