Dear SHA Family,
April is Fair Housing Month. It is the month that we reflect on the efforts that were made in the past to abolish racism and discriminatory policies, programs and practices in housing all throughout America. Fair Housing Month is also the time to highlight that fact that racism and discrimination in housing is not over but an ongoing struggle. SHA is focused on raising awareness every single day. Housing is a Human Right, and everyone deserves to live in a safe and comfortable home. Period.
The struggle for fair housing in America is and has been real. There are so many individuals, coalitions and movements that have fought to break down the wall of discrimination. There are heroes that we know like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Chicago Freedom Movement, and Dorothy Mae Richardson, just to name a few. I especially want to highlight the legacy of California’s own William Byron Rumford. Rumford was the first Black elected from the Bay Area to the California Legislature.
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In 1963, Rumford introduced Assembly Bill 1240, Fair housing bill, known as the Rumford Act. The sole purpose of this legislation was to outlaw all housing discrimination. In true political fashion, this was met with opposition, but eventually passed and signed by Governor Pat Brown, five years before the national Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. As California goes…so goes the nation. To know where we are going, we must always look to the past to see where we have come. Let us remember the heroes of our past and be the heroes of now. There is no place for racism, hate and discrimination.
In the struggle,
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Kendra Lewis
Executive Director
Sacramento Housing Alliance
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Our Mission
Sacramento Housing Alliance advocates for safe, stable, accessible, and affordable homes in the Sacramento region. SHA builds healthy communities through education, leadership, and policy change.
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Our Vision
Everyone in the Sacramento region has a home in a healthy and inclusive neighborhood.
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The Fair Housing Act was passed in April of 1968, making the intimidation and discrimination of protected classes in the rental and purchase of housing illegal. Every April, we celebrate Fair Housing Month. Many call the Fair Housing Act the last major piece of legislation passed during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Segregation under the law may be illegal, but de facto segregation is still more present than ever in our communities.
Richard Rothstein, explains this in his book, the Color of Law, showing government sanctioned actions that prevented banks form offering home loans to communities of color.
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The following website: Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America, shows the Sacramento redlining map, which was produced in 1937 by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) that prevented banks from issuing loans in communities of color, and low income communities.
We continue to push for more aggressive policies such as the Community Reinvestment Act to address past discrimination in lending practices.
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Housing Element Work & Updates |
The Housing Element is the blueprint to accommodate for a city or county's anticipated housing needs. Jurisdictions throughout the region will begin to seek state certification and adopt their 2021-2029 Housing Elements. It is essential that local advocates know what policies have been adopted by the local jurisdiction to ensure that enforcement takes place. |
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SHA will be providing several opportunities for the community to learn and engage in the enforcement of the adopted housing elements in jurisdictions in the Sacramento region. |
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The City of Sacramento, Wexford LLC, and The University of California Davis have entered into a Community Benefits Partnership Agreement that includes several provisions including a $50 million dollar investment in an affordable housing trust fund. Sacramento Investment Without Displacement provided the City with the guidance document that the City used to craft the CBPA.
While there were several specific requests made by SIWD that were not included in the final CBPA, SIWD successfully advocated for the City to set a precedent for future developments by receiving a commitment by the City of Sacramento to create a forward- looking ordinance that brings SIWD and the community at large to the table in the negotiations of future community benefits agreements. This part of the agreement between SIWD and the City of Sacramento is included outside of the CBPA in a separate agreement.
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The funding sources of the $50 million dollars are as follows:
$29 million from City of Sacramento and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency affordable housing resources
$29 million from real estate taxes generated by private industry
$5 million from fundraising efforts for anti-displacement programs in partnership with the City of Sacramento and UC Davis.
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Mapping a better future for California.
The Roadmap Home includes more than 50 policies that, when fully implemented, will address the root causes of housing insecurity and homelessness across our state. Some of these policies include a $10 billion statewide housing bond to fund five more years of affordable housing for low-income families and people experiencing homelessness, conversion of properties into affordable housing, expanding the success of Project Homekey, and shifting savings from the closure of planned prisons into affordable housing.
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The Low Income Housing Coalition has launched their hoUSed campaign, focusing on universal stable and affordable housing. Some of the key goals of the hoUSed campaign including bridging the gap between incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance to every eligible household, preserving and expanding the supply of rental homes affordable and accessible to people who are paid the lowest incomes, and providing emergency rental assistance to households in crisis by creating a national housing stabilization fund.
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California Covid-19 Relief |
CA COVID-19 Rent Relief will help income-eligible households pay rent and utilities, both for past due and future payments. The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provides funding to support the program and tenant (renter) protection laws signed by Governor Newsom.
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Racial and Social Justice
The Community Reinvestment Act, (CRA) was enacted in 1977 to combat redlining, where financial institutions denied communities of color access to credit. The CRA was created to push federally insured banks and institutions to meet the financing needs of the communities in which they are chartered by requiring federal regulators to assess how well each bank fulfills its obligations to communities of color and disadvantaged communities (low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods).
This score is used to evaluate applications for future approval of bank acquisitions, mergers, and other regulated actions.
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It has been 25 years since the last significant revision to the CRA regulation, and we are urging for the Federal Reserve to fulfill the intent of the Act with increased measures to ensure that banks are using inclusive practices. Below is a link to a letter SHA sent the Federal Reserve to take specific actions such as looking at race, while conducting impact scoring, and better incentives for banks to reinvest in disadvantaged communities
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In solidarity with many of our partners, SHA signed on to the following letter to amend the City of Sacramento's Master Plan to address homelessness. Equity, coordination, and adequate investment must be central to the plan. Please find the letter here.
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Many of our neighbors who are unhoused have challenges accessing federal stimulus dollars that are rightfully theirs. The following Link leads to a document describing ways to gain access for individuals and families with limited access to internet and other resources.
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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
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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
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Join Mercy Housing as they fight to Bridge the Divide, as residents confront disparities in income equality, access to technology, resources for education, career advancement, and maintaining good health and wellness.
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COVID-19 Rent Relief Info Session |
On Friday, April 30 @ 2pm join Housing California & LISC for a CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Information Session & Conversation
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