Gen H May 2020 Newsletter
#WeAreGenH
Selena

After 18 years of home ownership in Sebastopol, my husband and I divorced. I immediately started searching for a long term rental for my teenage daughters and me in our community. I was open to any and all options; but the odds were stacked against us. When I typed our zip code into Craigslist, it brought up only 17 available rentals, including houses, apartments, condos and ADUs...

We want to hear your housing story! Whether a challenge or a victory, send your story and your picture to wearegenh@generationhousing.org.

About Gen H
Dear Neighbor:

We’d like to introduce you to Generation Housing, an independent nonprofit organization created to advocate for the home-building needed to support our community’s health, education, environment, and economy. 
 
Sonoma County had too few homes before the wildfires of 2017 and 2019. The scarcity and cost has driven away young families and made it hard to attract and spur new businesses. The proportion of people in Sonoma County who pay more than a third of their income for housing is the highest in the Bay Area - including San Francisco. These challenges existed before the current health crisis and this pandemic will exacerbate these challenges even more so. But together, we can address them head-on.


Sonoma County’s Affordable Housing Month 2020
Generation Housing is delighted to convene our local housing partners throughout Sonoma County in celebrating a virtual Affordable Housing Month 2020 this May! Our inaugural public education and awareness campaign offers a month-long program with exciting community engagement and educational opportunities. 

Among the several events, all of which will be virtual, we are thrilled to feature a one-on-one discussion with New York Times journalist and author Conor Dougherty. His latest book, “Golden Gates”, named A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, offers a stunning and deeply reported investigation into California’s housing crisis.

Member spotlight: Founding Member, Burbank Housing
For 40 years, Burbank has built, preserved, and managed safe, affordable rental and for-sale homes in the North Bay exclusively for people who have low incomes. Helping the 10,000 people who live in its rental communities stabilize and improve their health and well-being is Burbank’s priority, so its Resident Services Department offers programs, activities, and individual support for residents who need some extra help to get – and stay – on their feet.

Jen Klose | Executive Director

After working as a lawyer specializing in real estate law for nearly 15 years, Jen shuttered her law practice to become the founding executive director of Generation Housing .... Read more

Elice Hempel | Board Chair

Elece Hempel, Gen H’s Board Chair, has been the tireless and tirelessly enthusiastic Executive Director of Petaluma People Services Center since 2011.... Read more
Affordable Housing Month Events
May 7th, 6:30 pm | COVID-19: Housing Response and Relief | Learn about the response to housing and COVID-19, the latest policies, and resources needed for Sonoma County homeowners, tenants, and industry. Speakers include Congressman Jared Huffman, State Senator Mike McGuire, Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, and Ronit Rubinoff, Executive Director of Legal Aid of Sonoma County. Read more .

May 14th, 6:30 pm | Generation Housing’s Information Night | Curious to learn more about Sonoma County’s new housing advocacy organization? Join the team for an evening of conversation all things housing with special guests Kerry Fugett, Daily Acts, and Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore. Read more .

May 19th, 11:00 am | Preserving Opportunity: Lessons from Local Efforts to Preserve Affordable Housing | This webinar will discuss the importance of preserving naturally occurring affordable housing and how new partnerships between Burbank Housing, the City of Santa Rosa, and the City of Healdsburg are leading in these efforts to ensure affordability for local families. Read more .

May 27th, 11:00 am | Accessorize Your Home: How Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Can Boost our Local Housing Supply and What Local Governments are Doing to Support Growth | ADUs are becoming increasingly popular as an important staple of our local housing diversity, but questions remain about how homeowners can benefit and how cities can enable greater growth in this section of the housing market. Generation Housing is joined by Renée Schomp, Director of the Napa Sonoma ADU Center, and David Guhin, Assistant City Manager for the City of Santa Rosa, to discuss resources and local policy about ADUs. Read more .

May 28, 6:00 p.m | In Conversation with Conor Dougherty, Author of Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America | Conor Dougherty, New York Times economics reporter, in conversation with Gen H Policy & Advocacy Director, Jesús Guzmán will discuss the historical and current forces that have made housing so unaffordable in the Bay Area, and what communities can do about it. Learn more here .
Local Response to COVID-19

Generation Housing has created a page to provide information on all that is happening in Sonoma County in response to the housing impacts of COVID-19.

Information on the page includes tenant protections, homeowner relief, affordable housing, and homelessness response, industry impacts, among other items. Please check out the website, and sign up to receive updates here .

Generation Housing | generationhousing.org