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“Housing is both a head and a heart issue. The head part we can tackle through the development of facts that pertain to how we got here and what will transpire if we continue to fail to meet our housing obligations. I am talking here not about what the law requires, but the moral and cultural imperative of our community to itself and our neighbors. Emotional issues cannot simply be banished by facts alone. We are dealing here with reactions that range from fear (fundamentally of change and survival) to anger (about growing diversity, loss of power and relevance). The best we can do is appeal a broader perspective of selflessness and compassion for others, being hurt more than emotionally, by the housing crisis. Lives uprooted, health impaired, families torn apart by inadequate housing harm us as a culture and society. We will suffer indirectly too, but we will suffer still.”

— Evelyn Stivers, Executive Director, Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County

What others are saying about COMMUNITIES

“We’ve got to drive home the message to everyone in the region that the affordable housing crisis is hurting you, whether it’s because your grandchildren can’t live near you … or your children’s teacher will have to leave in the middle of the year” to find cheaper rent.”

– Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Ambitious plan to ease Bay Area housing crunch draws heat, but passes

“First, we must recognize that this housing emergency not only affects California’s diversity and economy, but is also a HEALTH crisis. Workers forced to commute long distances to get to their jobs are clogging freeways, affecting our air quality and environment. When families spend their entire budget on housing, there isn’t enough for food, affecting nutritional needs. Kids and seniors who are displaced can’t focus on school or unique elder care needs. Our First Responders and teachers can’t afford to live in the communities they serve.”

– Catherine Lew, You asked: What to do about California’s housing shortage?

What experts are saying about Strong Families

“Too many children go to bed at night without seeing parents who are stuck in crippling commutes.”

– San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose and Stockton mayors boost transit-housing plan

"My quality of life is rough — I tutor one day a week to make some extra money so we can eat," she said. Right now, her commute home is 45 minutes if she leaves at 3:15 p.m., but every minute she lingers before getting on the road could mean an extra five to 15 minutes minutes of driving time. If she waits until 3:30, it takes her an hour and a half to get home. It really pulls on my heartstrings that I don't feel like I can stay here for the football games or be more involved in the community I teach in," she said.

– Kerry Keplinger Northen, Four Teachers, Four Stories

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What others are saying about TRAFFIC

“Middle-class employees can’t afford to live near jobs, causing stressful commutes, wasted hours, and climate-altering emissions.”

–Bloomberg Editorial Board, California Needs a Housing Revolution

What others are saying about TEACHER HOUSING

“Teachers are responding to the difficulty with lengthy commutes, extra jobs and difficult living situations. The side effects of these choices include isolation from students, spending hours on the road and living paycheck-to-paycheck. Others choose to quit teaching or move out of the Bay Area.”

– Angela Swartz, Housing insecurity

“As a former teacher, I most recently spent three years working for an education nonprofit in Redwood City and, in that time I noticed a disturbing trend: Most of my colleagues who planned to stick around the Bay Area for the long term were married to someone who worked in tech, myself included. Having a tech salary in your household was basically the only way to afford a decent-sized apartment on the Peninsula within reasonable commuting distance of your job. My friends who happened to fall in love with someone who also worked at their nonprofit or also taught at their school inevitably left for more affordable parts of the country when they wanted to start families. Losing this kind of civic-minded talent is a huge blow to our communities.”

– Mike Dunham, The Jobs/Housing Imbalance in Burlingame