In early January, Joshua Shipper, Director of Special Initiatives, met with California congressional representatives and others in Washington, D.C. working to resolve the undersupply of housing in Sonoma County. The meetings served as a preface to our attendance at the 2023 Housing Supply Innovation Symposium hosted by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation in collaboration with the Joint Center for Housing Studies and the National League of Cities (NLC) where we participated in discussions on innovative models of affordable ownership, modular design, and financing methods supported by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
At the symposium we learned from developers, community housing advocates, and funders how models of community-based homeownership can begin to reverse patterns of racial inequity in the housing market as well as how cities can do more to build affordable infill housing with limited resources using off-site (or modular) solutions to development.
In meetings with our local delegation including Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02) we discussed ways to strengthen coordination on home preservation programs & Low Income Housing Tax Credits as a means to keep housing affordable for residents of low and moderate income. Drawing on housing models from beyond California, we also met with staff of Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon to discuss implementation strategies on her pioneering bill to streamline funding for colocated affordable housing & childcare centers. Housing and childcare are the two highest expenses for many new families, but when built together they offer a cost-effective solution for families who depend on reliable and affordable options for care during the workday.
We are optimistic about the progress and collaboration happening at the federal level, and look forward to working further with our federal representatives and our local policymakers to come together and work towards bold housing solutions.
Thank you to our partners at First 5 Sonoma County and to Tony Crabb & Barbara Grasseschi for making this trip possible. If you are interested in learning more details about our advocacy trip in Washington, D.C. feel free to contact our Director of Special Initiatives Joshua Shipper at joshua@generationhousing.org.