"All I want for Christmas is Affordable Housing for Families" SF Housing Justice Call Out

Immediate Release Contact: Chris Durazo
December 11, 2007 (415) 748-1570

“All I want for Christmas” is Affordable Housing for Families

HOUSING JUSTICE COALITION WALKS THE HALLS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

SAN FRANCISCO---- On Tuesday, December 11, at the last Board of Supervisors meeting before the holiday recess, the San Francisco Supervisors will vote on the Daly/Ammiano/Mirkarimi/ Peskin Affordable Housing Charter Amendment to be placed on the November 2008 ballot. A housing coalition of over 30 community-based organizations has endorsed the measure and has so far secured 5 votes.

At 10:30 am on Tuesday, representatives of the coalition will be donned in winter wear as they make a last round of visits to other Supervisors with the message “Don't leave us out in the cold” and/or “Keep Families Warm and Housed”

Affordable housing continues to be the top issue for San Francisco seniors and families, a majority of whom have to pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. While the City’s inclusionary housing program requires market rate housing developers to build 15% of units at “below-market” rates, a majority of San Francisco low-income households have few options for affordable housing.

The San Francisco Affordable Housing Charter Amendment would earmark an estimated $33 million a year for the next 15 years, similar to the Children’s Fund, Open Space Fund, and the Library Preservation Fund, all measures that have been overwhelmingly supported by voters.

“Two out of every three families in San Francisco are low-income, and would significantly benefit from this measure” says Tom Jackson of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. “This is a great first step to planning for the next generation of San Francisco families.

“We have set-asides for all the vital needs of our City such as MUNI, police, firehouses, children's services, parks, schools and libraries, says April Veneracion of South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN). “Without this charter amendment that will ensure that we build affordable housing, there will soon be no more families left to use the parks, libraries, and schools.”
###

partial list of supporters:

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now(ACORN)
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
California Association for Older Americans
Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)
Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC)
Coalition on Homelessness (COH)
Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth
Community Housing Partnership (CHP)
Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO)
Dolores Street Community Services
Filipino-American Development Foundation (FADF)
Filipino Community Center (FCC)
Housing Rights Committee (HRC)
La Voz Latina
Livable City
Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition (MAC)
Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Mission Neighborhood Resource Center (MNRC)
Oasis for Girls
People Organized to Demand Environmental Rights (PODER)
People Organized to Win Employment Rights (POWER)
Senior Action Network (SAN)
San Francisco Community Land Trust (SFCLT)
San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP)
SRO Families United Collaborative
St. Peter's Housing Committee
South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN)
San Francisco Youth Commission
Seniors Organizing Seniors (SOS)
Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC)
Veteran’s Equity Center (VEC)

for more info on how to support: call Chris at 348-1945