A hearty congratulations to our friends at Silicon Valley at Home for their great work on Affordable Housing Week 2018. This year Housing Trust hosted three big events!
AHW 2018 – posts from which can be found on social media under the #ItsTime4Yes hashtag – started out with the ADU panel on May 11 “Small Homes, Big Impact” – a standing-room-only panel at the Santa Clara County Association of REALTORS® office in San Jose. Moderated by Teresa Alvarado of SPUR and featuring our own ADU program manager, Vianey Nava, State Senator Bob Wieckowski, and Pilar Lorenzana of SV@Home, it covered a lot of pressing issues when it comes to building Accessory Dwelling Units. Homeowners in the audience had a lot of good questions and the conversation about ADUs is continuing with Housing Trust’s new ADU program.
The following day Housing Trust’s Homebuyer team had a packed house at the Homebuyer Assistance Fair in Milpitas. The registration for this event filled up within hours – yet another indicator of how much demand there is for Housing Trust’s down payment assistance and other programs to help those trying to afford #ABayAreaHome.
On Wednesday the 16th, Housing Trust’s Chief Lending Officer, Jim Mather, taught the “Affordable Housing Finance 101” session at LinkedIn’s offices in Sunnyvale. Board member and EVP of Technology Credit Union Joe Anzalone kicked off the session before “Professor Mather” took to the podium to walk attendees through the building challenges and maze of acronyms that make up the world of housing finance. His presentation was well received and the attendees had a good place to learn thanks to LinkedIn – a TECH Fund partner and a longtime investor in affordable housing solutions – generously hosting the event at their office.
Jim showed mercy on his class – particularly those who attempted to take cell phone photographs of his slides – by making the Affordable Housing Finance 101 slides available on our web site.
Also throughout the week were Affordable Housing Week proclamations made at several city and town halls. Housing Trust staff was able to attend both the one that took place in Mountain View given by mayor Lenny Siegel and, a couple of blocks from our new office on Santa Clara Street, the proclamation at San Jose’s City Hall. A particularly gratifying moment came when, just moments before Housing Trust CEO Kevin Zwick gave a address at the proclamation, Mayor Sam Liccardo invited all of the “housers” in the audience to the floor, and various staffers who had crowded the first row of the chambers hoping to get a good photograph had to get up and move back several rows to get everyone in the shot.
The moment, as well as Kevin’s remarks, truly conveyed just how many allies are fighting the fight for more affordable homes. Once again we thank Silicon Valley at Home as well as the sponsors and supporters of Affordable Housing Week for delivering a memorable and meaningful AHW 2018!