| "We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.” - Barack Obama |
| Dear Friends, Partners, and Allies, Note of Thanks Reflecting on this past year, I am deeply grateful for our staff, partners, supporters, and colleagues who advocated relentlessly for the bold equity-centered policies and critical funding needed to help Californians realize a better future with homes, health, and wealth for all. Thank you for working with us to ensure everyone has a stable place to call home. The Long Game Throughout the year, we aggressively pushed to advance our initiatives on every level but at this moment, to sustain for the long game, I encourage all of us to hit “pause” and slow down. Recently, my dear mentor, friend and colleague Odin Zackman with Dig IN, beautifully translated exactly what I was thinking into words. Odin wrote that in this season, nature takes a rest, and he encourages us to do the same. In fact, he urges us to weave rest into our daily lives so we replenish our energy and sustain a healthier culture at work and home. Let’s bring this idea forward into 2022 and ensure our minds, bodies and spirits have time to rest, heal and re-energize, so we - individually and collectively - are ready to show up, shine and continue the journey forward to transform California! |
| Bright Spots in 2021 Roadmap Home 2030 2021 was a remarkable year at Housing CA as we, along with California Housing Partnership, Residents United Network (RUN), affordable housing and homelessness partners, and multi-sector allies including many of you, officially launched the California Roadmap Home 2030 and advanced bold evidence-based solutions that focused on ensuring everyone has an affordable place to call home in a vibrant, inclusive and prosperous community. Learn about this year’s achievements in the Roadmap Home 2030 End of Year Report. |
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| We also took the first step to go bigger when CA 100 invited me to serve as a Commissioner building off the Roadmap Home 2030 to create a 100 year plan to transform CA. Check out CA 100’s e-newsletter featuring our Roadmap Home 2030 as a part of the CA 100 Next Century vision and strategy. Advocacy Wins Together, we secured historic investments and legislative progress that will provide much-needed resources to those struggling the most. Check out our Annual Legislative Review where our team distills a challenging year in politics into an easy-to-follow five-minute read that highlights our big advocacy wins and major takeaways. You will get the insider's perspective on how Housing CA took action to move our affordable housing and homelessness policy priorities and where we must continue to press for the resources to meet the scale of need. |
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| Our Three Strategic Directions Over the course of this year, we also made meaningful strides (1) in shaping a new statewide, people-centered, solutions-oriented narrative on housing and homelessness, (2) in building and shifting power through our multi-sector coalitions and community organizing networks (go RUN) for racial justice-centered impact, and (3) unrelentingly pushing for transformational policy changes to create greater opportunities and better outcomes for Californians struggling the most, particularly our BIPOC neighbors. I invite you to learn about this year’s achievements in Housing CA's annual report, "Path to Success". Learn about the various ways Housing CA, with our co-conspirators and partners, leveraged our collective power to help manifest California’s first-ever multi year commitment of resources to address homelessness as well as pass essential legislation that lays the groundwork for future successes. |
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| | 2021 Un-Conference Leaning into our strength as a statewide convener, our annual conference drew over 1200 participants to congregate around our theme, Homes, Health, and Wealth for All Californians. I invite you to view the recorded sessions, which are now publicly available. We took the opportunity to grow our big tent and collaborate with co-conspirators who joined us to think audaciously and do business differently to actively solve housing injustice and build a better future for all Californians. |
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| | Looking ahead Heading into 2022, Housing CA is ready to take our bold system change and structural reform policy advocacy efforts to the next level by expanding our work in narrative shaping, growing and leveraging our collective power, and bringing more co-conspirators into our tent of dedicated members and partners focused on improving housing affordability and ending homelessness in our state. And, we need your help. Will you support our work? Your continued support is essential to advancing the equity-centered, evidence-based policies that we know will help create a brighter future where every Californian has a stable place to call home, health and prosperity in thriving, sustainable communities. End of Year Thoughts As we celebrate our successes in 2021, let us reflect on the heartfelt solidarity, collective strength, and meaningful progress that we realized this year. We look forward to building on that momentum together and manifesting even greater accomplishments in 2022. |
| In solidarity, strength, and gratitude,
Lisa Hershey
Executive Director |
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| | Housing California
1107 9th Street, Suite 560
Sacramento, California 95814
916-447-0503 | staff@housingca.org |
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