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Weekly Update
July 3, 2013

 

In this Issue:

SHA_News

SHA News
City_of_Sac_HE
Join Us for Today's Inclusionary Housing Community Stakeholders Meeting (7/3) in Preparation for the City of Sacramento Planning & Design Commission Workshop (7/25)

 

  

   

What:   Inclusionary Housing Community Stakeholder's Meeting 

When:  Today - Wednesday, July 3, 2013, 3:00 p.m.

Where: Sacramento Housing Alliance

             1800 21st Street, Suite 100 

For more information*, contact Tamie Dramer at Tamie@sachousingalliance.org.

 

What:   Planning and Design Commission Workshop on the Housing Element, Mixed Income Housing Ordinance, Housing Trust Fund Ordinance 

When:  Thursday, July 25, 2013, 5:30 p.m.  
Where: City Council Chambers
             915 I Street, New City Hall 

 

The City Planning Department is proposing potential changes to its Housing Element, which would eliminate the mixing of affordable units in new developments. While SHA supports going City-wide to expand the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, we oppose removing the mandatory requirements for mixing people of all income levels in new developments. Please join us today, July 3rd for a Messaging & Framing Workshop, which will be held in preparation for the Planning and Design Commission Workshop on July 25. 

  

The purpose of this group is to educate and inform members of the affordable housing and social justice community about the 2013 City General Plan/Housing Element process and to organize around and advocate for the protection of the City's Mixed Income Housing Ordinance and expansion of its Affordable Housing Trust Fund.Your input and participation can help keep housing inclusive and within reach for everyone in our community. Click here for more information the City of Sacramento's housing needs.   

 

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


*Please notify us of necessary accommodations for your attendance at this meeting.  We cannot provide transportation, but if you need any other assistance please let us know as soon as possible.

  

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

 

 

Thank you to all of those who participated in the Sacramento Hunger Coalition's inaugural Hunger Action Week. 

 

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
Cooling_Centers 
Sacramento Bee Article: Sacramento opens cooling centers to escape heat

   

Paul Kitagaki Jr. / pkitagaki@sacbee.com
 A woman rows along with her dog on the American River near Sunrise Boulevard to keep cool as the heat wave persisted in the region. Sunday's high temperature in Sacramento was 107.

 

"In response to scorching temperatures this week, city and county officials have opened four cooling centers to help prevent a repeat of 2006, when a heat wave killed 13 Sacramentans, most of them elderly.

 

The National Weather Service estimates highs in Sacramento of 108 degrees today, 110 on Tuesday, 111 on Wednesday and 106 on Thursday, July 4."

 

Read Jeffrey Dastin and Tilly Fong's full article here.

 

Click here to read about Elk Grove's Cooling Centers.

Water_Drive 
Loaves & Fishes Seeks Water Donations for Sacramentans Who are Homeless

 

 

You + Water = Life
You + Water = Life

 

When: Monday-Friday7:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Where: Loaves & Fishes Warehouse
            1351 North C Street
            Sacramento, CA 95811

            For more info call 916-446-0874

 

The summer heat has already begun, and with your help, Sacramento Loaves & Fishes is planning on making sure no one goes thirsty. While there are drinking fountains and an ice machine at Loaves & Fishes, many of guests must walk miles to get where they are sleeping for the night. That's miles of hot asphalt and concrete on foot. Water is essential to the very survival of our homeless guests. You can help by donating a case of individual sized bottles or one gallon jugs.

 

A big thank you to Councilmember Angelique Ashby and Nestle, who worked together to donate 11,800 bottles of water to Sacramento Loaves & Fishes. This donation will provide homeless members of our community with much-needed hydration in the extreme heat.

Pilgrimage
Safe Ground Overnight Program Provides Shelter for People Experiencing Homelessness in July
 
 
 
The Safe Ground Pilgrimage program provides frequent overnight shelter and meals to homeless adults. It operates through the generosity of religious institutions, individuals, food banks, and grants providers, and costs the city and county nothing. Hosting organizations provide overnight shelter for Safe Ground sponsored homeless from 6pm to 7am the next day. This provides the homeless with security and comradeship, a sanctuary from arrest, and, during much of the year, a life-saving night free from the cold and rain. Many hosts provide a dinner and breakfast, and the Pilgrimage Program provides its own staffing and cleanup. Those who participate promise to be alcohol free, drug free and nonviolent.
 
Interested in becoming a hosting organization or donating supplies to the Pilgrimage Program? Contact Dave Coburn, Safe Ground Pilgrimage Director, at coburn180@gmail.com or (916) 337-7733.
CRC 
California Reinvestment Coalition Seeks Office and Marketing Manager

   

 

 

View the Job Posting

 

The California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) is seeking an Office and Marketing Manager. The CRC is a statewide organization with 300 nonprofit organization members whose goal is to expand access to fair financial products, and fight predatory lending. CRC is a small, dynamic organization offering opportunities to grow professionally. For more information, visit the CRC website at www.calreinvest.org.  

SSHH
Sacramento Self Help Housing Presents its 11th Annual Let Them Eat Cake Event
 
 

 

 For more information, visit www.sacselfhelp.org. 

Building_Up_Tour 
Mutual Housing California Presents the Building Up Tour
 
 
When:  Wednesdasy, July 10, 2013, 10-11 a.m.
Where: Mutual Housing at the Highlands
             6010 34th Street 
             North Highlands, CA 95660
Contact: Yuesen Yuen
              yuesen@mutualhousing.com
      (916) 453-8400 x 228
 
 
This one-hour tour will showcase Mutual Housing at the Highlands. Not only is this affordable housing community comfortable and attractive, it is environmentally friendly and sustainable. The entire community has GreenPoint-rated certification from Build It Green, with an exceptionally high score of 121, one of two mutual housing communities that have the highest scores for multifamily communities in the region.

