This event is part of SV@Home’s Policy Luncheon Series, part of Affordable Housing Month 2021.
COVID-19 has only further laid bare the structural challenges underpinning the South Bay’s housing crisis. Over the last year, home prices have continued to skyrocket and, while average rents have fallen in major cities, demand for affordable housing has only risen as people have lost their jobs or significant parts of their income. At the same time, changes in our workplace may have an impact on the demand for housing, as some companies choose to leave the Bay Area and many consider changes to the physical space they occupy. Many families are rethinking their housing choices given the experiences they have had over the past year, looking for larger units and more open space. And many families are at risk of displacement as eviction moratoria end and protections for homeowners behind on their mortgages expire.
So what does this mean for affordable housing in a post-COVID Bay Area?
Join SV@Home for a discussion on the housing challenges we face as the South Bay returns to a new normal following COVID. Our panel will look at the state of the housing market, what employers are thinking and how that may impact our housing needs, how we can shape our recovery to create more affordable housing and to protect families from displacement, and how we build more equitable housing policies that provide opportunities to lower income families and communities of color.