As the Bay Area continues to grapple with the urgent need for more affordable housing—and the resources required to build and preserve it—SV@Home is committed to ensuring that Santa Clara County has a strong voice in regional conversations about what comes next.
Regina Celestin Williams, SV@Home’s Executive Director, is part of a South Bay contingent representing Santa Clara County on the Regional Housing Stakeholder Committee. The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA)-led committee brings together leaders from across the Bay Area to help shape regional housing strategies and grow resources for affordable housing.
The work is expected to unfold in three phases. Through the end of 2026, the focus is on stakeholder engagement, technical research, and developing a unified Policy Framework. In 2027, the work is expected to turn toward potential state legislation needed to amend BAHFA’s existing authority. That could set the stage for public engagement, agency alignment, and potentially a regional revenue measure in 2028.
What Is Being Discussed?
The committee is digging into some of the fundamental questions that will determine what a future regional housing strategy could look like.
One major question is how to generate resources at the scale our housing challenges require. A Revenue Mechanisms Subcommittee is examining a range of potential tools, including those already authorized under BAHFA’s statute and others that would require changes in state law. Options under discussion include general obligation bonds, parcel taxes, business-based taxes, sales taxes, payroll taxes, and real estate transfer taxes. These options are being evaluated against considerations including the amount of revenue they could generate, equity, public viability, administrative feasibility, and eligible uses.
Another major discussion is how future resources could be used. The conversation is grounded in the 3 Ps—Production, Preservation, and Protection. That means considering how regional funding could help produce new affordable homes, preserve existing housing as permanently affordable, and support tenant protections and homelessness prevention. The specific allocations and eligible uses remain part of the policy discussion.
The committee is also using a Gradients of Agreement process to better understand where participating organizations align and where significant differences remain. Rather than assuming consensus, this approach allows committee members to indicate varying levels of support for proposals and gives the process a clearer picture of where additional conversation and compromise may be needed.
Bringing the Regional Conversation Home
Our participation reflects an important part of SV@Home’s role: staying at the table when consequential regional decisions are being shaped, bringing the perspectives and priorities of Santa Clara County into those conversations, and making sure our local housing community has the information it needs to engage.
The need for new and sustainable affordable housing resources remains significant. Meeting our region’s housing goals will require continued collaboration across jurisdictions and sectors, as well as new approaches to generating and deploying funding for affordable housing production, preservation, and housing stability.
Just as importantly, we want this process to be transparent and accessible to the broader housing community. SV@Home is making the handouts, presentations, and other resources we receive through the Regional Housing Stakeholder Committee available to our members and partners. We encourage you to use these materials to follow the conversation, understand the proposals being considered, and share your perspectives with us.
We are also creating opportunities for our community to stay informed and help shape our engagement. On June 26, 2026, SV@Home hosted a partner briefing to share updates from the regional process and hear directly from our partners. We will continue providing updates through virtual briefings and conversations at SV@Home events, including our Developer Roundtables and Elected Official Roundtables.
These conversations are especially important as more of the housing ecosystem hones in on a shared challenge: we need to significantly increase the resources available to support the impactful work of our sector. Producing and preserving affordable homes, protecting housing stability, and sustaining the organizations and partnerships that make this work possible will require greater investment and a coordinated strategy across the region.
Our goal is not simply to participate in the regional process, but to create a stronger connection between that process and the advocates, affordable housing developers, community-based organizations, local governments, funders, and residents working on housing every day in Santa Clara County.
As the committee’s work progresses, we will continue to share updates and opportunities for input. Your perspectives will help inform what SV@Home brings to the regional table as we work together to secure the policies and resources necessary to create a Bay Area where everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.