The study released Tuesday by the University of California, San Francisco attempts to capture a comprehensive picture of how people become homeless in California, and what impeded their efforts at finding permanent housing. The representative survey of nearly 3,200 homeless people found that when they lost housing, their median household income was $960 a month, and for renters on leases it was $1,400 a month, of which on average half went to rent.

Homelessness is a national crisis, and all too pervasive in California, where an estimated 171,000 people — or 30% of all homeless people in the U.S. — are homeless. Political leaders are divided over how to address the crisis, with some, including Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, favoring tent encampment sweeps and a tough-love approach toward those with mental health and addiction issues.

It it not groundbreaking news that the state’s exorbitant housing costs are a major driver behind homelessness, but researchers at the UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative hope that the study will strengthen public support for policies that focus on offering housing and emergency rental assistance — rather than policies emphasizing punishment or stigma.

“People are homeless because their rent is too high. And their options are too few. And they have no cushion,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, initiative director and lead investigator. “And it really makes you wonder how different things would look if we could solve that underlying problem.”

Kushel’s team surveyed nearly 3,200 adults around California, and followed up to conduct in-depth interviews with 365 people, between October 2021 and November 2022.

The study found that Black people made up 26% of the homeless population in a state where they are only 6% of the general population. About 90% of participants were living in California when they became homeless. Half reported an inability to work due to age, health or disability. The median length of homelessness was a little under two years.

More than a third of adults surveyed met the criteria for chronic homelessness, meaning they had a disabling condition and were homeless for at least 1 year — or were homeless four times in the previous three years totaling more than 12 months.

In Los Angeles in 2015, Sage Johnson’s mother was evicted from their apartment when she was unable to meet rent that had increased to $1,200. In disability pay, she received about $1,340 a month. She bounced around, from LA’s notorious Skid Row to various convalescent homes while her daughter lived at a shelter.

Later, Johnson, 28, was able to place her mother in a home, where she stayed for about two years. In 2018 though, her mother died from a debilitating stroke.

Johnson, who now has stable housing, wishes she could have done more.

“But in the end, she did have a bed. She was inside. She didn’t have any more strokes outside. And she was able to regenerate and rejuvenate and restore some of her life while in the convalescent home,” said Johnson, a co-chair for one of the study’s advisory boards.

Among study participants, substance abuse and issues with mental health were common and predated becoming homeless. Of those surveyed, 45% reported current, regular use of cocaine, amphetamines and opioids or heavy episodic drinking. Participants described how heavy substance use contributed to losing their homes, but also how methamphetamine usage allowed them to stay alert to protect themselves from assault or theft.

Nearly half of the adults surveyed were not on a lease in the six months prior to becoming homeless, and had likely moved in with family or friends, contributing to rent when they could. Nearly a quarter cited conflict among housemates, desire for more space or not wanting to impose any longer on family and friends as primary reasons they left.

On average, people surveyed who were not on leases received only one day of warning before needing to move out.

Among people on rental lease agreements, more than 20% cited income loss or reduction as the primary reason they lost housing. “So it wasn’t so much that their housing costs increased, it’s that they could no longer keep up with it,” said Kushel.

California ranks as the most unaffordable state when it comes to housing, according to an annual report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A person earning an hourly minimum wage of $15.50 would have to work nearly 90 hours a week to afford the statewide average for a modest one-bedroom rental, which is nearly $1,800 a month, the coalition states.

The study was requested by Newsom’s administration, which has made addressing homelessness a priority, but the state did not fund it so didn’t play a role in analyzing data or interpreting the findings.

The report makes many recommendations, including deep expansion of rental assistance and pilot programs to facilitate shared housing for people seeking to get out of homelessness — and a rental stipend program for people living temporarily with family or friends.

Johnson said she hopes the public will find the report’s findings to be evidence that tax dollars are being put to good use in social safety net spending. She also hopes that people will support robust mental health and addiction treatment services along with affordable housing options.

“I don’t want to set anyone up for failure,” she said. “And I’m sure many of my peers can agree that folks need time to practice going back to, like, regular society life.”

The 46 homes are now open for residents at Mesa Terrace in San Jose.

Homes that are trying to make a dent in the city’s housing shortage, and help residents like Kevin Collins.

“We don’t have to be ashamed to invite people over,” he said. “We can have guests, barbecues, we can be proud to come into our places.”

The development focuses on low-income residents, and young adults who have just left the foster care system. It comes at a time when the local housing market is stagnant.

“They’re going to have an opportunity to go to school, and their children will go to high-resource schools, and have a wonderful backyard to enjoy,” said Supervisor Sylvia Arenas.

Zillow says new listings are down by nearly a quarter, thanks to high prices and mortgage rates. Over the last month, that scarcity has lifted prices across the Bay Area.

This week a new report by Compass shows that in San Mateo county, the median price for home is nearly $2 million – the highest in the Bay.

While the median price for a San Francisco home is $1.63 million.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan says housing development like these will alleviate some of the pain for some of the people.

“Ultimately the path to something better,” he said.

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The California numbers follow a nationwide trend and are the second highest amount of any state in the country, but are nowhere near the amount of foreclosures seen during the 2008 crash.

Part of the reason many are are defaulting on the mortgage loan are the adjustable rate mortgages that have shot up suddenly after the recent rise in interest rates.

NBC Bay Area’s Scott Budman has more in the video report above.

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Making It in the Bay May 21

Renting vs. Buying: San Jose Homebuyers Feel Hopeless About High Monthly Mortgages

“It just shows the scale of how many families are struggling in the Bay Area today,” United Way Bay Area CEO Kevin Zwick said.

United Way Bay Area’s latest figures shows a family of four living in the region needs an average of $120,000 a year to make ends meet, and that a quarter of local working families struggle to meet their daily needs.

NBC Bay Area’s Scott Budman has more on the latest numbers in the video above.

