Real Solutions to SF's Affordable Housing Crisis

The issue of housing development now dominates the politics of San Francisco. While all agree that the City lacks affordable housing opportunities for seniors, families with children, and people at risk of homelessness, solutions backed by the Governor, State Legislature and Mayor of San Francisco center on the provision of market rate housing, unaffordable to all but a handful of current residents.

Pushing high density market rate housing as the primary aim, policies now adopted by both state and local government restricts the participation of existing residents, removes long standing protections of existing neighborhoods, and cuts required affordability which will actually displace low and moderate income residents of the City. What options to increase affordable housing exist, and what can San Franciscans do to reverse the current dangers of an un-regulated market rate housing policy now adopted by Gov. Newsom and Mayor Breed.

Calvin Welch Calvin Welch is the past Program Director and President of the Board of the San Francisco Information Clearinghouse, a nonprofit, community-based technical assistance and advocacy organization specializing in affordable housing, community development, and land-use planning issues. He was a founding member of the council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) and the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods. He has served on various city task forces and advisory committees on issues ranging from affordable housing to financing the living wage.