SHA Logo
Weekly Update
August 28, 2013

 

In this Issue:

SHA_News

SHA News
Executive_Director_Job_Opening
SHA Announces Executive Director Job Opening

  

 

View the Executive Director Position Description

 

Affordable housing in Sacramento faces great challenges and opportunities. As the economic downturn caused home ownership to decline and rent prices to increase, working families struggled to stay afloat. The Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA) seeks a visionary Executive Director with innovative solutions for this recovering housing environment. The ideal candidate will have a strong affordable housing policy background which will inform the way current challenges are addressed, as well as a solid commitment to the Sacramento community.

 

SHA, a 25 year-old organization with strong community partnerships, has been the Sacramento area's voice for affordable housing and regional equity in policy decisions and community planning. Future challenges include preserving the mixed income housing ordinances in both the city and county of Sacramento, helping to reshape the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and building on the regional equity initiatives of the recent past. The organization is seeking a leader with a blend of political organizing and affordable housing policy knowledge to successfully address these challenges.

 

The Executive Director will play an inspirational role in the struggle not only for affordable housing, but also for healthy, environmentally sustainable communities. He or she will guide the Sacramento Housing Alliance, a long-established organization, into its next chapter of success with patience, dedication, a vision for productive change and strategic planning skills. SHA's diverse Board of Directors provides an exceptional support network for the Executive Director, offering expertise, guidance and collaboration.

 

Can you envision yourself in this important leadership role? Apply now.

 

  

 

After clicking the link above, please add a personal message to scroll to the "Executive Director Job Opening" section of this e-newsletter.  

Pilgrimage
Action Alert! Pilgrimage to Support Affordable Housing: Sept. 3

 

 

 

 

When:  Tuesday, September 3, 

Pilgrimage:  3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
City Council Meeting:    6:00 p.m.           

  

Where:
Pilgrimage: 2620 Capitol Ave., Sacramento, 95816

City Council Meeting: 915 I Street, Sacramento, 95814

 

The City of Sacramento is proposing to make drastic changes to the City's Mixed Income Housing Ordinance that are detrimental to ensuring that housing is built for residents of low, very low and extremely low income levels. We advocate for inclusionary communities and healthy neighborhoods which create opportunities for everyone to fulfill the American dream, and these changes do not do that

 

Join us and our community partners, Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT), as we make an interfaith and community pilgrimage from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral to Sacramento City Hall on Tuesday, September 3rd at 3:30 p.m. Together we'll fight to strengthen the language in the City's Housing Element portion of the 2014-2021 General Plan to include 15% for low-income residents of the city. Please also stay for the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. and let our Councilmembers know that before drastic changes to the ordinance are made, the policies and practices within the ordinance itself need to be reviewed by a Citizen's Committee--one which includes people who care about residents of all income levels in our community, not just Building Industry executives. 

 

Your attendance and support now is vital, You can help keep housing inclusive and within reach for everyone in our community!

 

 

Visit the City's General Plan and Housing Element webpages. 

 

 

After clicking the link above, please add a personal message to scroll to the "Pilgrimage to Support Affordable Housing" section of this e-newsletter.  

Public_Forum 
Save the Date: BCLI 
Public Forum:
Community Values in Local and Regional Decision Making

 

When: Wednesday, September 4, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Mercy Housing 7th & H
            720 7th Street, Sacramento, 95814

 

Often, community voices are glaringly absent for public decision-making processes. Many public processes, such as neighborhood and county planning document updates or development decisions, are structured to facilitate a streamlined process instead of to facilitate meaningful engagement of residents in decision-making. 

 

Join the 2013 Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute cohort for a public forum with regional leaders who work to engage community members in local and regional decision-making. You'll have the chance to take part in a discussion about why community participation is meaningful, how it is being done and what each of us can do to make public decisions better represent the needs of our communities.  

