Programs

  • Housing Education Events

    PROGRAM: HOUSING EDUCATION - HLC HOSTS TWO SIGNIFICANT ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL EVENTS: HOUSING LEADERSHIP DAY AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONTH. HOUSING LEADERSHIP DAY (HLD) IS AN ANNUAL EDUCATION EVENT HELD IN THE FALL. IN FALL OF 2022, WE WERE ABLE TO MEET IN PERSON AGAIN WITH FIVE WORKSHOPS FACILITATED BY HLC LEADERS, WHERE ATTENDEES LEARNED ABOUT THE COMPLEX DIMENSIONS OF PRODUCING, PRESERVING, AND PROTECTING AFFORDABLE HOMES. OVER 150 ATTENDEES CAME TOGETHER AT CZI'S COMMUNITY SPACE TO LEARN ABOUT THE REGIONAL HOUSING BOND, TEACHER HOUSING, AND HEAR FROM LYRICAL OPPOSITION. THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER WAS GINA SUDARIA, SUPERINTENDENT OF RAVENSWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT. HLC DEDICATES MAY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONTH (AHM). THROUGH TWELVE EVENTS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH, HLC ENGAGED 350 HOUSING SUPPORTERS, ACTIVISTS, AND DECISION MAKERS ACROSS SAN MATEO COUNTY TO COLLECTIVELY LEARN, MOBILIZE, AND UNDERSTAND THE POSITIVE AND EXTENSIVE IMPACT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BRINGS. IN 2023, HLC HOSTED A POLICY BREAKFAST WITH STATIONS WHERE PARTICIPANTS COULD LEARN FROM EXPERTS IN FARM WORKER HOUSING, BUILDING ON FAITH PROPERTIES, TEACHER HOUSING, AND THE REGIONAL HOUSING BOND. THE POLICY BREAKFAST WAS FOLLOWED BY A TOUR OF AFFORDABLE HOMES, INCLUDING THE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR LIGHT TREE AFFORDABLE HOMES IN EAST PALO ALTO. OTHER EVENTS IN THE MONTH INCLUDED A BIKE TOUR OF SITES AND AFFORDABLE HOMES IN THE NORTH AND CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY, A PANEL DISCUSSION ON HOUSING ELEMENTS, AN EVENT IN MENLO PARK WITH RENTERS DISCUSSING CHALLENGES THEY ARE FACING TO STAY HOUSED, AND TEN ADDITIONAL EVENTS. EDUCATIONAL EBOOK: "CREATING COMMUNITY AND BELONGING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY"HLC RESEARCHED, DRAFTED, AND PUBLISHED AN EBOOK ENTITLED "CREATING COMMUNITY AND BELONGING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY". THE REPORT SHOWS HOW SAN MATEO COUNTY UTILIZES MEASURE K FUNDING TO PRODUCE AND PRESERVE AFFORDABLE HOMES.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jul 1, 2022 – Jun 30, 2023
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $282.6K

  • Housing Policy Advocacy

    PROGRAM: KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND OUTCOMES - ENDORSEMENT COMMITTEE: HLC ENDORSED 1,119 HOMES IN 2022, OF THOSE 1,093 WERE APPROVED. OUT OF THE APPROVED HOMES, 411 OR 38% ARE AFFORDABLE. PUBLIC LAND FOR PUBLIC GOOD: PUBLIC LAND CONTINUES TO BE A CRITICAL STRATEGY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE PENINSULA DUE TO HIGH LAND AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS. OF THE 2,700 AFFORDABLE HOMES HLC HAS ENDORSED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, OVER HALF, OR ABOUT 1,400, ARE ON PUBLIC LAND. SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE PENINSULA ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF PLANNING FOR MORE HOMES, AND CITIES ARE COMMITTING TO PUBLICLY OWNED SITES IN THEIR HOUSING ELEMENTS. STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO PUBLIC LAND WILL CONTINUE TO BE A PRIORITY FOR HLC, AND WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH GCC AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE. HOUSING ELEMENT: HLC IS ON THE FRONT LINES OF ENFORCING STATE HOUSING LAWS. WE HAVE COMMENTED ON EVERY HOUSING ELEMENT RELEASED IN SAN MATEO COUNTY AT LEAST ONCE, PROVIDING SPECIFIC, ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HAS REFERENCED LETTERS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THE HOUSING LEADERSHIP COUNCIL IN EVERY REVIEW LETTER THEY HAVE SENT TO A CITY IN SAN MATEO COUNTY SO FAR.BY LEVERAGING THE HOUSING ELEMENT PROCESS TO CREATE POLICY CHANGE, HLC LOBBIED A NUMBER OF CITIES TO PURSUE HOUSING PRODUCTION AND TENANT PROTECTION POLICIES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE TABLE BEFORE. WE APPROACHED OUR CAMPAIGN WITH TWO PRIMARY GOALS: 1. STRENGTHEN COALITIONS AND DEVELOP CAPACITY WITHIN LOCAL GROUPS TO ENGAGE WITH THE HOUSING ELEMENT. 2. CHANGE POLICIES AT THE ROOT OF THE HOUSING CRISIS AND PROVIDE NEW INCENTIVES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND TENANT PROTECTIONS. IN A HANDFUL OF COMMUNITIES, WE HAVE HAD UNAMBIGUOUS SUCCESS. FOR EXAMPLE, REDWOOD CITY IS THE ONLY CITY FOR WHICH HLC HAS ISSUED A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR HOUSING ELEMENT CERTIFICATION BY THE STATE. AS OF JANUARY 19, 2023, REDWOOD CITY IS THE ONLY CITY IN SAN MATEO COUNTY THE STATE REGULATOR HAS DEEMED IN "SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE" WITH STATE HOUSING ELEMENT LAW. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE PROCESS, HLC HIGHLIGHTED HOUSING NEEDS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS THROUGH EARNED MEDIA COVERAGE, QUOTED IN OVER 20 NEWS STORIES IN THE PAST YEAR. OUR WORK RECEIVED COVERAGE IN LOCAL, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, SUCH AS THE SF CHRONICLE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. HOWEVER, IN HYPER-LOCAL COVERAGE, WE TRULY TOOK CONTROL OF THE HOUSING NARRATIVE. A CRITICISM WE INITIALLY SHARED WITH THE REDWOOD CITY PULSE INFLUENCED THE CITY COUNCIL TO PROMOTE MUCH STRONGER POLICIES. AT THE SAME TIME, LATER POSITIVE COVERAGE ENCOURAGED THEM AFTER THEY BEGAN MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jul 1, 2022 – Jun 30, 2023
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $282.6K

