Building tenant power and advocating for alternative solutions that provide permanent affordable housing.
Over the past two decades, market-rate and affordable housing production has failed to keep pace with the growing population of Silicon Valley, and wages for the majority of the region’s working families have failed to keep up with the rising rents. As a result, for a significant number of working families, rent costs over half of their income — and many live under the constant threat of eviction by corporate landlords who now control the majority of multi family homes in the area.
Building a future in which there’s a home for every family in San Jose involves shifting public policy, pushing back against the corporate takeover of our rental market, and building the power of tenants to improve their own living conditions. Our work focuses on building tenant power and advocating for alternative solutions that provide permanent affordable housing.
Building tenant power
Renters bear the brunt of the housing crisis — they are subject to unjust rent increases, subpar living conditions and other exploitative practices by landlords. As the pandemic revealed, low income renters who have no other safety net are often burdened first and worst during times of crises.
Building the leadership and political power of tenants so they can combat corporate ownership, and advocate for tenant-centered policy is critical to ensuring a home for every family in San Jose.
Social Housing
We know building truly affordable housing for all requires systemic transformation. We’re working towards bringing together multiple community and government stakeholders to move forward simple and radical solutions like acquiring and rehabilitating existing housing units, implementing land trust models and advocating for necessary funding and policy changes across the region.
Our movement towards housing access for all is strengthened by regional partners such as the Community Housing Organizations and Shift the Bay.