 

Panelists

Charles Mason, President & CEO, Ubuntu Green

Mike Somers, State Director, Pesticide Watch

 

About BCLI Public Forums

Monthly from September through December, the BCLI cohort hosts a public forum on a current topic important to communities in the region. The event features a panel of speakers who discuss their relevant work, followed by an in-depth discussion with the audience. The forums provide an opportunity for the BCLI cohort to meet regional leaders working in various sectors, to provide education and an opportunity for discussion to the public in attendance.

 

Save the date for the following Public Forums:

October 2: Affordable Housing in Crisis

November 6: Transportation for Everyone

December 4: Food Access

 

All forums will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Mercy Housing 7th & H (720 7th Street, Sacramento, 95814).

BCLI_2013_Cohort 
Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute Kickoff Welcomes 2013 Cohort

 

                    

 

On August 21st, SHA celebrated the induction of the 2013 Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI) cohort alongside friends, family and community supporters. Guests got to know the new cohort as they enjoyed bruschetta and homemade strawberry lemonade from Always Delicious Catering.  

Paul Ainger, SHA's Board President, introduced BCLI Alumnus Edward T. Lewis and Assemblymember Roger Dickinson of the 7th DistrictAssemblymember Dickinson captured the spirit of the event during his keynote address: "The message here tonight is one that your unique perspective can help shape the future of our city, our county, our state."

  

At the end of the event, the 2013 cohort stood in front of a supportive and welcoming audience, ready to affect change in their communities. Read all about this group of leaders.

 

About the BCLI Program

The BCLI Program will prepare those selected for the cohort with the skills necessary to serve on Sacramento area boards and commissions effectively. The cohort will also learn about current policy issues from leaders in six areas: housing/homelessness, land use, transportation, food access, environmental justice and community health.

 

Do you have questions about the BCLI Program? Contact Veronica Beaty at veronica@sachousingalliance.org or (916) 455-4900 ext. 306. 

Affordable_Housing_Tour 
SHA Holds Affordable Housing Tour, Visits 11 Properties
Ken Cross shows the tour Sacramento Habitat for Humanity's
future affordable housing site at Indian Lane.
SHA's Affordable Housing Tour traveled throughout Sacramento and Elk Grove last Thursday, showing nearly 40 people developments that cater to lower income families. Ken Cross, President and CEO of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity, and Rachel Iskow, Executive Director of Mutual Housing, shared their affordable housing expertise, illuminating state and local policy, the life-changing impact for families and the dedication of developers to quality units and environmental sustainability.

 

SHA and the tour group visited the following properties:
 
Fremont Mews - CADA & SHRA
Pensione K - Barone Galasso & Associates, Inc.
7th & H - Mercy Housing
La Valentina - Domus Development
St. Francis Terrace - Mercy Housing
Boulevard Court - Mercy Housing
Lemon Hill - Mutual Housing
Colonia San Martin - Mercy Housing
Indian Lane (future home) - Habitat for Humanity
Vintage at Laguna - USA Properties
Sacramento Habitat for Humanity Home 
 
Tour participants enjoyed lunch from the N Street Cafe, trivia and guest speakers such as Domus Development's Bernadette Austin and Pensione K's Dennis Perez. 
 
Michael Boyd of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association said, "...[I]t was an eye opener. The housing was surprisingly nice and respectful. We should all welcome these quality homes in our neighborhoods."
City_Letter
Action Alert! Sign SHA's Open Letter to the Sacramento Mayor and City Council

 

Are you a resident of Sacramento? Your signature onto our Open Letter will send a clear message to the Sacramento Mayor and City Council that everyone in our community deserves an affordable home. Together, we can safeguard the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance, ensure affordable housing is built as the City grows and expand the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

 

Spread the word on this important cause to other Sacramento residents! After clicking the link below, please add a personal message to scroll to the Action Alert section of this e-newsletter.

 

                       

SHC_Call_to_Action
Help End Hunger Now! Sign the Sacramento Hunger Coalition's Online Petition

  

 

Sign our online petition to demand a 2013 hearing on the state of hunger in California.

 

After clicking the link below, please add a personal message to scroll to the Help End Hunger section of this e-newsletter.