California Jun 6

Migrants in Sacramento receive food, housing as California officials weigh charges against Florida

Making It in the Bay Jun 1

New Housing Coming to San Jose

The construction comes at a time when project lead Charities Housing says the need is getting desperate.

“We just need to build more, to build faster, get community support, and get the funding and the land,” Charities Housing President Gregory Kepferle said.

Ribbon cutting for the project is expected in 2025.

Charities Housing said it has close to 2,000 other units in development over the next few years.

According to Bay Area rental tracker Zumper, the lack of available housing is even hitting the rental market, driving up prices to the point where several Bay Area cities now average $3,000 and above for an average one-bedroom apartment.

“Which means that those buyers that may have the resources to purchase, aren’t able to find inventory in order to purchase, and then that puts more strain on the rental stock of housing,” Housing Trust Silicon Valley CEO Noni Ramos said.

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San Francisco May 30

Land Dispute in San Francisco Turns Violent

Town officials were set to meet with homeowners opposing the project that would allow multi-unit housing on a single property, counter to the town’s building ordinances.

Some residents during Wednesday’s meeting were upset with the town for not coming up with a state-mandated plan for affordable housing, which essentially opened the door for builders to override local ordinances.

Because Los Altos Hills did not meet the state’s deadline with its housing plan, developers can legally bypass local ordinances under the state’s “builder’s remedy,” as long as 20% of the units are low income or all are moderate income.

Los Altos Hills currently allows one unit per acre. The town’s housing plan is not in compliance with the state’s requirements, according to an update this week from the Department of Housing and Community Development.

City Manager Peter Pirnejad on Wednesday released a statement to NBC Bay Area:

“The Town of Los Altos Hills remains dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive community, where housing opportunities are accessible to all residents. We appreciate the concerns expressed by the protesters and recognize the urgency of addressing the issue of affordable housing. Our ongoing collaboration with HCD and the public demonstrates our commitment to transparency, public engagement, and the pursuit of sustainable solutions.”

Several homeowners who attended Wednesday’s closed-door meeting with town officials said they support affordable housing, but they want a say in the plan so it’s what works for the town, not developers.

“We were supposed to have a dialogue; we were supposed to move the ball to get something a little more appropriate, and we were handed a lawyer and a city manager. No one with any authority to do anything,” resident Ian Earnest said.

Resident John O’Connell added: “Los Altos Hills needs 20 to 40 distributed sites where the people who come to live in this community live as part of this community. They don’t need to be put into segregated site in an inappropriate location.”

Residents say they plan to appeal to the state, and if that doesn’t send a strong enough message, they’ll take more drastic action.

Data about monthly mortgage rates in San Jose only reinforces the sense of hopelessness facing South Bay millennials who dream about buying a home in the city. 

Kevin Mahoney and his partner said it’s difficult enough just paying rent, even with two incomes. They’ve pretty much given up on buying a home. 

“I have friends who are my same age, and they’re still living two and three people to a house to try and afford the rent,” said Mahoney. 

Making It in the Bay May 18

San Jose Drops Out of 10 Largest Cities in US

news May 17

10 States Where Homeowners Put the Most Money Toward Housing Costs—No. 1 Isn't New York Or California

The average new monthly mortgage in San Jose is $9,372, according to Clever Real Estate. In contrast, the average rent is less than $3,200. 

Neil Collins, the head of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, said he knows trying to break into the Bay Area housing market is a daunting scenario. Still, he told NBC Bay Area his agents are finding plenty of buyers, although there aren’t a lot of homes for sale.

“On the buyer’s side, they’ve accepted where rates are, and there is still very high demand out there, so we are looking at a bit of an inventory crunch right now,” said Collins. 

It’s that inventory crunch which has helped keep prices high in the South Bay, even as interest rates have climbed from 3% to 7% over the past two years. 

Rakesh Rajappa bought a three bedroom, three bath San Jose home in 2020. He told NBC Bay Area he sometimes has buyer’s remorse, even at the lower interest rate. 

“I do have second thoughts. Was it cheaper just to rent?” said Rajappa. “Or is it worth buying a house?”

Rajappa added he can’t imagine how new home butters are doing it. The floor plan he bought two years ago for less than a million dollars is now selling for 1.1 million with interest rates at double what he pays. 

“We’ve been looking to move out of the state, frankly,” said Mahoney. “Because we just can’t afford to live here.”

But real estate experts advise, if you have the money, it’s still better to buy rather than pay rent on someone else’s property. 

“It’s just an opportunity for you to secure your destiny when it comes to housing security,” said Collins.

San Jose long stood at the No. 10 spot with just under 1 million residents, but it is now the 12th largest city in the nation.

According to the Census Bureau, as of July 2022, the top five largest cities in the U.S. are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix. Austin, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida, moved up and pushed out San Jose, whose population stands at 971,233.

That’s a 1% drop from the previous year and a more than 4% drop since April 2020, census data shows.

coronavirus Mar 29

Some Bay Area Populations Struggling Financially in Post-COVID Economy: Report

Making It in the Bay May 3

‘California Exodus' Continues With Bay Area Among Regions Losing Residents: Report

“To me, it’s a warning sign. We’ve seen the polling data prior to the pandemic. There was a lot of frustration,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

Some people in San Jose have said that they have been fed up with homelessness, crime and blight. While other people said they are looking for more affordable areas.

“San Jose has always been challenged fiscally because we’re such a residential heavy city. More residents means higher cost of services. It’s our employment land such as downtown and north San Jose where we generate most of our tax revenue to provide those services,” Mahan said.

On a broader scale, The Bay Area Council said the lower cost of living in other states and the rise of remote work are the top reasons people are moving away. And that will make it all the more challenging for the Bay Area to bring them back.

“All of these cities, they are dependent on economic activity. You can draw a pretty straight line between population growth and economic growth across the country,” said Jeff Bellisario, Executive Director of the Bay Area Council Economic.

