HLC Housing Agenda Blog

More homes for a stronger community

Opinion piece in the San Mateo Daily Journal, 5/9/2008
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&id=91675

By Chris Mohr

A police officer who commutes nearly two hours each way to his job with the city of San Mateo. A young mother who is just a few years into her public-school teaching career. A young father who works for the County’s Public Works Department — the people who fill the potholes. A retired private practitioner of alternative medicine and healing.

These are just a few of the real people in San Mateo County who need a home they can afford, and who would like to live in the community where they work or grew up. Whether home is an apartment, an entry-level condo or a starter house, these opportunities are out of reach for many people who live, work and grow up in San Mateo County.

There’s still a need for affordable housing on the Peninsula, even as sales have slowed and appreciation in prices has moderated in the wake of the mortgage credit crunch. Single-family home prices remain in the stratosphere compared to the rest of the country. And the National Low-Income Housing Coalition recently ranked San Mateo County as the fourth most expensive rental housing market in the nation.

Fortunately, our community is making progress.

The Housing Leadership Council (HLC) is organizing “More Homes for a Stronger Community,” the sixth annual Affordable Housing Week from May 10 to 17. The purpose of the week is to spotlight successes in creating opportunities for people like those mentioned above — and to focus on the considerable challenges that remain. This weeklong series of events is made possible with the generous support of underwriting sponsor Wells Fargo.

Solutions include specific developments like HIP Housing’s South San Francisco apartment building, which will have a Grand Opening on the evening of May 12, and BRIDGE Housing’s Trestle Glen, a 119-unit apartment building next to Colma’s BART station, which will have a groundbreaking ceremony on the afternoon of May 15. The Trestle Glen development will include units for “extremely low-income” people. Creating such units is one of the goals of Housing Our People Effectively (HOPE), the plan of the county and the cities to end homelessness in ten years. By creating affordable opportunities for families that currently don’t have them, these developments will strengthen our community immeasurably.

On the policy front, it’s an exciting time as city and county governments are exhibiting an unprecedented amount of cooperation and collaboration toward the common good.

Nineteen cities and the county have joined together with the private sector to form the Housing Endowment And Regional Trust (HEART). Now five years old, HEART has invested $5.25 million in the development or preservation of 487 affordable homes. In the process, HEART has leveraged funds from other sources at the rate of $13 for every $1 from HEART. This leveraging is the key to HEART’s success.

On Tuesday, HEART will launch a new program to assist for first-time and “move-closer” homebuyers who live or work in San Mateo County. Partnering with Meriwest Credit Union, HEART will extend the purchasing power of buyers in today’s market.

Later that afternoon, the Housing and Community Development Director for the State of California, Lynn Jacobs, will be hosting a meeting to gather input on public revenue sources at the state level for affordable home creation. She has been tasked by Governor Schwarzenegger to bring back a proposal for 2009. San Mateo County residents and employees have a great opportunity to provide direct input to the state on this critical issue. The meeting will be 2-4 p.m. at the South San Francisco Conference Center.

Recognizing that many homeowners are facing challenges with their mortgages, Project Sentinel, HLC and Wells Fargo are hosting a foreclosure prevention workshop at the Doelger Senior Center in Daly City on May 15 at 6:30. The session is free and open to any homeowner in San Mateo County.

As the variety of events throughout the week demonstrates, success in meeting our need for more affordable homes requires participation from every level of government, business, and the social sector. The most important piece of a successful strategy, however, is support from individuals across the community. For that reason, HLC invites your participation at these events and more. A full calendar of events is available online at www.hlcsmc.org.

Chris Mohr lives and works in South San Francisco. He is the executive director of both the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLC) and the Housing Endowment And Regional Trust, the HEART of San Mateo County. He wrote this piece on behalf of HLC.