Rally To Save Berkeley’s Public Housing

Speak out against the plan to sell Berkeley's public housing to a so-called nonprofit housing developer!

For Immediate Release

Contact numbers; Keith Carlisle 510/395-5999 or Rose Flippin 510/472-6499


Rally To Save Berkeley’s Public Housing

When: 6pm on Tuesday January 19

Where: On the steps of Old City Hall
at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way
in Berkeley. Be There!


Rally To Save Berkeley’s Public Housing

Berkeley – The Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA)
had until December 31st to come up with a plan to
manage its public housing, or to come up with a
plan to dispose of it’s public housing. The BHA
decided to sell it’s 75 public housing units, and
filed a Disposition Plan with the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The public housing residents of Berkeley will rally on January 19th against the plan to privatize their housing and invite the public to join them in protest to save Berkeley’s 75 three and four bedroom public housing units from being sold to a so-called nonprofit housing developer. Public housing families face displacement and homelessness.

Public housing provides housing to poor families on General Assistance, SSI, and Cal-Works, while nonprofit housing developers discriminate against these same poor people by use of minimum income requirements, unless they are Section 8 tenants and can be exploited. Public housing belongs to the public, not profit minded housing developers!

The loss of Berkeley’s public housing would result in one less option for the poor, a loss of federal funding to Berkeley, and the loss of good union jobs in the BHA. A bad plan!

There is also concern of a conflict of interest with BHA Board Member Carole Norris, vice president of ICF Consultants and the plan to sell public housing to a nonprofit developer. ICF Consultants are consultants for nonprofit housing developers.

Join Berkeley’s public housing tenants for the January 19 rally in front of Old City Hall, and then inside the City Council meeting as they speak out against the privatization of our public housing! Stop the privatization of our public housing!

Join us for the 6pm Rally and the 7pm City Council Meeting! Be There!