PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
July 27, 2017
CONTACT: Isabel Alegría, 510- 541-5428, ialegria@publicadvocates.org or
David Zisser, 415-828-8722, dzisser@publicadvocates.org
Regional Agencies Commit to Addressing Bay Area Housing Crisis through Regional Action Plan
San Francisco – The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) approved an Action Plan on Wednesday night that commits the agencies to a number of aggressive strategies to promote affordable housing production and preservation and to prevent displacement in the Bay Area.
The Action Plan is a response to community concerns about the failure of Plan Bay Area 2040 to meet affordable housing goals and address the increasingly urgent housing crisis. Plan Bay Area 2040 allocates over $300 billion in transportation funding and presents strategies for handling the region’s housing growth over the next 25 years. MTC and ABAG adopted the Action Plan as part of the final Plan Bay Area 2040.
“MTC and ABAG have taken their lead from the communities most impacted by the housing crisis,” said David Zisser, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Advocates and a co-coordinator of the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network, a coalition of 20 social justice, faith, public health, and environmental organizations across the Bay Area. “For years, we have advocated with them for a regional plan that protects vulnerable Bay Area residents from displacement.”
The Action Plan will put into motion a concrete policy agenda to:
- Look for ways to generate regional revenues for affordable housing development and preservation.
- Expand regional affordable housing programs that have shown success such as the Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing program.
- Expand incentives in both new and existing transportation funding sources for local jurisdictions to promote affordable housing and prevent displacement.
- Develop a strategy for developing affordable housing on public land near transit.
“Committing to these anti-displacement strategies is an important first step which resulted from years of advocacy that included seniors, immigrants, and youth of color on fixed incomes,” said Mashael Majid, Program Manager of Equitable Development at Urban Habitat and 6 Wins member. “Our work isn’t finished though. We have to ensure that MTC and ABAG effectively implement these policies.”
The 6 Wins Network, the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH), and Greenbelt Alliance formed a coalition to ensure that the regional agencies included a specific action plan to address displacement as part of the larger Plan Bay Area 2040.
“I’m excited that MTC and ABAG have decided to work with our communities and leaders to put policies in place that address displacement,” said Stevi Dawson, a resident leader with East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO), a member organization of the 6 Wins Network. “We need to act quickly and decisively to help the many people now struggling through this housing crisis.”
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