Meanwhile, San Francisco is ranked 17th with a population of 808,444, about a half-percent drop from the previous year before.

But there was one very notable exception.

Santa Cruz Is booming. The census data shows it’s the second fastest growing city in America, adding 7,000 new residents in the last two years. Including, some of those workers looking for something outside the Bay Area.

So, where are those people going? No surprise: Texas and Florida. Both states have lower taxes and depending on where you are looking cheaper housing.

This will affect an estimated 200 unhoused residents along a 4-mile stretch of the creek from Old Oakland Road at Corie Court in north San Jose, and winding down to where the creek meets Interstate 280. 

The clearing is happening because San Jose and Valley Water are about to start a large construction project to prevent future flooding.

Flooding, like the city had 6 years ago along the creek that prompted the evacuation of thousands of people.

The city got almost $5 million from Valley Water to connect unhoused people with services and housing, saying it’s not safe for them to stay during construction.

“It’s a lot because you don’t know where you’re going, but you know you’ve got to get your stuff out of here,” said Merced Lewis, who has lived along the creek for two years.

Homeless advocate Todd Langton, executive director of Agape Silicon Valley said these mass clearings are inhumane.  

“Doesn’t it make sense if we have a humanitarian crisis, as we do with the homeless crisis here, that we treat it as such and provide places for them to go when we’re evicting them from property,” said Langton.

Advocates say they’re trying to relocate people to unused parking lots blocks away. Others will move to parks, or nearby streets and underpasses. 

The majority are having to leave their belongings behind because they can’t take them. 

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan held a press conference on the city’s homelessness issues Monday as he’s trying to garner support for his budget that expands on rapid housing developments like the one set up in the police station parking lot. 

I asked what the city is doing about these people who say they have nowhere to go. 

“This is what’s happening every single day in our city whenever for any reason, public right of way is blocked, or somebody is camped right next to a school,” said Mahan. “In the long run we’re going to need a lot more affordable housing, but we need to put more of our dollars into the solutions that create safe, dignified, individual shelter with on-site services for many more people much faster so that we have a place for that person to go. Rather than telling them, ‘sorry, you can’t be here anymore. Go figure it out, good luck.’”

Mahan’s office said 22 people from the encampments will be placed in some of that rapid housing this week, others may go to shelters.

But, many will stay on the street.

According to moveBuddha and Zillow, here are the top five cities people left San Francisco for in the last year.

1. Austin, Texas
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Reno, Nevada
4. Miami, Florida
5. Orlando, Florida

NBC Bay Area’s Scott Budman has more in the video report above.

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They were warned they can no longer live along a 4-mile stretch of the creek because the city plans to begin a flood protection project. Many said they have no idea where to go next.

“I’m ready to go myself, but I don’t know where,” Giovanni Aguilera said. “There’s nowhere really to go. Anywhere you go, they just come and harass you and try to move you.”

For Stacy Levy Martinez, the area has been home for more than 20 years.

“It is my community,” she said. “It’s really sad, really sad. Where are we gonna go? This was our last resort. We’re here because there’s nowhere to go.”

Some said they plan to move out into nearby commercial parking lots and surrounding streets, sparking concerns among both business owners and neighbors.

Last month, the Santa Clara Valley Water District finalized an agreement with the city council giving San Jose $4.8 million to remove people from the creek and connect them with shelter and services so the district can start building flood walls as early as June. The district began planning the project after a devastating flood in San Jose in 2017.

While some people are on wait lists for tiny homes, homeless advocates said the efforts to help people find housing have fallen short.

“These people are just going to be scattered to the wind or they’re going to get on the merry-go-round that’s tiny homes,” said Shaun Cartwright with Unhoused Response Group. “You get on the tiny home merry-go-round, you go into a tiny home for six months and then you’re shot right back out onto the streets because there aren’t permanent supportive housing to go into.”

Mayor Matt Mahan said he is pushing the city to build housing more quickly.

But researchers say there are signs that it’s slowing, and housing numbers are going up. 

There’s about 34,000 fewer people in the Bay Area than there were last year, according to the state’s department of finance report.

The two biggest reasons why are high housing costs and the acceleration of remote work. As working from home became an option for more people, those people moved to places where homes cost less. 

“The pandemic saw really massive redistribution of people within major urban areas,” said Abby Raisz, research manager at the Bay Area Council.

She said that to stop the exodus, cities and the state need to continue fast tracking housing development. 

“That really all boils down to building more housing and making it easier to build more housing rather than the system we have now where getting a building permit,” said Raisz. “There are a lot of issues there with permitting.” 

This is the third straight year the Bay Area has lost people. 

Joint Venture Silicon Valley CEO Russell Hancock said declining birth rates and rising death rates are also a factor, and a drop in immigration due to former president Trump’s policies. 

“So we saw far less immigration into Silicon Valley over the past five years, and that’s a big deal because Silicon Valley was built by people coming from other places,” said Hancock.

Hancock said their research shows that of the people who are leaving, about a quarter of them are moving just outside the Bay Area, where housing prices drop. 

“Sacramento, Davis, Manteca, Tracy, and by the way, people who are living in these perimeter areas are still coming into the office two times a week,” said Hancock.

But the state department of finance, which put out the new report, said population decline is leveling off. 

There are fewer deaths now compared to the pandemic, and more companies pulling workers out of remote work. 

Statewide, housing units grew by 0.85% – its highest level since 2008. 

The question now is, will it be enough to slow down the exodus next year or bring people back into the Bay Area?

According to the data, between 2013 and 2022, California approved 2,600 new housing units per 100,000 residents, below the national number of 3,900.

Florida and Texas are approving permits at more than double California’s rate.

Abbey Fernandez has the full story in the video above.

Mayor Matt Mahan joined almost 140 participants Wednesday to take part in a project to beautify the city and to show the worth of the San Jose Bridge program, which provides numerous resources for the city’s homeless population.

