Rebecca Herzog

This document compiles best practices for housing element policies, serving as a resource for local government practitioners and housing stakeholders in the San Francisco Bay Area. It addresses critical housing needs, demographic shifts, and funding challenges by outlining strategies across several key areas: anti-displacement, inclusion, local funding sources, optimized affordable housing sites, site and building regulations, and compliance with state requirements. The overall aim is to foster livable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the region.

The listening session covered topics such as fair housing, homelessness, current trends, and existing conditions in California. It included discussions on unequal access to supportive services, shelter, and affordable housing, which increases housing instability and the risk of homelessness for protected classes. The session also addressed what the state can do to remove barriers to homelessness response experienced at the local level, including unit availability, funding for support services, and coordinated entry inefficiencies.

This document is a transcript of a Fair Housing Listening Session focused on the challenges faced by immigrants in securing housing. The session, hosted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), aims to gather input for an upcoming report and to help set fair housing goals for the coming years. Key themes discussed include the prevalence of substandard housing conditions, landlord threats related to immigration status, language barriers (including Spanish and Mixtec), difficulties in establishing credit history, and the challenges of accessing benefits and legal assistance. The session also highlighted issues specific to migrant workers, such as inadequate employer-provided housing and the impact of economic instability on immigrant communities.

The office hours session for ESG focuses on homelessness prevention. The session includes updates on the 2024 ESG NOA, performance milestones, and contract language for the 2023 contract. The discussion covers the expenditure deadline, the requirement to submit at least one request for funds per quarter, and the documentation needed for requests for funding. The session also provides a detailed overview of the homelessness prevention component, including eligibility criteria and activities.

The ESG Office Hours discussed updates to ESG CV, including reminders to submit requests for funds and complete the quarter five report form. Updates regarding HCD office hours were provided, including a new registration link and upcoming topics such as racial equity and CES training, ESG written standards and best practices, and ESG CV new provider orientation. Resources for COVID-19 response and ESG were shared. A brown bag presentation on leveraging and braiding funds was introduced, emphasizing the importance of coordinating different funding sources to support programs without replacing local funding streams.