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Affordable Housing Week 2006
Starting May 12, a series of community events throughout the Bay Area will kick-off to educate the public about proven solutions to the housing crisis, and illustrate how crucial the public's involvement is in ensuring adequate, affordable and safe housing for all Bay Area residents. The week-long event is called Bay Area Affordable Housing Week, and will take place May 12 to 20, 2006. Following are just some highlights of the over 80 events that will take place in communities in all nine counties.
The events are organized by the Nine-County Housing Advocacy Network, a collaboration of the Bay Area's leading local voices on affordable housing convened by NPH.
All community events, including workshops, open houses, tours, and first-time homebuyer fairs are open to the public.
Find an event in your county:
Looking for housing? Click here for a quick reference list.
ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA
Through the East Bay Affordable Housing Week, East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) has educated literally hundreds of East Bay residents about affordable housing every year for the past 9 years. These events build excitement and energy around community development and affordable housing while pointing the way to practical housing solutions for the East Bay.
This year, EBHO will kick off its tenth annual Affordable Housing Week on May 12, 2006 at the Oakland Museum with a symposium that will look at development trends in the East Bay. Topics include: What implications will today's development patterns have on the future of the East Bay? Are we addressing our population's needs? Are we planning for our future? East Bay residents, affordable housing supporters, policy makers, government officials, and interested parties in what the future of the East Bay looks like are invited to attend. The keynote speaker will be Congresswoman Barbara Lee, 9th District, California.
Last year's Affordable Housing Week featured over 33 events, including: a breakfast to convene planning commissioners in the cities and county of Alameda, a housing resource fair, a groundbreaking for a development by Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP), and an affordable housing and youth forum by First Place Fund for Youth. This year's line-up of events will be just as rich and diverse and will take place throughout the East Bay between May 12 and 21, 2006. For more information, please contact Marco Montenegro, EBHO Program Director, at (510) 663-3830 or visit www.ebho.org.
MARIN
Marin County will be focusing its Affordable Housing Week on a celebration and learning event beginning the afternoon of May 18, through dinner and the evening. There will be workshops that will interest a wider range of the community like, "What about my property values?" and "Cows vs. Condos." Dinner will be an opportunity to thank some people who have made significant contributions to affordable housing in Marin and to recognize the achievements made possible with Proposition 46 money. Senator Barbara Boxer and Assemblyman Joe Nation have been invited. Currently the plan is to begin the week with a May 12 grand opening of Hamilton Phase II, and end the week with the grand opening May 19 of Point Reyes Family Homes. For more information, please visit: www.housingmarin.org.
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NAPA
In the City of Napa there will be an event on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 to recognize Napa County's annual "Housing Hero." This award is given to a person or group who has made significant contributions to affordable housing efforts in Napa County. The late afternoon session will be held at Napa City Hall. The City will present a proclamation declaring "Affordable Housing Week in Napa."
Calistoga will host city officials and staff on a tour of affordable housing sites in the city of Calistoga. Refreshments will be served and residents will be invited to share their stories with city officials. On the weekend, community volunteers will be invited to landscape and build fences at one of the newest affordable housing sites in Calistoga. For more information, contact Sue Dee Shenk, suedee@nvch.org.
SAN FRANCISCO
NPH and its allies will use San Francisco as the backdrop for the release of two major regional studies. Details will be made available closer to the date. NPH Members will be given a sneak preview of one of the studies to be released by the Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Get the sneak peek at www.nonprofithousing.org.
In addition, the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) will be coordinating advocacy efforts around hearings on the City's inclusionary housing policy and allotment issues. For more information, please contact Rene Cazenave, (415) 863-6566.
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SAN MATEO
The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLCSMC) will host the 3rd annual Affordable Housing Week San Mateo County, May 12 to 20, 2006. Dozens of local groups representing nonprofits, business, labor, and the environment have joined in this effort to promote public awareness of affordable housing achievements, and the continued need.
HLCSMC will also host an Affordable Housing Fair Saturday, May 20, 2006, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for individuals and families seeking housing. The fair will include information tables about housing and housing-related programs as well as seminars on topics such as first-time homebuying, affordable rental programs, and tenant rights. Other events include a tour of affordable housing sites near transit, a Habitat for Humanity work day, a community forum on housing and the environment, and more! For full event information, please call (650) 872-4444 or visit www.hlcsmc.org.
SANTA CLARA
Santa Clara County kicks off Affordable Housing Week in a big way with three events on opening weekend: a wall-raising event at Habitat for Humanity's first "women build" project and an affordable housing bus tour, both on Saturday, May 13, 2006, and a two day affordable housing resource fair at the Berryessa Flea Market. Tuesday, May 16, has an educational bent: a panel of experts will address "the Intricacies of Affordable Housing Finance."
The candidates for San Jose mayor will tackle the issue of affordable housing at a forum Wednesday evening, May 17, which will also include an overview of affordable housing issues in San Jose. The ground breaking for the Paseo Senter Low Income Apartment Complex will be held Thursday morning, May 18, or choose hands-on participation at a Habitat for Humanity work day. The week closes out Friday evening, May 19, with Byte Night, a one night sleep out to help end homelessness. A full calendar will be available at www.affordablehousingweek.org.
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SOLANO
The new Solano Housing Coalition will kick off its first Affordable Housing Week this year. Some of the activities will include a special event on May 18, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., proclamations by Solano County and cities, an awards ceremony for local housing advocates, and a series of housing tours. For more information, contact Sandy Carson, Solano Housing Coalition, (707) 421-4840 ext. 113, or sandyc@caminarinc.org.
SONOMA
Sonoma County Housing Action Coalition will host a kick-off breakfast on May 15, and produce a Homebuyer's Fair with workshops for first-time homebuyers and an exhibit hall for real estate agents, title companies, lenders and more. In addition, the Coalition will release a series of Affordable Housing Progress Reports as an opportunity to assess each individual jurisdiction's progress in meeting ABAG Housing Allocations. The Housing Coalition hopes that public officials will use this report in assessing their individual performance and make the appropriate public policy changes to help them meet or surpass the ABAG Housing Allocations in each income category. Download the reports at www.schousingcoalition.org. For more information, please contact Margo Warnecke Merck, (707) 433-5533.
For general information about Affordable Housing Week, contact Geeta Rao, NPH Policy Director, geeta@nonprofithousing.org.
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