  • Program 1 [2024]

    PROGRAM: KEY ACHIEVEMENTS AND OUTCOMES HLC is making a significant impact on the housing crisis in San Mateo County through our advocacy and community organizing work. HLC was deeply engaged with the Prop 5 campaign as a BAHA Coalition member. They publicly endorsed the campaign, organized phone banks and canvassing efforts to educate and mobilize voters. Although the proposition ultimately was not passed, the strategies used to support the campaign helped grow their base of supporters for future campaigns. * South San Francisco leaders stepped up by joining the SSF Anti-Displacement Advisory Committee, publishing a pro-housing Letter to the Editor, and hosting community meetings where residents shared stories and engaged with elected leaders. We are proud of their impact!* The County's Housing Element now includes policies for farmworkers and accessible housing, denser zoning, streamlined approvals, and more thanks to our coalition's work, since November 2022, to push for development standards, tenant protections, special housing needs, and affordable housing funding in the County Housing Element. Read HLC Policy Manager Jeremy Levine's report on our progress and ongoing efforts, including Measure K spending and Article 34 reform. * HLC took significant strides toward advancing language justice by hosting bilingual events, creating a Spanish website option, and expanding our social media capacity to include Spanish. We also launched a Community Interpreter Training program with our pioneering cohort completing the certificate program in February 2025, a program which we hope to see continued and expanded to further language justice in our community.* In October 2024, we launched Our Home San Mateo, a storytelling and resident engagement campaign in partnership with One San Mateo, the Congregational Church of San Mateo, and Peninsula Solidarity Cohort. The campaign aims to build momentum for policy advocacy as the city of San Mateo considers expanding tenant protections in the city.* HLC used Instagram and TikTok to inspire action and build community for housing justice. As part of Begins With Home, Kiana Simmons videos reached 2.7M impressions, with one earning 14,800 likes! Storytelling is a powerful tool to advance housing justice.* Our Faith Communities Housing Champions Program launched in February 2024 by HLCs Faith leader Rev. Penny Nixon, united 19 housing champions from 16 congregations across San Mateo County, to delve into the critical need for housing and explore how congregations can support housing justice advocacy.* In addition, 9 congregations participated in a 5-month long learning group on building affordable housing, with over half now actively pursuing projects on their land. In North Central, one faith community is building a 5-unit residential village reserved for youth transitioning out of the foster care system. You can check out the project here: https://saintjamescdc.org/new-beginnings In partnership with Menlo Together, HLC successfully advocated to rezone parking lots in downtown Menlo Park for 100% affordable housing aimed at low-income community members. The city is now working to release a Request for Qualifications to solicit developer interest. * After years of campaigning to end the exclusionary restrictions set forth in Measure Y in the City of San Mateo, voters passed Measure T by an almost 20-point margin, which will increase the heights and densities the city council can allow near transit and businesses, a first step toward overturning height and density caps throughout the city. Despite well-organized opposition, residents demonstrated they want the city to become more walkable and inclusive. * HLC continues to support individual affordable housing developments such as 320 Sheridan, which will provide affordable homes for Ravenswood employees (e.g. janitors, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers), and 555 Kelly, which will provide affordable homes for senior farmworkers in Half Moon Bay. * Additionally, HLC hosted several community events throughout the year including Affordable Housing Month, Housing Leadership Day, and a South San Francisco town hall to drive real change through advocacy, education, and community-driven solutions.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $451.1K