The group took part in a cleanup at Guadalupe River Park, part of an overall beautification project by San Jose Bridge that has already collected more than 350,000 pounds of trash over a three-month period.

The program is largely staffed by the unhoused, who are paid $18.50 an hour for their work. The goal is to provide one key step in the long road to getting people off the street.

“A lot of these people are making a lifestyle out of living in tents,” San Jose Bridge participant Faron Fields said. “We’re trying to change that. Little by little, we’re doing this.”

While the pay is obviously helpful, the mayor points out San Jose Bridge also provides job training, including development of long-term career goals, job placement with companies such as Goodwill and Tesla, and is also designed to help find stable housing.

“We want to empower people,” Mahan said. “We want to invest in people. We want to create opportunities for those who are willing and able to work their way off the streets to something better. We have a role to play in providing that support.”

Some homeless advocates support the idea but are skeptical that it will go far enough.

“If jobs don’t give them a wage that allows them to pay rent and work in a field that has sustainability, then they’re just going to stay on the streets,” Shaunn Cartwright with Unhoused Response Group said.

The program, started by Mahan’s predecessor, Sam Liccardo, in 2018, was extended once before and is supposed to end in June. Mahan said he plans to make it a priority to keep it going.

The National Association of Realtors says the median price for a Bay Area single family home jumped by 17% last month. 

With mortgage rates still above 6%, and the economy growing uncertain, inventory has stayed low.

But, according to Re/Max Bay Area, spring traditionally brings new buyers into the market, and many of them are willing to pay the Bay Area’s high prices.

“There are still a number of buyers out there in the market, no doubt about it,” said Tim Yee, broker at RE/MAX Gold Bay Area. “There’s still, despite the layoffs, despite the economy, there’s still a number of people in the Bay Area who can afford to buy, and who want to buy.”

Business and tech reporter Scott Budman has more in the video player above.

As first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, on April 20, a note was posted to the door of Rosemarie Benter’s condo on Page Street telling her she had three days to vacate the premises.

Benter said she bought her home decades ago, but a loan she took out to pay her property taxes led to a chain of issues, ending in her home being sold in a foreclosure auction. Benter told NBC Bay Area that she’s not moving out without a fight.

“Yeah, I’m a tough old bird,” Benter said on Sunday.

Benter said she has lived in the Victorian home in San Francisco’s Upper Haight for more than three decades. She explained that she first got to own the home as part of a “tenancy in common” joint ownership agreement, and then she was able to maintain ownership when the unit was subdivided into condos.

Benter said she had taken out a reverse mortgage on her property back in 2007.

Presently, Benter said she is dealing with a host of health issues, including arthritis and the impacts of a recent stroke. In July 2021, Benter said she looked for help paying for her health expenses and property taxes. Benter said she was put in touch with a broker who pressured her into signing papers to use her home to take out a loan.

Originally, Benter said she was told that the loan would be $8,000, but the loan turned out to be more than $9,000 and then ballooned to more than $13,000 including interest and fees.

“Repeatedly I was told ‘No, no, no, nobody’s gonna throw you out over an eight thousand dollar note,'” Benter said.

Then in February of 2023, Benter said, “There was this knock on my door, I believe it was around 11 a.m., and the man said ‘Hi I am here to repossess your home.'” 

“And I said, ‘What do you mean?'” Benter recalled, “He said, ‘Unless you have thirteen thousand dollars to pay off this debt you had, it’s going to be sold in 29 minutes.’” 

Benter said her home was sold to the highest bidder at a foreclosure auction.

An attorney for the buyer released a statement to NBC Bay Area on Monday.

“My client’s intention is to live at this property, however, if Ms. Benter wants to buy it back, my client is willing to negotiate,” attorney Joanna Kozubal said.

Darren Orr, an attorney with the nonprofit Legal Assistance to the Elderly in San Francisco, is now representing Benter. Orr explained that Benter contacted the nonprofit after the foreclosure sale, and his team has been trying to undo the foreclosure, which they say is based on a “completely unconscionable and predatory loan.”

Benter said she was surprised to find the eviction notice on her door on Friday. She said whoever delivered the notice did not call her or ring her doorbell to let her know. Benter only found out about it through a reporter.

The notice states that “Eugene Gardner has purchased the property at a trustee’s sale and title to the property has been duly perfected.” The notice is signed by Kozubal.

Benter said seeing the notice sent her into a panic, “I thought ‘This is it, Monday morning they’re gonna show up with a sheriff and a truck and get me out of here.’” 

But Orr explained that the scenario Benter imagined was unlikely to happen on Monday, there are several other procedural steps that would need to happen before Benter could be officially evicted.

“Legally, we would anticipate that [Gardner] is going to file an eviction an unlawful detainer to try and evict Ms. Benter as quickly as possible. We will of course defend Ms. Benter in that lawsuit, and we certainly hope to be successful in that,” Orr said.

On Monday, Orr said Benter will file a suit against the broker and lender she worked with as well as the new buyer. He said this suit will ask the court to find Benter as the lawful owner of the condo and to seek damages for the harm caused to her. 

“Ms. Benter is taking action to try to undo that sale and void that unconscionable loan, and we are hopeful that justice will prevail,” Orr said.

Benter said she is still holding out hope that she can still live out the rest of her life in her home.

If that isn’t possible, she has no idea what she will do.

“I can’t live on the street and I can’t afford anything,” she emphasized.

The home is in Supervisor Dean Preston’s district. He said his office is also willing to go to bat for Benter, and he’s been talking with nonprofits about the situation.

“The idea that a homeowner would lose their home for under $10,000 and then be faced with a notice to get out of their home on three days notice is completely unacceptable,” Preston said.

NBC Bay Area’s Ian Cull contributed to this report.

Parcl Labs, which tracks the housing market, said that prices in the Bay have dropped a staggering 24% from their peak last summer — more than double the national average of 10%.

