About Us
About Housing California
Our Vision: Homes for All and an End to Homelessness
Homes are the foundation for life. Since 1979, Housing CA has worked to increase the supply and variety of decent, safe, and affordable homes for homeless and low-income families. We work to ensure that Californians from all walks of life have real choices in the housing market -- from apartments to condos to single-family detached homes.Housing CA's mission is to prevent homelessness and increase the supply of decent, safe, accessible and permanently affordable homes for homeless and low-income Californians. Housing CA staff accomplishes its goals through advocacy, education and research, and communications and outreach.
View our 2009 Annual Report
Policy and Legislation: Leaders in the Capitol
Housing CA actively works in the halls of the California government to increase the variety of affordable homes for Californians. We carefully research and provide educational information to legislators and voters that helps shape policy and provide a voice for those in the greatest need. We work closely with advocates and lawmakers throughout California to develop and adopt effective legislation that helps fund new construction of affordable homes, works to end homelessness, and reforms land-use policy.
Housing CA has three policy priorities:
- Increase affordability in the housing market through targeted state investment.
- End homelessness and prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless in the future.
- Ensure that local, state, and federal plans for housing, transportation, and climate-change fully and accurately reflect Californians' need for affordable places to live.
Communications and Outreach: Framing the Issues and Motivating the Masses
The first step in effective communications is understanding your audience, so we work with experts to learn how Californians -- policy makers, opinion leaders, and working families at all income levels -- think about the housing market, homelessness, and creating more home affordability. We listen, so we can communicate more effectively. We then we share everything we learn with all our supporters, so they too can maximize their communications efforts.When it comes to outreach, we work directly with thousands of home-affordability champions in California. In 2006, as part of Homes4CA, these champions worked tirelessly and the work paid off. California voters approved the $2.85 billion "Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Action of 2006 (Prop. 1C)" to fund new home and shelter construction and related programs. There's power in numbers and our numbers continue to grow! We welcome your interest in Housing CA and invite you to become more involved in helping to create a greater variety and supply of housing to meet the needs of all Californians.
Research: What Works? What Doesn't?
Housing CA conducts research on a variety of topics that support the organization's priorities, including research documenting the success of homeless-prevention programs; the success of existing, state affordable-home programs; and other states' housing trust funds.Membership and Reach: Still Growing
Through our growing membership program, we help our members reach out to thousands of active, affordable-home champions. We help members promote events, share their organization's news, and find talented workers through our job board.Our members represent all the major Californian regions and are active participants within our statewide coalition that includes more than 1,000 financial institutions, elected leaders, developers and advocates of affordable-homes, and homeless-service organizations.
