40th Anniversary Lunch & Learn Series

We are thrilled to celebrate a momentous milestone—our 40th anniversary!

East Bay Housing Organizations was founded in 1984 as Oakland Housing Organizations (OHO). Our movement began a series of informal, monthly brown bag lunches. Affordable housing developers, architects, advocates, city staff, and community activists gathered to discuss how to advance affordable housing in Oakland. Forty years ago, EBHO, then called OHO, hired a half-time staff person to support and incubate the budding nonprofit.

The theme of this year is Powerful Legacy, Powerful Future. In an homage to the early days of EBHO, we will be hosting a monthly Lunch & Learn series this year where we learn from the forty years of successful advocacy before us and mobilize for future action.


Lunch & Learn With EBHO

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EBHO members featured in our 2015 guidebook. Our annual guidebook has since become EBHO’s Study Room

In the spirit of this year’s theme, Powerful Legacy, Powerful Future, we’re hosting a monthly series of Lunch & Learn events, where we will learn from the past 40 years of successful advocacy to help guide us as we mobilize for future action.

Learn more about our upcoming Lunch & Learn events and view our past events below:

November: Ending East Bay Homelessness: Focusing on Real Solutions

Thursday, November 21st at 1 PM

According to Contra Costa and Alameda County 2024 Point In Time (PIT) Count data, there are an estimated 2,843 and 9,450 people experiencing homelessness in each county, respectively. With the Johnson vs Grants Pass Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, some jurisdictions are considering increasing “sweeps” of encampments, and the City of Berkeley recently voted to start clearing encampments. As local and national research shows, we know that the real way to end homelessness is creating more safe, stable, affordable homes. Learn how you can advocate for real, sustainable, long-term solutions to end homelessness in your community. 

December: Goodbye, 2024. Hello, 2025!

Thursday, December 19th at 1 PM

It’s been another busy year for EBHO! With our members and partners, we have been working hard to further housing justice across the East Bay.  As our 40th Anniversary year comes to an end, join us to celebrate our wins, commiserate our losses, and look forward to what’s in store for 2025!


Past Events

January 25th

It’s no secret that Team EBHO has lots of irons in the fire. Have you ever wondered what all we’re working on? Learn about our 2024 campaigns and meet representatives from EBHO’s six committees.

February 29th

Learn from EBHO’s Policy Team about what a housing element is, why our last year of advocacy around housing elements was so important, and how you can get involved.

March 28th

Are you a new member? A prospective member? Or maybe you’re a long-time member looking to step up your involvement. Learn more about the perks of EBHO membership and what our members have accomplished over the years.

April 25th

A deep dive into housing terminology and our current policy landscape led by EBHO’s Policy Team. This Lunch & Learn is intended for audiences of all levels and backgrounds.

May 30th

Reflect on EBHO’s last 40 years of advocacy! Hear from our Senior Director of Policy Jeff Levin and other founding members about the organization’s humble beginnings, lessons learned, and what they are excited about for EBHO’s future.

June 27th

A workshop led by EBHO’s Organizing Team on how to use the “self, us, now” framework to effectively tell your story, make connections, and call upon others to join you in action. This simple yet powerful tool is useful in all contexts from casual conversations with neighbors to formal lobby days.

July 25th

A conversation with EBHO Board members as they share their reasons for becoming EBHO members, why they wanted to join our Board, and some of the things they’ve worked on since becoming board members. We also talk about the role and importance of boards in nonprofit governance and how YOU can apply to become an EBHO board member in the future!

September 12th

Our previously scheduled “All About the Regional Bond” August 22nd Lunch & Learn was rescheduled to September 12th as “All About Proposition 5”! We learned all about Proposition 5, why it’s such an important component of our affordable housing fight, and how to ensure that we win on Election Day in November.

September 26th

A first in a series of discussions related to Disability and Housing led by EBHO’s Director of Organizing Dolores Tejada. We discuss emerging models of affordable housing that are serving people with disabilities, an often underserved community. We will also discuss tangible ways for developers and service providers can better serve people with disabilities. Joining us will be Fatimah Aure from The Kelsey, Teslim Ikharo from the Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance, and Michai Freeman from the Center for Independent Living Berkeley.

October 24th

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) is a multi-faceted tool that aims to empower tenants, prevent tenant displacement, preserve affordable housing, and increase homeownership opportunities for renters. TOPA policies are being proposed nationwide, including right here in the East Bay. We heard from EBHO’s Chief Program Officer, Rev Sophia DeWitt, and guests Jasmine Sozi from East Bay Community Law Center and Amanda Fukutome-Lopez from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing. They will discuss how TOPA, as well as another tool, COPA (Community Opportunity to Purchase Act), works, who opposes these tools, and the latest news coming out of Berkeley, where the City Council has moved towards considering COPA.