 

A unique community created primarily to prevent and address the root causes of homelessness for individuals and families, the Highlands operates a comprehensive system of supportive services on-site.

 

The integrative design of this community consists of appealing studios, one-bedroom lofts, and two-story townhouse-style apartments with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

  

Space is limited. Register now!

statenews

State News
housing_ca_and_climateplan_webinar 
Save the Date: Sustainable Communities Affordable to All: Housing Elements in the SB 375 Era Webinar

   

 

 

When:  Thursday, July 18, 10:30 a.m.-noon

Where: Registration link with URL coming soon.

 

ClimatePlan has partnered with Housing California to bring you an exciting webinar and training opportunity: Sustainable Communities Affordable to All: Housing Elements in the SB 375 Era.

 

Please save the date for July 18th, 10:30 a.m.-noon

 

A draft agenda is below. The first portion of the webinar is an introduction to housing elements for those of you who are new to the topic or want a refresher. Afterward, the webinar will focus on the interplay between housing elements and SB 375 and hear from advocates about how they're engaging in housing element advocacy in their region. We'll keep you updated with additional details, including instructions on how to register. For questions, please contact Felicity Lyons at Housing California or Catherine Cecchi with ClimatePlan.

 

DRAFT AGENDA

  • Housing Element 101 The basics of what housing elements are, what the state requires, and how they function as a tool for improving affordability of homes at the jurisdiction level. - Valerie Feldman, Legal Services of Northern California (10:30-10:50)
  • The Interplay between SB 375 and the Housing Element - The roots of SB 375, The alignment of the Regional Transportation Plans with Housing Element timelines, the role of the Housing Element in Sustainable Communities Strategies Implementation, and strategies to ensure affordable homes for all community members - Mike Rawson, Public Interest Law Project California (10:50-11:30)
  • Examples from the Field - Local housing and transportation advocates share how they are engaging in Housing Element advocacy across the regions. (11:30-11:50) - Susan Riggs Tinsky, San Diego Housing Federation - Cesar Covarrubias, Kennedy Commission - Beth Steckler, MoveLA
  • Q&A - (11:50-noon)

SB_391_Update 

SB 391 to Be Heard by TWO Assembly Committees During Week of August 12

 

 

 

Before the California Homes and Jobs Act can go to the full Assembly for a vote, it first must pass Assembly committees. We just learned that the bill will be scheduled to be heard by both Housing and Community Development and Labor and Employment sometime during the week of August 12

 

First Stop: Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee

The first committee to hear the bill will be the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee. The SB 391 campaign has lined up a variety of supporters, including the business community, to testify about the severe impact California's affordable-home shortage has on vulnerable individuals, families, and our economy. 

How Can You Help?

1. Send Support Letters to Committee Members 
  • Take Action: Visit the SB 391 Action Center to download our sample letter to the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.
2. Tweet Your Support to Committee Members 

Five of the six Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee members are on Twitter. Encourage them to vote YES for homes and jobs.
  • Assemblymember Ed Chau: @EdChau49
  • Assemblymember Beth Gaines: @BethGaines
  • Assemblymember Toni Atkins: @toniatkins
  • Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva: @QuirkSilva2012
  • Assemblymember Brian Maienschein: @B_Maienschein


Sample tweets to send to the committee members:
  • [your city] needs homes and jobs, [insert Legislator
    ]
    . Say #YesonSB391
  • The housing crisis isn't over for CA families, [insert legislators] #YesonSB391 & get CA building again!
  • Vote #YesonSB391 to create 10,000 affordable homes per year [insert legislator]
  • Get CA building to create 29,000 jobs annually. [insert legislator] vote #YesonSB391
  • The CA Senate agrees that CA needs new home and jobs. [insert legislator] vote #YesonSB391
3. Attend the Hearings   
 

Live near Sacramento? Plan to join us at the state Capitol to attend the hearings and show your support. As mentioned above, TWO hearings will be scheduled for the week of August 12th. We will notify you as soon as the dates and times are set. 


National_News

National News
Homes_Near_Public_Transit 
Atlantic Cities Article: Homes Near Public Transit Are Less Likely to Go Into Default

  

Jonathan Rose Company

 

"An exhaustive analysis of 37,000 mortgages on multifamily rental properties has found that, when other factors are appropriately controlled, those properties in smart locations are substantially less likely to incur default on payments than those in average locations. Specific locational factors found to reduce the risk of default include reduced commute time, use of rail transit, walkability, the presence of retail uses, the integration of affordable housing, and proximity to parks and..."

 

Read Kaid Benfield's full article here.

State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2013 
National Alliance to End Homelessness Blog Post: Data Point: The State of the Nation's Housing

   

 "Last week, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard released The State of the Nation's Housing 2013. This report is released annually and reports on a number of housing factors, including the state of the rental housing market and households living with housing cost burden.

What the report found was not great news for low-income renters. Vacancy rates continued to decrease in 2012 reaching 8.7 percent, the lowest level since 2001, and rents rose 2.7 percent. And, despite continued fluctuations in other aspects of the housing markets, the number of households with housing cost burdens continued to grow in 2011. Over 20 million households were severely housing cost burdened, which means..."  

Read Sam Batko's full blog post here.

JOIN 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
Work: (916) 455-4900 x302
Cell: (707) 330-6838
jessica@sachousingalliance.org 
www.sachousingalliance.org

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