Analysts say that’s partly because people have been moving away, meaning there’s more supply than demand.

The co-founder of Parcl Labs says it has a lot to do with interest rates.

“So if you see indications of mortgage rates coming down, particularly a big decline in interest rates for mortgages, then you can expect home prices to go up over the subsequent two months,” said Jason Lewris.

Based on these trends,  Lewris said home buyers could have more leverage to negotiate a good deal as the spring housing market heats up.

Making It in the Bay Apr 19

Interim Housing for Unhoused Set Up in San Jose Police Headquarters Parking Lot

San Jose Apr 13

San Jose Officials Break Ground on Interim Housing Site for Homeless People

Juan Bonales, 33, has been homeless for some time after he said he hit rock bottom. 

But on Wednesday, he got a preview of his new home, and path forward. 

“It’s a shattered dream that’s coming true,” he said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to come out of the situation I was in.”

Bonales is one of 96 people who will now have a place to live, as the city of San Jose unveiled its latest interim housing site. 

Each unit has a desk, air conditioning, a bed, and its own bathroom. There’s also laundry and a kitchen on site. 

“This is exactly what we need,” said Bonales. “Just a place to rest and a place to be able to clean up.”

The community is known as a quick build. The buildings and units are pre-fabricated so it took just a year and a half to complete this project. 

It’s something San Jose is focusing on moving forward to curb the homelessness crisis. 

“These units take 1.5 years to build on average versus the nearly 5 years it’s taking to build more traditional affordable housing and we’re able to deliver them in about one-seventh the cost per door,” said Mayor Matt Mahan.

Half the units here will be for members of San Jose Bridge and the Goodwill Strive Program. 

It employs the unhoused to clean up and beautify the city. 

“This is going to just explode with impact. Impact not only for the residents that we’re serving but for the community at large,” said Trish Dorsey, the vice president of Mission Services, Goodwill of Silicon Valley.

San Jose now has 700 units like this either operating or under construction and another 300 are on the way. 

All the projects have been built on public land so far. This one is in the parking lot next to police headquarters. 

For Bonales, it’s a second chance. 

“Having this place is going to give me and a lot of us an opportunity to get back into society and start working,” he said.

The City Council voted to approve the ordinance in the late night hours, setting a hard end date instead of a gradual phase out that would have ended the pandemic-era eviction moratorium in September.

Certain evictions will be allowed to resume in May.

A key clause in the ordinance that would have strengthened Oakland’s permanent just-cause eviction protections was not part of the approved policy.

Landlords in Oakland had expressed their opposition to the proposal, instead calling for an immediate end to the moratorium.

“I can’t sleep at night because I know I have to pay this bill tomorrow and that bill the next day and I don’t have enough money to pay, and I have to work day and night, three jobs to get by,” said Lynn Truong, Oakland property owner.

She shares the beliefs many landlords do — that they’re being taken advantage of.

Changing course from a slow phase out over several months to a hard end date stunned and disappointed tenant advocates, who worry that come mid-July, renters unable to pay their bills will be out on the streets in record numbers

“Just to stop it abruptly like that would be like a death sentence for a lot of renters,” said Sameerah Karim, co-founder of Moms 4 Housing.

Before the vote, Oakland City Council said that if the legislation passed for a July 15 moratorium end date, the city is committed to providing outreach and education for tenants and landlords to access resources and support over 75 days before the July deadline. Moms 4 Housing plans to do the same.

Meanwhile, Alameda County’s eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of April.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

“Homelessness has become the moral crisis of our time,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

Santa Clara County and San Jose leaders are working together and with people like Chad Bojorquez.

He is from Destination Home and Lived Experience Advisory Board.

“The people who know best, what type of service and how to get off the street are the people themselves,” said Bojorquez.

He was homeless for four years in the Bay Area and is now on an advisory board helping politicians direct money to solutions that are working. 

“The actual funding decisions about which non-profit partners receive these funds, and is our community holding ourselves accountable and actually performing?” said Bojorquez. Getting people housed is the ultimate goal. We have a lot more people who have been there before.”

Making It in the Bay Mar 21

Bay Area Buyers Taking Advantage of Lower Home Prices

Making It in the Bay Jan 6

House Prices Dropping in the Bay Area

The $11 million will benefit a few programs. One is the Agrihood Sustainable Community that’ll be finished next month. It’ll give 54 chronically homeless households a place to live.  

The money will also provide rental assistance to 28 households so they aren’t put back on the streets. 

And the county says it will double its outreach team, which will help 800 people each year get out of encampments and into a place to live. 

“Just as the homelessness crisis we are facing statewide isn’t simple, our solutions cannot be either,” said Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “We must face this work together.”

The message Monday was that every little bit helps and more funding will always be needed. 

The Department of Housing and Urban Development says the grant is part of a nationwide initiative to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025. 

So far this year, grants have been given out totaling $486 million.

Mayor Matt Mahan led a group of city leaders in breaking ground on the Monterey/Branham emergency interim housing project on Branham Lane, an ambitious plan to build three-story modular apartment units equipped with 204 beds.

“I think that for much of the homeless population, this kind of opportunity is going to be appropriate,” Mahan said. “It’s going to give them a leg up, an opportunity to achieve greater levels of self sufficiency, but it won’t solve the problem for everyone.”

The project generated some hope across town in Columbus Park where the city has been shuffling homeless encampments around to make room for a new dog park.

“I’ve been holding on to that faith,” Samuel Robinson said. “It’s hard at times. I’m under the weather. My health is deteriorating. I’m losing more and more. I guess we gotta move all that out of the way to get to a better picture.”

The housing project came about after months of planning and meetings, but even as the construction starts, resident Steve Morales, who supports the project, said many neighbors still aren’t on board

“Angry, very angry,” Morales said. “They’re scared that there’s going to be an increase in thefts, vandalism, break-ins.”

