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Weekly Update
October 30, 2013

 

In this Issue:

SHA_News

SHA News
Executive_Director_SHA
SHA Seeks Executive Director

Apply Now

 

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 an effective and visionary Executive Director with innovative solutions for this recovering housing environment. The Executive Director will lead the organization's advocacy and education efforts around affordable housing, homelessness, land use and transportation. 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. The mission of SHA is to promote quality affordable and accessible housing and enhanced opportunities for lower income households and homeless individuals. SHA is an advocacy, coalition building and education organization focused on improving local and regional public policy for people at the lowest incomes. 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 serve as Chief Executive Officer of the corporation and represent the organization in public settings.  Under the supervision of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for all aspects of operating the organization, for administering an annual operating budget of $500,000, supervising staff, directing key programs, policy initiatives, and member services, as well as overseeing fund raising, marketing and communication functions. 

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.

Sac_County
Affordable Housing in Sacramento County at Risk; Important Dates Ahead

 

 

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has announced that its 2013-2021 Housing Element was adopted on October 8, 2013 (scroll to the bottom). SHA and our community partners did our best to fight for stronger protection language for the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance within the Housing Element--an important enforcement document. Though we did not get as strong of language as we would have liked (we did get some), the fight now focuses on protecting the Inclusionary Housing ordinance itself. Now at risk, this ordinance provides a 15% requirement for developers to build affordable housing mixed among other income levels. 

 
Mark your calendars for the following important events, which will help protect this ordinance and safeguard the future of equitable, affordable and economically vibrant communities in Sacramento County. More information to come!
  • Stakeholder's Organizing Meeting
    What: Together as a coalition, we will participate in the public process and plan advocacy and outreach strategies to save the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.
    When: Wednesday, November 6 at 3 p.m.
    Where: Sacramento Housing Alliance: 1800 21st Street, Suite 100; Sacramento       
  •  
  • Sacramento County Planning Commission Meeting 
    What: Let our Planning Commissioners know that the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance is an essential tool to prevent segregation and increase the much-needed supply of affordable housing in our community. The Planning Commission will make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for a final decision.
    When: Monday, November 18 at 5:30 p.m.
    Where: SRCSD Administrative Offices: 10060 Goethe Road; Sacramento        
  •  
  • SHRA Commission Meeting
    What: The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Commission will gain input from the community and make suggestions regarding the ordinance to the Board of Supervisors.
    When: Wednesday, November 20, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
    Where: SHRA: 801 12th Street; Sacramento     
  •  
  • Special Action Before the Sacramento County Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Hearing
    What: Stay tuned for more information!
    When: Monday, December 9 at 4 p.m.
    Where: To be announced    
  •  
  • Sacramento County Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Hearing
    What: This will be our final opportunity to save the ordinance and appeal directly to the Board of Supervisors. Please join us for this critical meeting--a large turnout is essential! When: Tuesday, December 10; the meeting will occur sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (we will update the time as this date approaches)
    Where: County Administration Center - 700 H Street; Sacramento    
  •  
  • Sacramento County Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Vote
    What: The Board of Supervisors will vote on a final version of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.
    When: Tuesday, December 17; the meeting will occur sometime between 0:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (we will update the time as this date approaches)
    Where: County Administration Center - 700 H Street; Sacramento  
A_Season_of_Thanks
 
Save the Date: A Season of Thanks: An Affordable Care Act Enrollment & Housing Information Event
 
Transportation_for_Everyone
Register Now: BCLI Public Forum: Transportation for Everyone
 
 
Brownfields_and_Vacant_Spaces
Save the Date: Brownfields and Vacant Spaces Summit: Turning Input into Action

 

 

 

 Get Tickets

 

When:  Thursday, November 7, 12:30 p.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Shriners Hospital
            2425 Stockton Blvd., First Floor Auditorium; Sacramento  

 

Don't miss the Brownfields and Vacant Spaces Summit: Turning Input Into Action.

Ubuntu Green, the Sacramento Housing Alliance/Coalition on Regional Equity, and the UC Davis Center for Regional Change will unveil our Brownfields and Vacant Spaces Green Paper, a document that highlights our research, resident-informed data, and input from our campaign forums on brownfields and vacant spaces in the Sacramento Region. Participants will then work to turn that paper into an action campaign.  

CalFresh_Connections
Save the Date: CalFresh Workshop   

 

 

Register Now

When:  Thursday, November 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Sacramento Food Bank Community Room 
             3333 3rd Avenue, Sacramento
 

CalFresh helps millions of low-income Californians purchase healthy food for their families and enables them to budget for other necessities, such as rent and childcare. Whether you offer direct services to low-income families or provide advocacy, CalFresh is an essential program to become familiar with.

Community Connections: From Eligibility to Advocacy provides training for community-based organizations that would like to increase their knowledge of the program. Experts from the Sacramento region will provide key insights into best practices for client advocacy, the enrollment process, and new opportunities for food access. A light lunch will be provided after the training. Space is limited. Register now!

Trainers

 

localnews

Local News
Trailside_Terrace
Save the Date: Mercy Housing California's Grand Opening of Trailside Terrace

 

 

 

Speakers Program | Ribbon Cutting | Reception

 

When:  Thursday, November 21, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Where: 4050 Sunset Lane
            Shingle Springs, CA 95682 
RSVP:  Contact Punam Patel at (415) 355-7107 or ppatel@mercyhousing.org.

