HOUSING IN BRIEF: A MILLION NEW HOMES The National Affordable Housing Trust
Fund continues to pick up steam. Regular STREET SHEET readers will recall that the Trust, if passed through Congress, will create over 1.5 million new homes over a ten-year period. The national “Housing Winter,” actions contributed to over two-dozen new Congressional co-sponsors, direct action helping the very capable lobbyists at the National Low- Income Housing Coalition and the National Coalition for the Homeless make their case.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi has issued a “Dear Colleague,” letter about the Trust, thanks in large part to the local public actions and postcard campaigns. Keep up the pressure, help us make sure that Ms. Pelosi uses that formidable new-found whip for housing justice!
THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US!
The Mayor and the Supes are currently considering a budget that decimates most of the City services that prevent homelessness from happening before it happens! At the same time so-called “Quality Of Life,” legislation is being debated, our electeds are considering increasing homelessness! It’s going to take a mini-movement to take back these eviction prevention, senior and human services cuts. There are currently two public actions planned: Tuesday May 14th, 10:00 a.m. on the steps of City Hall and Wednesday May 22nd at 11:30 a.m.
IF YOU BUILD IT…
Kudos to the San Francisco Organizing Project for the excellent kick-off rally for their campaign to get a local Housing Bond on the ballot for November. The bond would create 250 million dollars to build new affordable housing, including Limited-Equity homeownership. Anyone interested in volunteering for the campaign can call (415) 452-3700.
Right to a Roof is supporting this campaign through an Anti-Poverty Voter Registration drive. Contact us to get involved.
DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Landlords are at it again, trying to get the city to support a program called Homeownership Opportunities for Tenants (HOT) aka Homeownership for People Everywhere (HOPE). This scheme is being touted as a way to make every tenant a king of their own home, but is more likely to produce short-term gains for some tenants and a lot of property speculators, and destroy Rent Control as we know it. Anyone truly interested in REAL homeownership opportunities should check out the work of the SF Landtrust Collaborative (which the COH is a founding member of) diligently organizing for meaningful, long-term solutions to the housing crisis.
Call (415) 550-7156 to get involved.
The HOT/HOPE crowd talks a good game when it comes to preserving a working-class, colorful city but on closer look, the whitewash is rather obvious.
Right to a Roof