EBHO’s End of Summer Wrap Up

Dear EBHO Community,

It’s the end of September! Which means we are already three-quarters of the way through the year. It also means that it’s my one-year anniversary as Executive Director of EBHO!! So I thought we should give you an update on what we’ve been up to so far this year. (Spoiler alert: a whole heck of a lot!)

As we enter the last few months of our 40th Anniversary Year, I continue to reflect on EBHO’s incredible impact and legacy – and my role within it. Hearing about EBHO’s humble beginnings with one part-time employee and how the organization grew in size and credibility under the leadership of previous Board members and EDs, and efforts of all of our staff, members, and supporters over the past four decades has been extraordinarily inspiring. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in the years to come.

I have enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces and meeting new allies at EBHO and partner gatherings this past year. For me, it’s this combination of solidarity and joy that makes the housing justice community so very special. And we are going to need to draw deeply upon both as we enter autumn and a very busy campaign season. 

Thank you for supporting EBHO and making what we do possible. If you aren’t yet an EBHO member, and you want to help make sure we can keep this great momentum going through the end of the year, please consider joining us today!

In solidarity,
— Lindsay Haddix, Executive Director

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Staffing Update

To start, we have some joyful updates to share! EBHO welcomed four new staff members this year:

• In February, we welcomed Davina Srioudom – EBHO’s inaugural Suburban Organizer. Davina is focused on increasing our outreach and education work in Contra Costa County.
• Two staff members joined us in June. Lavender Briscoe is EBHO’s Membership Associate and is working to grow and enhance our membership. Briseida Ayala Rodriguez is our Operations Associate, playing an important role in EBHO’s governance and business affairs.
• In July, we welcomed Joey Flegel-Mishlove as our next Policy Associate. Joey tracks state and local housing legislation and supports our work in Concord.

In addition to welcoming new team members, three long-time staff celebrated their six-year EBHO anniversaries and took well-deserved sabbaticals. Sophia DeWitt, Dolores Tejada, and Kiki Poe were all able to spend two months relaxing, recharging, and rejoicing.

Several EBHO staff have also received promotions this year! Angelina Cornejo is EBHO’s Senior Campaign Strategy Associate; Damion Scott was promoted to Lead Organizer; Kate Young advanced to Communications Manager; Kiki Poe is our Chief Operating Officer; Megan Nguyen is now Policy Manager; and Sophia DeWitt became EBHO’s Chief Program Officer.

This is the largest the EBHO team has ever been. Join us in celebrating growth as individuals, as a team, and as a community!

The EBHO team, including many new faces, took a well-deserved break to attend an Oakland Ballers game in August! We are grateful for these moments of fun, rest, and community.

EBHO’s Signature Annual In-Person Events

Several of EBHO’s Resident Community Organizing Program (RCOP), Board, and Staff members at our Affordable Housing Month Kickoff Celebration in May.

This past May we celebrated Affordable Housing Month, and it was our most ambitious yet! EBHO and our partners across the East Bay hosted more than 30 events across a broad range of topics and geographies. We also welcomed over 200 community members at our Kickoff Celebration on May 1st.

We decided to try something different for our annual Faith event this year: in August instead of a Breakfast, we held our first-ever Faith & Justice Day of Action where we welcomed faith leaders from throughout the East Bay. With our partners at St. Mary’s Center, we educated 100+ attendees on Proposition 5, equipping our guests with the tools needed to successfully engage with their communities.

Finally, we are busy planning for our last big event of the year. Our Annual Membership Meeting & Celebration will take place on the evening of November 13th at The Overlook in Oakland. 

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Programs Update

Organizing & Policy Work

40th Anniversary Monthly Lunch & Learn Series
In the spirit of this year’s 40th Anniversary theme, Powerful Legacy, Powerful Future, we’ve hosted a monthly series of virtual Lunch & Learn events. With over 300 attendees so far, and three more webinars scheduled for this year, we are extremely proud of this series which is free and open to the public. Missed our previous Lunch & Learns? Recordings, slides, and other materials are available here!

Position Letters, Public Comments, and Presentations
Since the beginning of the year, EBHO has given over 50 written and verbal comments on proposed policy and legislative changes. From sending a letter of support to Secretary Pete Butigieg on the proposed West Oakland Link to giving public comment at a Concord City Council meeting regarding the proposed term sheet for the Concord Naval Weapons Station, we have turned up and turned out with and for our communities when housing justice issues have been on the agenda.

We’ve also given over 35 presentations to our members and the general public so far this year on topics ranging from Concord housing rezoning to the redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum site, and from statewide Proposition 5 to Housing Elements 101. At least 550 people have attended our various presentations, gaining knowledge and heeding EBHO’s calls to action.

Regional Suburban Organizing Program
Supported by Working Partnership USA, EBHO participated in a newly created Regional Suburban Organizing Program (RSOP). EBHO staff organized and led a phone banking effort over the course of six weeks. Seven temporary EBHO employees, with assistance from EBHO staff, completed 125+ shifts, conducted 23,107 calls, and recorded opinions from 2,944 voters about solutions to the housing crisis in the Bay Area. EBHO was thrilled to not only meet but exceed our completed survey goal when the program ended on July 30th.

Leadership Academy
Leadership Academy is a free community program for affordable housing residents and staff covering the essential elements of being an effective affordable housing advocate, community organizer, and leader. EBHO launched the Leadership Academy in 2015, after hearing from resident organizers that they wanted to learn more about housing policy and organizing skills. This year we celebrated the tenth Leadership Academy graduation with a ceremony that capped off eight weeks of immersive advocacy programming.

2024 Leadership Academy Graduates and several EBHO Staff.

State Legislation
EBHO organized our annual legislative visits with our East Bay delegation to discuss our legislative priorities, and strengthen EBHO’s relationships with our legislators and their housing staff.  EBHO endorsed 21 bills this year. EBHO staff and members sent emails/letters in support throughout 2024, for several of these bills, including:

• AB 2926 – Strengthening the State’s Preservation Notice law 
• AB 3093 – Adding ALI (Acutely Low-Income) and ELI (Extremely Low-Income) to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) and Housing Element Planning Process
• AB 3160 – Making $500M in annual enhanced State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) permanent 
• AB 653 – Federal Housing Voucher Acceleration Program (Resident United Network priority)

Campaign Work

EBHO has also been supporting 2024 Election efforts. Staff had been preparing for a $20 billion regional affordable housing bond campaign. Unfortunately, due to increasing adversarial forces, the bond was removed from the ballot. However, our election work continues. EBHO is a proud member of the Yes on 5 Coalition. Proposition 5 empowers local voters to approve bonds for affordable housing, critical public infrastructure, and emergency response in our communities with a 55% vote – if those bonds have strict accountability and oversight. Please join our campaign by endorsing Proposition 5 as an individual and/or organization.

We also just launched our 2024 Election Hub online. Check it out to view all of the resources we’ve compiled to help you make informed decisions about the future of housing in the East Bay, including our voter guide, candidate questionnaires, candidate forums, and much, much more!