 

  

localnews

Local News
Davis_Enterprise 
The Davis Enterprise Article: Sequester impacts low-income housing
The Davis Enterprise

 

"On Tuesday, Rep. John Garamendi listened to men and women talk about dwindling federal housing help. He had little to offer in return, except a vow to retell their stories in Washington, D.C.


'I can't promise anything,' said Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, during an hourlong meeting at The Villas public housing complex in which he painted the Republican leaders of the House as "blind" to the struggles of people in their own communities.

Due to sequestration, the Yolo County Housing Authority can provide rent vouchers to 244 fewer families this year.

Ordinarily, 73 families on a waiting list of almost 11,000 would have received a call by now, but staff members quit making those calls almost a year ago."  

 

Read Cory Golden's full article here.

B_of_A_and_Mutual_Housing 
Press Release: Bank awards green grants to local housing nonprofit
                                                  

 

The Bank of America Foundation recently awarded Mutual Housing California a $25,000 grant for predevelopment expenses of 61 new apartments and townhomes in Woodland for agricultural workers and their families.

 

"Stable, affordable housing and home ownership are the cornerstones of financial prosperity for individuals and communities," said Lori A. Rianda, Bank of America Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

When opened in 2015, Mutual Housing at Spring Lake is expected to bring the green revolution to a population that has not been able to take advantage of it in the past. The community will be one of the first zero-net energy communities for farm workers and their families in Northern California. 

 

Read the full press release here.

statenews

State News

SB_391_Update 

Assembly Appropriations to Vote on SB 391 August 30
Letters Needed Today 

 

 

 

Thanks to all your hard work, The California Homes and Jobs Act (SB 391) continues to move through the Assembly. On Friday, August 30th, the bill will be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and put on the "suspense file." That same day, the committee will vote whether or not to move the bill "off suspense," so it can go to the full Assembly for a vote. 

 

Ask the Assembly Appropriations Committee Members to Vote YES

 

Take Action: Visit the SB 391 Action Center to send letters to the Speaker of the Assembly, Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and select members of the Appropriations committee. 

 

What else can you do?  

 

Forward this e-mail to your listservs/contacts. After clicking the link below, please add a personal message to scroll to the CA Homes and Jobs Act section of this e-newsletter.

 

 


Huff_Post_Blog 
Huffington Post Blog: Why the 'California Homes and Jobs Act of 2013' Is Needed
Image from pdz_house

 

"When California's S.B. 375 was passed in 2008, there were many skeptics. The law aimed to get metropolitan regions around the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions through changes to development form and transportation. (If it were a country, California would rank somewhere between the world's tenth and twelfth largest economy, so its effect could be significant.) Last year, we and our Affiliate Network worked feverishly to get the California Homeowner Bill of Rights passed and signed into law. The work was hard and the hours were long, but ultimately we prevailed. When Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed the bill, he instantly gave California one of the country's strongest laws to protect homeowners from shady lending practices. It was a great victory that showcased the power of our Affiliate Network.

Our work isn't over, though."

Read the full blog from the National Council of La Raza.

National_News

National News
HUD_and_VA 
Press Release: HUD & VA Announce More Vouchers to Help Homeless Vets Get Into Permanent Homes 

 

"The U.S.  Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced the second round of HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) funding to local public housing agencies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  The $7.8 million will provide housing and clinical services for 1,120 currently homeless veterans.  In May of this year, the two agencies announced $60 million in HUD-VASH vouchers.  See state/local distribution of the assistance announced today.

 

The supportive housing assistance announced today is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Since 2008, a total of 58,140 vouchers have been awarded and 43,371 formerly homeless veterans are currently in homes of their own because of HUD-VASH."

 

Read the full press release here.

JOIN THE SACRAMENTO HOUSING ALLIANCE
 

 
Our mission is to work for safe, decent, accessible, affordable housing and healthy communities for homeless and low-income people through advocacy, education, leadership development and civic engagement.

Jessica Merrill

Communications Director

Sacramento Housing Alliance
1800 21st Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 455-4900 x302
jessica@sachousingalliance.org 
www.sachousingalliance.org

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