The city has set up a monthly meeting of a citizens advisory group and has reached out to the local homeowners association to deal with concerns and complaints.

Tuesday, Oakland’s Community & Economic Development Committee will discuss a proposed ordinance brought forward by council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and council President Pro Tem Dan Kalb that would set up a gradual timeline for ending the city’s eviction moratorium. If approved, the proposed ordinance would phase out the eviction moratorium, allowing certain evictions to resume from May through the end of August, then ending the eviction moratorium on Sept. 1.

The ordinance also seeks to make several changes to strengthen Oakland’s existing just cause eviction protections.

Alameda County’s eviction moratorium is set to expire on April 29. The city of Oakland’s eviction moratorium is not scheduled to expire yet, though this proposed ordinance would change that.

Like many cities, Oakland has had an eviction moratorium in place since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. But three years later, Councilmember Dan Kalb says the city is in a different place.

“We are coming out of — I won’t say completely, but mostly coming out of — the COVID pandemic, and most people are back to work in some fashion,” Kalb said. “We feel now is the appropriate time to phase out our eviction moratorium,  while at the same time, we want to strengthen our ongoing and permanent eviction protections.”

Some landlords in Oakland are organizing to express their opposition to the proposed ordinance, instead calling for an immediate end to the moratorium.

“It needs to get phased out now — tomorrow — not over a period of time,” said John Williams, an Oakland resident and landlord. Williams said he lives in the same West Oakland property where he also has a tenant.

“I still haven’t gotten five dollars from her,”  Williams said of his tenant, who he added has not paid him rent since the start of the pandemic.

Williams is also named as a plaintiff in a 2022 lawsuit against the city of Oakland and Alameda County over eviction moratoriums.

Williams said his tenant’s nonpayment has placed a significant financial strain on him. He said he received a foreclosure letter for his property on Friday.

“I am losing money, I’ve lost value on the property, you know,” Williams said, “Over the last year, nobody wants to buy a property with a tenant who doesn’t pay.” 

“Before they ask any further owners to take on this responsibility, there has to be funding, because we’re all going to be homeless if the banks get our property,” said Oakland resident and landlord Michelle Hailey. While Hailey doesn’t currently have tenants who are not paying rent, she said she is opposing the proposed ordinance to support other landlords she knows.

Hailey, Williams and other landlords are joining together with a group called In It Together Oakland to oppose the proposed ordinance.

The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) supports phasing out the moratorium and is hoping the proposed ordinance passes with no changes. ACCE is a nonprofit tenant rights organization that works with renters across California, including in Oakland.

“I’m feeling cautiously optimistic,” said Kijani Edwards, the director of ACCE’s Oakland office. “We hope that the CED committee will do the right thing Tuesday when it comes to Oakland tenants, but we have reason to believe that it may not happen.”

“We knew that the moratorium would end at some point, but we need a responsible phase-out instead of dumping people out all at once on the streets,”  Edwards continued, explaining that tenants have expressed to ACCE that they need time to prepare for the end of the moratorium.

Edwards said he sympathizes with the financial burden small landlords have faced during the pandemic. However, he maintains that “putting people out on the street making people homeless doesn’t get [the landlords’] money back at all.”

Both ACCE and In It Together Oakland plan to hold separate news conferences Tuesday ahead of the committee meeting.

Tuesday’s committee meeting is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Kalb hopes the proposed ordinance will be heard before the full council the following week.  

On Wednesday, crews moved in to remove RV owners who hadn’t left on their own.

The city plans to build a 5-acre dog park there and that means the unhoused have to find a way to move, and right now, that means relocating right down the street.

Kimberly Williams owns a huge, but disabled, RV parked in the park, among many other vehicles on Asbury Street.

Williams and the others were given notice to move out by Wednesday because the city wants to start building a dog park there.

This will be the fourth time she’s had to move and she says it’s a real hassle to move a disabled RV this size.

“It’s hard not to give up though, you know? It’s frustrating. You’re being rushed and pushed to do something that you have no way to do,” said Williams. “You don’t have the resources and you don’t have the help when you need it.”

What unhoused advocates say is absurd is that the RV’s end up moving only a few hundred yards  down the street just to stay ahead, or out of the way, of the 5-acre dog park construction. 

Advocate Gail Osmer points out a planned city safe RV lot is months behind schedule and even when it’s ready, will only take seven RVs from Columbus Park. 

“So only seven people now that’s behind these gates can go and the other people, they just have to spread out and go different places,” said Gail Osmer, an advocate for the unhoused. 

Williams says it’s ironic that she’s a dog lover and likes the dog park plan, But she says she’d like to see some long-term solution plan because the shuffling around and all the uncertainty takes its toll.

“Your lifestyle just goes downhill the longer you’re out here as long as you don’t get help and you don’t find a way out of it. You just keep getting taken down with it. It kind of drains you,” said Williams. 

The city of San Jose said it plans to help anyone who has trouble moving their vehicles and will continue to partner with the county and agencies to try to find them housing or other solutions.

Regardless, the city says construction of the dog park will begin this week and be ready by summer time.

Apartment listing service RentCafe says that for every apartment that opens up in the Bay Area, 11 people apply to move in.

“It’s competitive because you get put on a list, you know, and then from there, you’re getting qualified to see who’s the highest applicant,” said Daniel Gomez of San Jose.

Making It in the Bay Mar 28

Affordable Housing Units Now Available at Santa Clara Property

news Mar 30

More Home Sellers Are Sitting Out of the Spring Housing Market

This has led to higher rental prices, especially in certain cities.

“South San Francisco, Mountain View, and Santa Clara,” said Crystal Chen of Zumper.

Those cities, according to Zumper, are home to a variety of tech companies that want to see employees back in the office, and therefore, living nearby.

“The big tech giants, Apple, Google, Intel, a lot of those companies have return to work policies so people are migrating back to those, and driving rent up,” said Chen.

