Dear friends,
This Black History Month, we reflect on the persistent interconnectedness of racial, economic and housing justice, throughout history, throughout our communities, and throughout our work. Housing insecurity is a root cause of many other issues in our community and has only worsened as a result of the pandemic, making efforts toward recovery increasingly difficult.
According to the Bay Area Equity Atlas, Black and Latinx renters in Contra Costa County, especially women, are disproportionately economically insecure and burdened by unaffordable rent. Black women, in particular, are also more likely to face eviction. As we look to lift up our community, having a safe place to call home is our biggest priority and has tremendous impacts in all areas of someone's life. Our entire community – our schools, businesses, health care providers – does better when we all have good, safe, and affordable housing options.
Together with our Latinx and Black neighbors, we are calling on our policymakers to stabilize housing for renters today and invest in more affordable housing over the next few years. Tenant protection measures like rent control, anti-harassment, and just cause for eviction ordinances, alongside affordable housing preservation and community land trusts are effective ways to keep people in safe, stable housing, and we’re working to see more of these solutions throughout Contra Costa. Follow us on social media and keep an eye out for our emails to ways to join us and make your voices heard at city council meetings, community engagement workshops, rallies, and more.
We have our work cut out for us, but we are excited to announce that we are opening a new office in Antioch. In addition to our tenants’ legal clinics, technology and mental health classes that we have offered for several years in East Contra Costa, we are looking forward to expanding our successful Emerging Business Support program to family-owned businesses in Antioch. We are also planning to hire two Organizing Fellows for our Antioch office to focus on organizing in communities of color where the eviction rate is the highest in the Bay Area.
To make active strides toward a just recovery, we must center racial justice and equity with our Black and Latinx neighbors. Preventing the displacement of residents and small businesses is urgent--once they are gone, they may never come back. That’s a direct threat to the diversity of our communities and everything we love about our neighborhoods.
We hope you will join us in reflecting and recentering on housing justice and Black lives and take part in our work to ensure a more equitable and just future - for all.
In community,
Debra Ballinger
Executive Director
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We’re Expanding to Antioch! |
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We are pleased to announce that after months of planning, we are one step closer to finally opening our Antioch satellite office in April 2022.
We are very grateful to all of our supporters, funders, and donors for making this possible. Thanks to you, we will be able to reach even more community members who need our support.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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Meet Our Newest Board Members |
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Charlene is President and C.E.O. of Wholeistic Chronicles Inc, an organization dedicated to providing sustenance for the spirit, mind, soul and body. She previously served as Associate Dean of the College of Psychology and as Administrative Director for the College of Psychology and the College of Business and Professional Studies at John F. Kennedy University/National University.
She is dedicated to supporting underserved and marginalized members of our communities. She looks to help others through the power of education and through Monument Impact’s work in workforce development, health, and community engagement. For her, it’s all about the power of knowledge, promoting self-sufficiency and quality of life - in and for the community.
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William is a Community Advocate at Hope Solutions as part of its Resident Empowerment Program and a board member with East Bay Housing Organizations. He is a single father of an 18-year-old daughter living in Pittsburg, CA. For the last 10 years, he has volunteered as a community advocate, now with an emphasis on housing justice.
He was drawn to Monument Impact through its various partnerships with Urban Habitat, Pittsburg Unified School District, and Raise the Roof. The more he learned about Monument Impact, the more he was taken by its ability to not only serve the resident families of Concord, but the entire county of Contra Costa through programs that develop employment, community engagement and healthy lifestyles. He is humbled and honored to now be a member of the board of directors.
When he is not advocating for housing, social equity, and the financial mobility of underserved families, he enjoys bike rides with his daughter, hanging out with his 6-year-old pooch Ruby Rose, and watching movies.
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H.O.M.E.S. Arts & Culture Project |
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Our H.O.M.E.S. art project has moved to production! Home Offers Me Escape and Safety gathers local young adults to use art to explore what home means to them. Participants have worked with Director Nick Garcia from Los Medanos Community College to write and perform a play titled Nosotros about a group of tenants who face eviction when a landlord decides to renovate the entire building.
More about Nosotros: The residents of Wellington Gardens apartment complex just found out they have something in common: they are all losing their homes so that the building can be turned into luxury condominiums. As their homes are being ripped away from them, they discover that home is more than where you sleep: it is the people you surround yourself with and something you build. Join the residents of Wellington Gardens as they fight to stay in their apartments, discover their true collective power, and build the home and community they always needed.
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Join our team of passionate staff dedicated to serving immigrants, refugees, and community members with low incomes.
We are currently seeking energetic, creative, and bilingual (English/Spanish) leaders to fill the following positions:
Apply today!
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Stay Protected from Eviction through March 2022 |
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Protect yourself from eviction through March by applying to the California Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Immigration status is still NOT required for eligibility. Utility bill assistance for trash, electricity, gas, and internet is also available. For water, check with your water utility company to see if you are eligible for their assistance programs.
If you need assistance with an ERAP application, contact Monument Impact at (925) 954-4488 to schedule an in-person appointment. Read more about the program by clicking here. If you have a letter for an active unlawful detainer or a notice to pay/quit, you can upload proper documentation and have your application prioritized. Contact housing@monumentimpact.org for assistance on this.
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Emerging Business Support |
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Want to start your own business and don’t know how to get started? Call us, and we’ll gladly guide you through the process.
For more details, contact Edith Guillen at edith@monumentimpact.org or 925-682-8248 ext. 2105. Services available to Concord residents only.
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