SAN JOSÉ, CA — Today, San José City Councilmember Pamela Campos delivered a powerful keynote address at SV@Home’s annual Housewarming Policy Luncheon, kicking off Affordable Housing Month 2025 in Santa Clara County. Her remarks underscored the urgent need to connect housing policy to the lived realities of children and families. She called for reframing housing not just as a policy issue, but as a moral imperative grounded in shared humanity.

Hosted by SV@Home, a local nonprofit leading change through affordable housing, the Housewarming Policy Luncheon convened housing advocates, community leaders, and policymakers to explore bold, equity-centered solutions to Silicon Valley’s housing crisis.

Councilmember Campos, the youngest woman ever elected to the San José City Council, brought a deeply personal and community-rooted perspective to the event. Reflecting on her own experience growing up in South San José as the daughter of immigrants and a product of local public schools, Campos emphasized how stable, affordable housing is foundational to children’s development, family well-being, and long-term community resilience.

“Every child deserves to live in a city built for them—one where each neighborhood offers a safe, stable place to call home and access to healthy early learning spaces. When we invest in these foundations, families have the freedom to grow, transcend, and thrive. Our policies should reflect who we are, who we value, and the kind of community we choose to be.”

The event also featured a data-focused presentation from Russell Hancock, President & CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and honored Huascar Castro, Housing and Transportation Director at Working Partnerships USA, with SV@Home’s annual Brick Award for local housing leaders.

SV@Home Executive Director, Regina Celestin Williams, praised Campos’s keynote as a reminder that: 

“When our leaders show up and lead with their heart, it reminds us we’re not in this work alone.”

The Housewarming: Housing Policy Luncheon is the flagship event  for Affordable Housing Month in Santa Clara County, a series of events throughout May to inform, inspire, and mobilize the community around housing justice.