Across the Bay Area there is a collective sense that the accelerating economy is not benefiting all residents. Many people are feeling vulnerable about their housing, their community, and their future.
The fact is we are in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis. The way that we deal with this crisis will have repercussions on racial and ethnic diversity, and artistic and cultural vitality of the region – in other words, the very things we value most about the Bay Area – for generations to come.
In San Francisco we have already seen this play out. Between 1990 and 2011 in San Francisco neighborhoods most impacted by gentrification the median monthly rent rose 40% and at the same time the city lost half of its African American population.
When we announced our strategy to advance racial and economic equity in the Bay Area, we recognized the need to make housing a central feature of the work. There is not one solution that can solve this problem. So we are taking a multi-faceted approached and invite you to join us.
Communities need new affordable homes, improved transit connections, jobs, and parks and art which speak to local cultures. We recommend the following nonprofit organizations working to anchor communities through affordable housing and tenant protections and we invite donors to partner with us in supporting them.
We invite you to invest in organizations working to increase the voice and power of low-income communities of color, preserve and build affordable housing, and protect tenant’s rights across the region.
PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR COMMUNITIES AT RISK OF DISPLACEMENT
Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services has worked to retain the health, quality of life, and culture of extremely low-income seniors and longtime African American residents for more than forty years. Their programs include adult day health care, nutritious meals, case management, money management, a senior ex-offender program, and affordable housing. https://bhpmss.org/
BRIDGE Housing creates high-quality, affordable homes, making it possible for seniors, teachers, construction workers, childcare professionals, retail workers and others priced out of the housing market to stay in the Bay Area. Formed through an anonymous gift to The San Francisco Foundation in 1983, BRIDGE has developed over 16,000 homes serving more than 40,000 people. http://bridgehousing.com/
Chinatown Community Development Center works to ensure that Chinatown remains affordable for low-income residents and immigrants by acquiring, building and rehabilitating housing in and around San Francisco’s Chinatown. Born out of the struggle to save the I-Hotel in 1977, today Chinatown CDC owns or manages twenty-six affordable housing projects, including many single-room occupancy units (SROs), with over 3,000 tenants. http://www.chinatowncdc.org/
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) builds and preserves high quality, affordable homes for low-income individuals and families in Oakland. Through their new Housing Acquisition Fund, EBALDC is working to purchase apartment buildings and stabilize the rents of low-income tenants before properties become permanently unaffordable. With forty years of experience and more than 2,000 homes, EBALDC is uniquely positioned to buy and preserve affordable rental housing in today’s tough real estate market. http://ebaldc.org/
Mission Housing Development Corporation is a community based organization founded in 1971 which creates and preserves high-quality affordable housing for families, seniors and special needs individuals of low- and moderate-incomes in the Mission District and San Francisco. They are one of the largest non-profit housing organizations in the city, owning or managing 35 buildings and serving almost 3,000 residents. missionhousing.org
Resources for Community Development has created and preserved affordable housing for over thirty years. They serve low-income individuals and families with household incomes of twenty to sixty percent of the area median income and provide homes for more than 4,000 residents, with over 2,200 homes developed in 65 communities and 20 cities in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties. https://rcdhousing.org/
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation provides affordable housing for 3,600 of San Francisco’s lowest income residents in thirty-three buildings in the Tenderloin and central city neighborhoods, as well as comprehensive support services and community organizing activities to reduce residential displacement, help tenants stabilize their lives and strengthen neighborhoods. http://www.tndc.org/
Oakland Community Land Trust is a nonprofit that purchases and renovates properties for the permanent benefit of low-income residents. By removing land from the market and holding it in perpetuity, the Land Trust provides a buffer from rising rents and home prices that threaten to displace struggling families. Through its unique model, low-income individuals can become homeowners, while the Land Trust ensures that properties stay affordable. http://oakclt.org/
PROTECT RESIDENTS FROM DISPLACEMENT
ACCE Institute works with tenants and homeowners who are defending their homes from foreclosure or eviction. Their efforts have helped more than 600 families keep their homes. Founded in 2010, ACCE has offices in Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and statewide. http://www.acceinstitute.org/
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) The mission of BOSS is to help homeless, poor, and disabled people achieve health and self-sufficiency, and to fight against the root causes of poverty and homelessness. Founded in 1971 in Berkeley, BOSS is an award-winning organization that works one-on-one with families and individuals who are facing deep poverty and multiple special needs, to help them achieve stable income, permanent affordable housing, and lasting wellness. BOSS serves 1,500 new people each year. https://self-sufficiency.org/
Causa Justa::Just Cause works to promote fair housing through community organizing; advocacy to increase affordable housing and improve renter protections; and tenant services, including advice for renters facing rent increases, evictions, or discrimination. http://cjjc.org/
The East Bay Community Law Center provides legal services to prevent the displacement of low-income people and people of color. Attorneys in the Housing Program defend low-income tenants from eviction, especially those in section 8 or public housing, and work to advance and implement legal protections. http://ebclc.org/
ADVOCATE TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
East Bay Housing Organizations is a membership-based non-profit organization founded in 1984 that is dedicated to working with communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to preserve, protect and expand affordable housing opportunities through education, advocacy, organizing, and coalition building. http://www.ebho.org/
Faith in Action Bay Area organizes a grassroots network of faith communities, including over 40 congregations and schools representing 30,000 families, across San Francisco and San Mateo counties. They develop courageous community leaders and bold grassroots campaigns on issues like displacement and housing affordability that directly impact their members. https://movement2016.org/group/faith-in-action-bay-area/
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California activates its members to make the Bay Area a place where everyone has an affordable and stable home. The Association brings together 750 affordable housing developers, advocates, community leaders and businesses to secure resources, promote good policy, educate the public and support affordable homes as the foundation for thriving individuals, families and neighborhoods. http://nonprofithousing.org/about-nph/
Public Advocates fights for funding to build more affordable housing; community benefits to ensure that low income communities have a voice in, and a fair share of the benefits of new development; and fair housing policies to protect low-income communities and tenants from displacement and gentrification. http://www.publicadvocates.org/our-work/housing/
The San Francisco Interfaith Council convenes and organizes faith communities to combat displacement and ensure housing affordability in San Francisco. Representing over 800 congregations, the Council mobilizes faith-based communities to act as first responders to crisis and disaster, and to provide a range of programs and direct services including shelters and free breakfast programs for extremely low-income communities facing homelessness. http://www.sfinterfaithcouncil.org/
Urban Habitat works to democratize power and advance equitable policies to create a just and connected Bay Area for low-income communities and communities of color. Through its leadership development, transportation justice, land use, and housing programs, Urban Habitat strategically links local advocacy and organizing efforts to the broader movement for equitable development at the regional level and increases the capacity of people to effectively participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives. http://www.urbanhabitat.org/
