| | RUN News for October 2019 - Regional Convenings
- RUN Leaders Join Housing California Board
- California's New Renter Protections, Explained
| | | | San Diego Regional Convening San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF) hosted the San Diego RUN Regional Convening on September 24. Attendees included new and senior RUN members, developer partners, SDHF staff and Housing California staff. New members learned about RUN's “Plan to Win” in 2020 and made calls to elected officials from the region who voted in favor of SB 329 to thank them for their support. Participants also enjoyed “speed-dating,” a way to practice inviting their friends, co-workers and neighbors to take action for housing. Finally, the group participated in the “There Ought to be a Law” process to brainstorm policy ideas for 2020. We appreciate the efforts from our partners in San Diego in making the first fall RUN Regional happen and we thank attendees for joining us during this powerful session. | | | | | | Attend the Regional Convening To attend a regional convening near you, please register by following the link to your region. (The Inland Empire will host a small training at one affordable housing development instead of a region-wide convening, but if you are interested in joining RUN in Riverside, San Bernardino, or the Coachella Valley, please contact Teresa Ichsan at tichsan@housingca.org.) We hope that you can make it! Bay Area, October 24 Orange County, October 29 San Joaquin Valley, November 2 Sacramento, November 5 Los Angeles, November 13 | | | | Welcome Ms. Joyce and Willie to the Housing California Board! We are proud to announce that two longtime RUN leaders will be joining the Housing California board of directors this fall. Joyce Roberts from San Diego and Willie Stevens from Oakland will be representing us in this space, and we are grateful for their willingness to step up to this challenge. We wish them both the best of luck and are looking forward to seeing them grow into their new roles. | | Joyce Roberts is an active member of her San Diego community. She shows up, she brings people, and she gets things done. Having experienced homelessness and the hardship of having to move from an apartment she loved because she could not afford the rent by herself is why being involved with RUN and Housing California is so important to her. Joyce lived in a MAAC property President John Adams Manor in Oak Park (PJAM) for 14 years. In 2010 PJAM was struggling with community violence. As a result, Joyce, along with other community members, began working with elected officials and management to improve safety at PJAM. Since then, Joyce stepped up to become a Resident Popular Educator through the San Diego Housing Federation’s Civic Engagement Program. There, alongside other San Diego residents, she challenged herself to learn more about systems, policy, and government. She learned about campaigns, participated in role plays, and mapped her community. Joyce has become a more visible leader in her community. She has participated in community meetings about local transportation issues and how plans will affect her community. She has organized voter information sessions helping her neighbors understand the implications of propositions for their neighborhood. She has gone to City Council to advocate for equitable investment and development in her district. She has led deep conversations with local law enforcement about changing how they work with and respond to the community. | | | | Willie Stevens is an engaged leader in his community in the Bay Area. He has first-hand experience in affordable housing after 24 years as property manager at affordable housing developments in LA and the Bay Area and as a current affordable housing resident. He is a member of the United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County and the LeadingAge California. He was active in East Bay Housing Organizations’ Resident and Community Organizing Program, which worked to pass Measure A1 in 2016. He was involved from the beginning of the campaign, providing tenant education in affordable housing buildings. He visited multiple housing complexes and educated over 120 people on Measure A1. One of his leadership roles includes being the Vice President of the Allen Temple Arms Resident Council. This role has given him the opportunity to organize residents to demonstrate their power and encourage participation in decision making. “I organize them to care about community issues such as homelessness and affordable housing,” he says. | | | | | | New Renter Protections, Explained You’ve probably heard about SB 329, the bill that RUN helped pass this year that bans discrimination against people who use housing assistance vouchers to pay rent. You may also have heard about AB 1482, a new law that RUN and Housing California supported that includes what Governor Newsom calls the strongest statewide renter protections in the country. But many renters are unsure about how this law might apply to them. If you’re wondering what it means, check out a quick explainer article from the Los Angeles Times here. Then, start thinking about what else we need to get more people in homes for 2020 - and bring those ideas to your regional convening to share with your community! | | | | | | | | Residents United Network is a project of: | | | | | | | | | | | |
