Sacramento Housing Alliance February News

Dear SHA Family,

Its hard to believe it is already February. The New Year is moving pretty quickly. Although 2020 is in our review window, its impact will influence almost everything we do in 2021 and beyond. SHA is hitting the ground running with some core principles for this year:

Overarching principles to guide our policy work:

All of our work must affirmatively further fair housing and impact historic racial inequities.

All of our work must continue to have a COVID-19 lens to ensure the ongoing impacts on affordable housing and homelessness are addressed, (see our COVID-19 Affordable Housing Principles).

Due to Covid-19, we lost some of the momentum of our affordable housing policy work. However, we are more focused than ever. SHA along with our partners are picking up where we left off and prepared to move our agenda forward. SHA is solidly aligned with partners at the state and local levels to do what it takes to advocate and do education and outreach for more affordable housing.

This February is my one-year anniversary at SHA and in 2021, I am celebrating 25-years in the nonprofit profession. As I reflect on these milestone anniversaries, I am humbled and honored to be able to work and partner with activists, “houser's,” concerned community members and so many dedicated individuals to the nonprofit sector.

February is also Black History Month. It is a month to honor, celebrate and learn about the contribution of Black Americans to this nation, each state and local community. “When Carter G. Woodson established Negro History week in 1926, he realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis.” This month, we honor the legacy of William Byron Rumford, key author and effective legislator of the Rumford Act, one of the single most important pieces of legislation offering a sweeping end to housing discrimination in the state of California. We all continue the work and legacy of Mr. Rumford.

Be Safe!

Kendra Lewis

Executive Director

Sacramento Housing Alliance

Housing Element Work & Updates

Housing Elements in our region must be updated by June 2021. SHA is working with Legal Services to help us expand our capacity to work with local governments as they develop their draft housing elements (advocate for good programs and policies, review sites, AFFH), review draft and adopted housing elements. This work will allow us to cover a variety of priorities from inclusionary, AFFH, renter assistance, trust funds. Our housing element work will continue to advance affordable and permanent supportive housing programs and policies to end homelessness. SHA will work to ensure compliance with housing element requirements to allow emergency shelters by right and programs to advance housing first strategies.

Justice can be advanced through the Housing Element. The Housing Element is a city or county's blueprint to build affordable and market rate apartments, houses, and shelters and it is updated every 8 years. The Housing Element also provides enforcement mechanisms to push local jurisdictions to comply with state guidelines that promote the construction of affordable homes.

This process is a means to address housing inequities, because local jurisdictions must provide a plan to

actively address historic and systemic racism in housing through state Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing guidelines requiring housing to be built in areas of opportunity. The California Department of Housing and Community Development requires for local jurisdictions to have a draft of their plan available to the public and diligently provide opportunities for the community to give feedback. Some jurisdictions throughout the Sacramento region have draft plans available for public review and are receiving public comment. The City of Sacramento's draft housing element is available, and comments will be received from January 25^th until February 22^nd. The webpage can be accessed here. Click the link below to a letter distributed to jurisdictions across the Sacramento region detailing specific items that should be included in the housing element, in addition to a chart with links to draft housing elements across the region.

2021 Affordable Housing Policies.pdf

Housing Element Table.pdf

Statewide Policy Updates

On January 28^th, 2021 the State Legislature passed SB 91, that extends the eviction moratorium In California until July 1, 2021 and creates a rental assistance program. It is anticipated

that Governor Newsom will sign it. The Governor’s proposed budget has been released with $8 billion allocated to housing resources and $2 billion in homelessness resources. An overview of the Governors budget is available here.

Covid-19

Vaccination Updates: In an attempt to simplify California’s unwieldy and confusing vaccination program, Gov. Newsom last week announced yet another strategic change, mapping out a new vaccination plan with an eye on one special goal: find a way to ensure that residents of under resourced communities don’t get left out.

See here for more details, and an

article describing 10 at-risk neighborhoods in the Sacramento region.

Racial and Social Justice

The City of Sacramento has a draft resolution to acknowledge historic and systemic racism, and to engage the community to establish benchmarks for transparency and accountability around racial equity.

It is essential that community leaders are an active part of the entire process, and that all measures proposed to address racial discrimination in housing are a part of a comprehensive plan, present in the Housing Element and

other community specific plans.

Unhoused

Advocates across the region are calling for the City and County of Sacramento to stop the encampment sweeps, and provide housing and sanitation resources to our unhoused neighbors. The City of Sacramento has opened warming centers and safe parking. The City has invested 1 million dollars to do so, and plans on using federal resources coming down the pipeline to pay for this expenditure. The City and County must plan months in advance to keep these resources open throughout the duration of extreme temperature days, and in addition plan to provide a pathway to permanent, supportive housing.

All Jurisdictions across our region must do more to ensure that everyone has a safe, accessible and affordable place to call home and to get people off the streets.

Become a Member Today

The Sacramento Housing Alliance is a member-based organization that works to increase the supply of affordable housing and support the efforts of affordable housing developers. We need strong and engaged membership that reflects a broad base of community support for progressive affordable housing and regional equity policies.

Membership in the Sacramento Housing Alliance links you to a community of compassionate advocates and thought makers and gives you access to member-only

events and early access to issue papers.

Members receive

· Discounted rates to our annual

Affordable Housing Summit

· Educational seminars and

discussions

· Lively networking receptions and

other SHA-hosted events

Members are eligible to nominate individuals to serve on the board and nominate award recipients.

Organizational members may extend event discounts to their employees, and may request promotion of their outstanding projects and programs by SHA.

Most importantly, membership in SHA will strengthen our work advocating for a safe and affordable home for all in an inclusive and healthy

To Learn more about becoming a member and the benefits

Click Here

Regional Highlights

Mercy Housing is building 85 one bedroom apartments in the City of West Sacramento. These homes were created to support individuals who experience chronic homelessness. It is anticipated that residents will begin to move in early fall 2021.