Solving the housing crisis

The affordable housing crisis continues to spread around us. Greedy corporations have rigged the rules to put profits over our basic needs resulting in skyrocketing housing prices, homelessness, overcrowding and families torn apart by displacement.

California is the wealthiest state in the nation. We have the means to ensure everyone has access to healthy and stable housing they can afford. Like safe water, clean air, and a quality education, families need healthy and affordable housing need to thrive. Housing is a fundamental public good – one that we have an obligation to ensure and fund.

To build 1 million affordable homes by 2030, undo decades of bad housing policy and address the growing homelessness and affordable housing crises we need strong continued investments at scale. We have the means, we just need the political will.

#OneMillionHomes #OneMillionHomes #OneMillionHomes

We believe the four big steps the State of California must take to preserve & produce one million affordable homes are:

  • Dramatically increase revenue to adequately fund strategies designed to produce and preserve sufficient affordable homes and provide services, including to those experiencing homelessness
  • Transform the State’s role in housing, increasing consolidation, coordination and efficiencies, saving time and money to allow for greater productivity
  • Address and repair the compounding harms, and unequal impacts, that stem from a housing system built on racism;
  • Provide immediate protections and relief to help people stay in their homes, prevent and end homelessness, and remedy the rising housing cost burden

Actions are needed in each of these areas, and others, but the single biggest obstacle to dramatically increasing new affordable homes is a reliable source of ongoing state funding at scale.

For all these reasons, we are joining together, as a united front, to call on the State to fully fund its stated plan for one million affordable homes by 2030.

We join together here in our commitment to:

  • Achieve the goal set by Governor Newsom and the state’s Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) to meet the housing needs of California’s low income and working families by preserving & producing 1.2 million affordable homes by 2030, and securing the revenue needed to fully fund this goal;
  • Allow for innovation and flexibility to fund both successful existing models of affordable housing and new approaches that prioritize permanent affordability, climate resiliency, and other goals such as community and resident control as appropriate;
  • Create new revenue streams that leverage California’s great wealth and ensure that corporations and the wealthy few pay what they owe our state in order to meet these goals.

Join us as we head down this path together!!

Addressing the housing crisis must not be at the expense of other essential public goods, such as social services and education, so to meet this funding level the State must adopt new policies to generate revenue for housing by ending inequitable tax breaks, closing tax loopholes, and raising taxes on those that can afford to pay their share.

This new revenue will produce housing, preserve existing affordable housing, protect and keep families housed, rehouse people experiencing homelessness, and fund services that grow and maintain the supply of permanently affordable homes that are out of the reach of speculators.

The funding for the preservation and production of affordable housing must:

  1. Be ongoing and predictable to support a pipeline of housing and the organizational infrastructure and labor force to build and preserve that housing;
  2. Fund the operation and services of affordable housing so it can serve those at the lowest income levels and ensure long-term fiscal stability of housing operators.

The affordable housing crisis, and resulting hardships and harm, are not inevitable. Our elected officials must summon the political will to take the big bold steps required to actually and finally create enough housing affordable to low income and working families so that the Governor’s promise of “a home for every Californian” can in fact be realized.

As community leaders, organizers and advocates, we know that to forge the public and political will needed to secure the big, breakthrough solutions we must come together across particular interests and communities to speak with one voice. The urgency of the moment calls for unprecedented unity.

Sign on now!Firma el compromiso!

What else can I do?

Over the next few months, organizations across the state will be holding public events to raise awareness about our public campaign. Join one of our events listed below, or contact these anchor organization to learn more

List of organizations

Also, follow us on social media to see ways you can participate in our call to action and like and/or share with others. Together we can create the one million homes our communities need so that all of neighbors in California can thrive!