 

Trailside Terrace is a new Mercy Housing California development in the scenic community of Shingle Springs in El Dorado County. The development consists of 40 new, energy efficient, family apartment homes situated within three separate, various sized 2 & 3 story buildings. The units are a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations, affordable to families with household incomes between 20-50% of the County Area Median Income. The Trailside Terrace community has nicely appointed laundry and play facilities on site and other amenities such as free community-wide Wi-Fi. A large and conveniently located community building provides management offices, a community meeting room, computer room and bathrooms. Abundant native drought tolerant plants line the property along with many original trees and plants making Trailside Terrace a beautiful place to call home.

 

Financial partners for Trailside Terrace include Enterprise Community Investment, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Citibank Community Capital Construction and Permanent Loans, California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Housing Finance Agency- Mental Health Services Act Housing Program, a HELP Loan from El Dorado County, HOME, CDBG, and TIM Fee Offset investments by El Dorado County.
Silent_Auction
Save the Date: Silent Auction to Benefit Open Space Conservation
 

When:  Wednesday, November 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Curtis Hall in the Sierra 2 Community Center

             2791 24th Street; Sacramento, 95818

Cost:     Suggested $10 donation at the door

 

Join Habitat 2020, ECOS and the CA Heartland Project for a fall silent art auction to benefit open space and habitat conservation in our region. This is the perfect opportunity to get a thoughtful gift for the holidays and also benefit the important work that Habitat 2020 does every day. 

 

You'll enjoy many original works from acclaimed local artists and photographers, finger foods and drinks (bring your own plate and cup if you can) and music from Paul Anderson.

 

From fighting back greenfield-sprawl developments, to working with regional stakeholders to create a coordinated regional network of parks, preserves and conservation easment on working arms and ranches--Habitat 202 and the California Heartland Project works every day to maintain access to open space for education and recreation, protect the unique biological diversity found in the Sacramento Valley and conserve our agricultural heritage.  

SCUSD
Save the Date: SCUSD's 7-11 Committee Stakeholder Meeting

 

   

When:   Thursday, November 14, 2013 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where:  Colonial Heights Library, 4799 Stockton Blvd;                              Sacramento

  

Join SCUSD's 7-11 Committee stakeholder meeting Thursday, November 14. This committee has been meeting to determine the fate of the 7 recently closed school sites in Sacramento. In order to ensure that those sites are going to be used in a way that reflects the community's interests, all groups interested in using them should work together.

  

Any organization and community groups interested in this topic are encouraged to attend. 

  

For more information, please contact Kim Williams (kim@asianresources.org) or Katie Valenzuela (Katie@ubuntugreen.org).

Get_Covered_Event
Save the Date: Get Covered Event 

 

statenews

State News
Mondaq
Mondaq: California Supreme Court to Review Inclusionary Housing Requirements

 

 

 

On September 11, 2013, the California Supreme Court granted the California Building Industry Association's (CBIA) petition for review challenging a San Jose ordinance that imposed "inclusionary" housing obligations on housing developers. California Building Industry Association v. City of San Jose (CBIA v. City of San Jose).

 

A series of disjointed legal opinions has resulted in a patchwork of inconsistent rules relating to affordable housing. The multitude of questions at issue and inconsistencies between district court decisions has created the type of storm that often prompts the Supreme Court's review, as has occurred here. If the court issues a narrow opinion, a large number of stakeholders across the state will be left with continued uncertainty surrounding inclusionary housing requirements. In fact, Governor Brown recently identified the need for clarification from the Supreme Court in his October 13 message vetoing AB 1229 (discussed below). There is much to be gained if the court provides guidance on some or all of the questions noted below.

 

Click here to read Chelsea Maclean's full article.

Prevention_Institute 
The Prevention Institute Publishes Walkable Communities Guide 
 
 

Download the Guide

 

The Prevention Institute's Walk On: Strategies to Promote Walkable Communities is designed to help public health professionals and community advocates make the case for making our communities and streets walkable. Walk On explores the nuts and bolts of planning and Complete Streets policies and includes case studies on rural and urban communities that are making real strides to encourage walking. 

National_News

National News
The_Columbus_Dispatch 
The Columbus Dispatch: Volunteers sew hope into sleeping bags 
Jabin Botsford | Dispatch  
Volunteers sew sleeping bags for the homeless at the Dublin Community Recreation Center. The volunteers also learned about homelessness in central Ohio.

 

Jody Lewis had just poked a needle and thread into layers of blankets, sewing what would become one of the sides of a sleeping bag to be donated to the homeless, when another volunteer handed her a blank card.

 

The card would go into the bag - a note from the people who sewed it to the one who would receive it. 

 

Read Laura Arenschield's full article here.

Climbing_Mount_Laurel
New Book Illustrates Benefits of Inclusionary Housing Policies
 

 

 

Climbing Mount Laurelwritten by Douglas S. Massey et. al, undertakes a systematic evaluation of the Ethel Lawrence Homes--a housing development produced as a result of the Mount Laurel decision to provide affordable housing options for residents with low- to moderate-incomes. Douglas Massey and his colleagues assess the consequences for the surrounding neighborhoods and their inhabitants, the township of Mount Laurel, and the residents of the Ethel Lawrence Homes. Their analysis reveals what social scientists call neighborhood effects--the notion that neighborhoods can shape the life trajectories of their inhabitants. Climbing Mount Laurel proves that the building of affordable housing projects is an efficacious, cost-effective approach to integration and improving the lives of the poor, with reasonable cost and no drawbacks for the community at large.
 

 

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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