Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Affordable Housing Month Kickoff Celebration!
During the event, our Board President, William Goodwin, reminded us of a quote in our Strategic Plan that says “We strive to amplify perspectives and leadership that are less often heard and move towards transformational, rather than transactional, organizing. How we discuss issues—and who is at the table—profoundly influences how people feel, think, and then act on issues.” We have the power to be more!
Whether you’ve been in this fight for housing equity for decades, or you’re just starting to learn how deep and vital this work is, you belong here. Every single one of us is part of building the powerful future our communities deserve.
At the end of our program, I shared a few words that I want to bring back here, because they stay with me every day: To be housing secure is a privilege. And with this privilege, I accept responsibility for my community by fighting alongside all of you.
Affordable Housing Month is more than a campaign—it’s our time to focus on solutions, to build stronger partnerships, and to bring even more people into this movement. We need all hands, all bodies, all visions, and all prayers to the front.
If we didn’t see you at the Kickoff, I hope we see you soon. Because this work is done best when we do it together.
With appreciation,
— Kiki Poe, Chief Operating Officer
(Front Row) Kiki Poe, Rev. Sophia DeWitt, Lindsay Haddix.
Affordable Housing Heroes and Special Guests
Each May, we honor our Housing Heroes, individuals or organizations who are going the distance to create the world that we need. Congratulations to this year’s Affordable Housing Month Honorees: The San Francisco Foundation and Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Márquez!
Posthumous Awards
The EBHO community has, sadly, experienced several great losses in the past few months. Because of this, we decided to take some time to honor and celebrate the legacies of three housing heroes no longer with us, who were critical to building the foundation of our work, by presenting three posthumous awards to the families of Rev. Phillip Lawson, Ms. Francine Williams, and Ms. Melody Parker.
Read more about all of this year’s honorees and their impact.
Special Guests
EBHO would like to express our gratitude for Corrina Gould, Director of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, for opening our Kickoff with a special grounding and acknowledgment of the unceded Lisjan Ohlone land that we all live and work on in the East Bay. Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an intertribal organization founded and led by Indigenous women working to return Indigenous land to Indigenous people. Thank you Corrina and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust for your essential work and for reminding us of the role of Indigenous-led efforts in the housing justice space.
We would also like to thank James Vossoughi, Executive Director of Community Development Banking at JP Morgan Chase, for sharing a few words on why supporting EBHO’s work continues to be a priority for Chase.
Event Photos
Thank you to Photographer Bryon Malik for capturing the joy and vibrancy of the EBHO community!
Thank You To Our Affordable Housing Month Sponsors!