Another factor keeping the rental market competitive is the continued slowdown in the housing market. High prices combined with high mortgage rates mean there’s not much inventory for those trying to buy a house.

People say that, until that opens up, they’ll keep renting.

The income-restricted units are at the St. Anton Tasman property located at 2233 Calle Del Mundo in Santa Clara, adjacent to the Lick Mill light rail station, according to a press release from the city.

Studios start at $1,439 per month and 1-bedroom units start at $1,537 per month.

The property on the site of a former warehouse will have 196 units. About 39 units will be reserved for people making 50 percent or less of the area median income, which is about $81,000 for a household of two people, according to the city’s website on the project.

The remaining units will be reserved for people making 60 percent or less of the area median income.

More information can be found at housekeys7.com/st-anton-tasman or by calling 408-598-9955.

We’re talking about homes that cost millions of dollars. Fewer of them are selling, so prices have been coming down.  

But the lower priced homes are staying steady.

Business and Tech Reporter Scott Budman has the full story in video player above.

All signs point to more layoffs coming, but it doesn’t mean there are no jobs available.

NBC Bay Area’s Business and Tech Reporter Scott Budman shows where the jobs can be found.

layoffs Mar 23

These Tech Giants Are Still Making Money, But Layoffs Are Coming Hard and Fast

news Mar 11

‘My Company Just Listed on LinkedIn a Job' at My Title Paying Up to $90K More, Says NYC Worker—So She Applied

For the first time in 11 years, the median U.S. home price has fallen year over year. And, in the Bay Area, there are new signs that buyers are taking advantage of lower home prices.

The latest numbers from Zillow shows a spike in monthly mortgage payments have led to a drop both in homes for sale, and new listings, slowing the market.

“Higher mortgage payments that are curbing housing demand, but you also have constraints on the inventory side, inventory is still much lower than it was a year ago,” said Orphe Divounguy, Zillow chief economist. 

But that has also triggered a drop in housing prices and that’s enough to get some sidelined buyers back in the game.

“I think there’s a little bit of pent-up demand,” said Holly Barr, real estate agent at Compass.

Demand that Barr says is boosting the value of the small number of homes on the market.

“They’re kinda out there in full force,” she said. “I’m seeing multiple offers, I’m seeing a lot of people downloading disclosures, I’m seeing busy open houses.”

It’s a small blip, but we’re heading into spring, and that traditionally brings buyers back — if the price is right.

“We’re gonna see home buyers take advantage of every single small improvement in housing affordability,” said Divounguy.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said the state is ready to deliver 200 tiny homes to San Jose as soon as the city can set up water and power services. The city wants to put 100 tiny homes on the property at the Cottle VTA station, but a coalition of people have been fighting the location.

“We are not against the homeless, but it’s not fair to take this away from tens of thousands and give it to 100 people,” San Jose resident Issac Kokohayo said.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said it will help the city meet its goal of getting 1,000 people off the streets.

“The outcomes have been fantastic,” he said. “We run four of these communities. The neighborhoods that they’re in see the same or fewer calls for service for both 911 and 311, so public safety and blight. The neighborhood therefore is better off.”

homelessness Mar 16

Newsom Pledges 1,200 Tiny Homes for California's Homeless

San Jose Feb 20

High Rate of Homelessness Among Young Adults in San Jose

For some families, the tiny homes are the first step off the streets, into stable housing an on to a more permanent living situation.

In Santa Clara County, CityTeam runs programs along with the housing, and the permanency rate is about 70%.

“When you’ve just been in that cycle of shame and guilt and depression and all of these things feeling like a failure, it’s hard to get that courage to kind of step into that and know that you’re worthy of all those things, like a job and a good life, a car, all these things,” House of Grace resident Jordan Silveira said. “I truly believe housing is a part of it, but I think it’s so much more than that.”

The 13 proposals that were approved will help a range of people receive housing, including homeless seniors, foster youth and families with young children.

The board approved more funds for senior housing, a land swap for supportive housing in Cupertino, an investment into rental assistance with seven non-profits, a new housing development in Milpitas and more affordable housing in Mountain View, some specifically for foster youth.

“Dealing with housing and homelessness is extremely complex but not unsolvable,” said Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “We are making good progress in Santa Clara County. More people are ending their homelessness with permanent housing than they were three years ago. The County will not stop working night and day on affordable housing and homelessness. There will be more progress to come.”

Also on Tuesday, the board heard a status update on the “Heading Home” program, which is dedicated to creating enough housing for all county families experiencing homelessness by 2025.

In a little over a year, the project has helped house 635 families with young children, which is an average of 42 families a month, said Hilary Armstrong, program manager with the Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing.

Over 1,400 families are currently enrolled in homeless prevention programs and receive financial help, education and other resources.

The office predicts that it will have 848 new units of supportive and affordable housing open for families by 2025.

Armstrong added that the office is working with other family services, expanding more of its services to pregnant people, and collaborating with landlords.

The office is also taking a deeper dive into the data of the families they serve. According to recent numbers, over half of the families have children ages five and younger, and the majority are sleeping in their cars, shelters or on the couches of friends.

“A lower number, thankfully, are outdoors, but still more than we would like,” said Armstrong at Tuesday’s meeting.

Following the presentation, supervisors expressed the need for more information on success stories of the program.

“I think it is hard when there is always more work in front of us to take a moment, take some sense of satisfaction, for the lives that have been changed for the better, in ways we can sometimes only imagine and not always see,” Supervisor Joe Simitian said to Armstrong. “I hope that gives you some comfort, some sense of solace. I hope that the work yet to be done doesn’t overwhelm the sense of satisfaction I think you and your colleagues should have for the work you have been able to do.”

Most of the people who attended the meeting were low-income immigrants who said they’ve been unfairly evicted and are struggling to find somewhere to live.

A community group representing the renters said property owners are forcing people out so they can renovate buildings.

