ACTION ALERT: Dedicate funding for affordable housing in Oakland
Please urge your Oakland City Council member to secure the future of affordable housing and pass the 25% set-aside policy on July 30th!
Hundreds of EBHO members, residents, and allies have attended and testified at budget hearings and meetings, written and signed letters, and made calls to our Oakland City Council urging them to continue funding affordable housing. With the elimination of Redevelopment statewide, we lost our primary local source of funds for affordable housing so it is critical that this proposed policy passes! We have made great strides so far, but we still need to secure their commitment to ongoing funding for affordable housing!
At the hearing on Tuesday, July 30th, the City Council will vote on a 25% set-aside policy of ongoing “boomerang” funds for affordable housing. We need YOU to urge their support. Please see the action steps below to learn how you can get involved!
For more information and recent news articles, please see article links below:
The Oakland Tribune: “It Makes Financial Sense to Make Affordable Housing a Priority”
To read the proposed legislation, please see click here.
Call script/email template:
“Hello _________________. My name is (first and last) and I live/work at (Oakland address). As you go into your July 30th City Council meeting, we’re counting on you to support the proposal to commit 25% of boomerang funds for Oakland’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Affordable Housing is a critical investment which is needed today and for our future. Thank you.”
For contact information, click here.
Action Step 2: Attend and testify at the July 30th City Council hearing!
WHEN: Tuesday, July 30th, begins at 6:30pm
WHERE: Oakland City Council Chambers, City Hall at 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza
Please let us know if you can attend at jean@ebho.org
Please sign up to speak (or cede your time) for agenda item # 13 here.
(Since the two previous items are likely to be controversial, please note that our item may not be addressed until later in the evening.)
OUR MESSAGE:
We need your support to put a policy in place to allocate 25% of future “boomerang” funds (former Redevelopment funds) for affordable housing
- This encompasses 25% of ongoing boomerang starting in the 2015/2016 budget year; and
- 25% of any one-time boomerang, i.e. from land sales, that has not yet been anticipated / budgeted in the current budget cycle.
Please read the ordinance/report here:
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS:
- Share your perspective and experience about the benefits of affordable housing. Emphasize how important it is to continue investments in affordable housing, and how affordable housing development is a catalyst for broader economic and community development. The time is now to demonstrate Oakland’s commitment to this!
- Give an example of how an affordable housing development leveraged additional funding, and was a catalyst for economic development, jobs, community/public safety, health and educational outcomes.
- We really need Oakland’s early show of support to continue with affordable housing investments. Investors, funders, developers, the region, the county and the state all need to see Oakland’s commitment now to affordable housing. They are paying attention in this post-Redevelopment period. We want Oakland to be well positioned to compete and be able to leverage outside government and private funding/financing.
- For any existing or new funding sources, Oakland will most likely need to put in local funds in order to leverage federal, state, regional, county funds and conventional financing.
- There is enough flexibility built in to this policy to allow for changing market and budget conditions, and to avoid cuts elsewhere in the budget. We understand that all projections show that “boomerang” funds will increase significantly over time.
- I hope we can count on you to come through for this important policy today with a yes vote.
Contact info:
To find your City Council rep, click here.
District 1 Councilmember Dan Kalb
Phone: (510) 238-7001
Email: dkalb@oaklandnet.com
District 2 Councilmember Pat Kernighan
Ph: (510) 238-7002
Email: pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
District 3 Councilmember Lynette McElhaney
Ph: 510-238-7003
E-Mail: lmcelhaney@oaklandnet.com
District 4 Councilmember Libby Schaaf
Ph: (510) 238-7004
Direct: lschaaf@oaklandnet.com
District 5 Councilmember Noel Gallo
Ph: (510) 238-7005
Email: ngallo@oaklandnet.com
District 6 Councilmember Desley Brooks
Ph: (510) 238-7006 (office)
Email: dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
District 7 Councilmember Larry Reid
Ph: (510) 238-7007
E-mail: lreid@oaklandnet.com
Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan
Ph: (510) 238-7008
E-mail: rkaplan@oaklandnet.com
And please email and call the Mayor! Thank her for being very outspoken on affordable housing and the need to preserve funding for affordable housing. Urge her to stay strong on this issue and push for the 25% set-aside policy.
Ph: (510) 238-3141
E-mail: jquan@oaklandnet.com
Thank you for all your actions and impact!
Amie, Gloria, Jean, Anthony, Dominique, Sandhya, Sam