On Tuesday, the City Council will vote on a proposed budget that includes significant cuts to affordable housing funding – and we need your help speaking out against this misguided budget plan.
The Mayor’s final budget proposal cuts $25 million from affordable housing production, a major setback in our community’s ability to address our housing and homelessness crisis. This action is particularly concerning given that there are more than a dozen new shovel-ready affordable housing developments (with 1,500 affordable homes) waitlisted for funding, which will be at risk of significant delays or dying altogether if they’re unable to secure local funding commitments.
We know that building more affordable housing is central to solving homelessness. With rents remaining out of reach for San Jose families and a growing number of people being pushed into homelessness, we cannot afford to back away from our commitment to create the affordable homes our community desperately needs.
Please join us in contacting your elected representatives to:
1) express your concern with the potential cuts to affordable housing, and
2) support a proposal from Vice Mayor Kamei and Councilmembers Ortiz, Jimenez and Candelas to explore options for funding additional affordable housing projects at the mid-year budget review (read their memo) AND
3) urge the City Council to begin seriously exploring opportunities to raise new revenues that will allow the City to continue investing in both shelter strategies and affordable housing development at the scale we need.