Successes
Since 1988, Housing California has had a history of powerful leadership and successes in state policy. Housing California has played a unique and vital leadership role in serving as a thought leader, convening key multi-sector partners and individuals most impacted by housing instability and homelessness, transforming the housing debate, making historic progress in the Capitol, with state agencies, and at the ballot box to increase funding for affordable housing and advance bold, system change solutions to create the future we all want for California.
The following are among Housing California’s greatest achievements over the past five years:
Advanced critical policy solutions and significant investments
Raised more than $18.5 billion to address housing and homelessness through state legislative and budgetary efforts.
2021
In partnership with the California Housing Partnership, advanced a statewide, multi-sector and multi-level initiative to develop and advance California’s Roadmap Home 2030 – a plan with a bold 10-year vision; four audacious goals; a five-pronged transformational, equity-centered framework; and a comprehensive package of 57 evidence-based solutions designed to create systems changes and structural reforms.
2020-2021
Helped connect and advance the state and federal COVID response and recovery policy agenda with our national partners, the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
2020
Advocated and secured resources to address the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness from the beginning of the pandemic through Project Roomkey. Helped pass California’s eviction protections to help provide protections for renters impacted by the pandemic and secure relief for back rent, preventing millions from falling into homelessness. Secured the largest investment in housing and homelessness at the time, over $1 billion in the budget.
2019
2018
Prior to 2017
Won a landmark climate change investment – the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund with a 20% annual appropriation to the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program. In its first four years, the AHSC program invested $1.1 billion in creating 102 integrated housing, transportation, and greening projects with 9,014 homes affordable to low- and very low-income households.
Built and shifted power
to have a greater impact
Through the Roadmap Home 2030, created a broad coalition of affordable housing, homelessness, tenants’ rights, racial justice, and multi-sector partners to advance a bold agenda.
Grew the leadership capacity of and infrastructure for the Residents United Network, a statewide network of affordable development resident leaders who drive change through their stories and collective action and has been replicated in at least three other states.
Held in-person and virtual Lobby Days, where hundreds of resident leaders and partners met with dozens of state legislators in Sacramento to advance key legislative priorities.
Served as the California lead for key national affordable housing and homelessness campaigns – including Opportunity Starts at Home and the HoUSed campaign.
Served as the only member representing affordable housing and homelessness on the Census Policy Advocacy Network. Joint advocacy contributed to $187 million in allocations to support outreach and engagement of hard to count people in hard to count places.
Continues to host the largest affordable housing and homelessness conference in the nation.
Brought together, and built the capacity of, key players in the industry and movement for affordable housing and homelessness, sharing best practices, seeding collaboration, and developing the community leadership and emerging leaders needed to sustain the movement.
Served as a founding member of the statewide, multisector coalition – investAHSC. investAHSC is a statewide, cross-sector coalition of affordable housing, transit, environmental justice, and community stakeholders, as well as local elected officials, working to ensure that California continues to protect and fund the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program.
Shaped the narrative
around housing and homelessness
Served on the Steering Committee for the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative’s statewide narrative research effort.
Collaborated with leading narrative researchers at TheCaseMade to deploy the Roadmap Home 2030 as a vehicle for advancing an evidence-based housing narrative.
RUN leaders and Housing CA staff served as Fellows with the Housing Justice Narrative Initiative convened by Community Change, PolicyLink, and Race Forward.
Increased the capacity of the field to advocate more effectively for progressive homelessness and housing policy change by featuring leading voices on the topic at our annual conferences.
Elevated a new housing narrative through earned media, op-eds, and presentations.
Awards
2019 National Housing Visionary Award
National Housing Conference (2019)
California Housing Hall of Fame Legacy of Collaboration Award
California Housing Consortium (2017)
2019 California Influencer
Sacramento Bee (2019)
Housing Advocate of the Year
Sacramento Housing Alliance Annual Summit (2021)
Corporation for Supportive Housing 30th Anniversary Symposium (2021)