RELEASE: Bay Area Region Faces Critical Juncture for Housing Approach


Bay Area Region Faces Critical Juncture for Housing Approach


Newly consolidated regional agencies and Plan Bay Area present timely and urgent opportunity for action on Bay Area housing

June 20, 2017 (San Francisco Bay Area, California) – As MTC and ABAG move towards adoption of Plan Bay Area 2040 this summer, the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) has released a series of recommendations the soon-to-be combined agencies can take over the next two years to support the Bay Area’s housing needs.

NPH released its whitepaper, “On Track Together: Housing and Transportation: Building the Bay Area’s Vibrant, Sustainable, and Affordable Future Together” today. The paper unveils a series of five strategies with concrete action items recommended by the region’s affordable housing advocacy organization.

“The Bay Area is at a critical juncture right now,” said Amie Fishman, NPH Executive Director. “ABAG and MTC must invest significant resources, pass bold policies, and aggressively prioritize affordable housing in order to address the needs of our communities and the will of the voters.”

The paper also examines trends from the large existing body of research on the region’s affordable housing crisis, identifying that the causes of the Bay Area’s affordable housing challenges can be largely winnowed down to six primary factors, including the significant loss of affordable housing funding from state and federal sources.

“As Plan Bay Area is finalized, and as MTC and ABAG consolidate, it is crucial that affordable housing investments and solutions are a priority in our region’s planning,” said Pedro Galvao, MPP, NPH’s Regional Planning and Policy Manager and the report author. “Our research helps us understand how our region has underproduced affordable housing in the past, and offers concrete actions we can take to find affordable housing success in the future.” 

NPH has provided important guidance during Plan Bay Area’s process in the past. Last fall, a draft of the plan was criticized for its limited inclusion of housing solutions, with regional agency staff identifying the potential consequences as “dystopian.” In response, NPH in coalition with a diverse group of stakeholders, successfully pushed for a regional Action Plan to be incorporated into Plan Bay Area to identify concrete steps and deliver meaningful progress for affordable housing in the Bay Area.

“The On Track Together report’s insight and findings should provide significant guidance as MTC and ABAG finalize the Action Plan and unite their agencies,” said Fishman.

MTC and ABAG will complete their consolidation efforts July 1, and aim to finalize Plan Bay Area 2040 by mid-summer. The Committee on Affordable and Sustainable Accommodations (CASA), an initiative established by MTC and ABAG to guide the newly-combined agency’s long-term strategy and approach for housing in the region, will hold its first meeting Wednesday, June 28.

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Media Contact: Alina Harway, alina@nonprofithousing.org (415-989-8160)

For more information, visit www.nonprofithousing.org/OnTrackTogether

The Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) is the Bay Area’s voice for affordable housing. As the Bay Area region’s affordable housing advocacy organization, NPH works to build regional solutions to support its vision for a future where everyone has an affordable and stable home. NPH represents more than 750 affordable housing developers, advocates, community leaders and businesses, working to secure resources, promote good policy, educate the public, and support affordable homes as the foundation for thriving individuals, families and neighborhoods.