“To have rent control that will allow us to remain in Marin County, afterall, we also pay taxes, we work for Marin County residents. It’s time for them to protect us,” said Marina Palma of Voces del Canal. 

The mayor of San Rafael said the city council will consider recommendations made at the meeting and another is scheduled for March 20.

This will bring affordable rent to the center of the least-affordable place to rent in the entire Bay Area.

How are they doing it?

NBC Bay Area’s Business and Tech Reporter Scott Budman takes us out to the construction site, watch full report in video player above.

Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to apply for $5 million from the Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, which is a competitive grant available to all California counties.

The money would be used to purchase pre-manufactured houses that would be designated for farmworkers. The county is also exploring a partnership with the city of Half Moon Bay to fulfill the grant and identify potential sites for the houses.

“The Joe Serna grant program represents a tremendous opportunity for the county,” said board president Supervisor Dave Pine. “If state funding is granted, we can begin to address the chronic housing shortage among our essential agricultural workforce.”

Recipients are eligible if 50 percent or more of their family income comes from agricultural sources, according to the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

Grant winners will be announced by the state in June.

Meanwhile, 38 farmworkers and family members displaced by the shootings in January are being supported with temporary housing and services for at least the next year. The assistance is partially funded through funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, but the cost of the year-long expenditure is still underfunded by $750,000.

A task force was established last month with the goal of identifying unpermitted farmworker housing in the county. Unpermitted housing at the two farms where the shootings took place drew scrutiny due to unsanitary conditions.

Assembly Bill 1532 would categorize office conversion projects as “by right” developments, relaxing the permitting and review process for housing projects by preventing a city or county from requiring certain permits to convert a vacant office into housing.

The bill is partially spurred by the hundreds of empty offices in downtown San Francisco, which has seen one of the slowest pandemic recoveries in the country among major metro areas.

According to the commercial real estate firm CBRE, some 27% of San Francisco’s offices were vacant at the end of 2022.

“How people work was permanently changed by the pandemic and the downtowns that relied on commuters are starting to look like ghost towns,” said Haney, D-San Francisco. “Turning empty offices into housing is one of the only paths forward to saving our downtowns.”

In addition to preventing local governments from stalling office conversions via the permitting and review process, AB 1352 would also make office conversion projects allowed in any area of a city regardless of local zoning laws.

The bill requires that at least 10% of units in an office-to-housing conversion must be reserved for low- and moderate-income families.

AB 1352 would also create a grant program to partially subsidize office-to-housing conversion in an effort to further incentivize new projects.

“This bill stops the bureaucracy and will allow us to move fast to build desperately needed housing and bring life back to our downtowns,” Haney said.

State lawmakers have yet to refer AB 1352 to a committee in the Assembly. The bill will be eligible for a committee hearing as soon as March 20, its 31st day in print.

The moratorium began in March 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Many households were unable to pay rent because of employment losses when much of the economy was shut down. Some essential workers became ill as well.

The Alameda County eviction moratorium covers Berkeley residents and is in place until at least May 1, meaning Berkeley property owners would’ve been able to serve eviction notices beginning in May.

But on Monday night, the City Council voted to extend the current moratorium through August and are even considering extending it, despite property owners and managers saying that the ordinance has overstayed its usefulness.

“I know from personal experience and the properties that we manage, that none of the people that have been basically not paying rent all this time, they all have jobs … they are just taking advantage of the situation,” said a community member.

On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will consider ending the protection set to expire in April.

By day, Angel Flores works at a packaging warehouse. By night, he’s a janitor at a San Jose high school.

Flores moved to the Bay Area from Acapulco, Mexico, where he was a tour guide. Violence dried up the tourism industry there, so moved his family to San Jose.

Today, he’s barely home, often working a third job as a roofer on weekends.

He says like all Mexicans, he gives his work 100% every day.

There are many people like Flores in Silicon Valley. According to Zillow, the median rate for rent in the region is more than $3,400 per month. That’s 64% higher than the national median.

Sacred Heart Community Services says their requests for help are increasing. The agency helps up to 600 families per day with food boxes and other services, but they’re struggling to keep us as well.

The agency gave out $30 million in rental assistance last year. Now they’re having to turn some working families away because the funds are drying up.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about poverty and I think a lot of people make it into an individual failing,” Demone Carter with Sacred Heart said. “But our work with people experiencing poverty tells us a different story.”

Flores is now preparing to file his federal income tax forms, part of what he describes as his appreciation to a country that he says allows him to provide for his family.

When he finally returns home from the nightshift, he’ll try to get a few hours of sleep before heading off to his day job, a sacrifice he makes so his family can make it.

Sasha Zbrozek currently owns nearly two acres in Los Altos Hills on Summit Wood Road. He’s hoping to tear down his house and replace it with 15 apartments and five townhomes in the upscale suburb.

It’s a proposal that’s likely to face a lot of local opposition, but he believes a provision in state housing law could help him force the issue.

“Builder’s remedy” allows property owners to override local zoning laws and push through projects of virtually any size. It’s meant as a penalty for cities and counties that fail to meet the deadline for state mandated future homebuilding plans.

The state requires 20% of builder’s remedy projects to be affordable housing without the provision.

Making It in the Bay Feb 14

Nearly $8B Needed to Complete Outstanding Affordable Housing Projects Across Bay Area

Making It in the Bay Feb 13

California State Senator Introduces New Bill to Keep SB 35 Housing Legislation in Place

Zbrozek said his multi-unit plans would be dead.

“The town has tight restrictions, 1 unit per acre and a 40 foot set back ,so it’s basically single family homes only,” he said.

California YIMBY, which stands for “yes in my backyard” is a nonprofit focused on ending the state’s shortage of affordable housing.

California YIMBY spokesman Matthew Lewis told NBC Bay Area he supports homeowners trying to build more housing.

“In this case, Los Altos Hills thumbed its nose at the state law now they have to face the reality that builders can do what they want,” he said.

NBC Bay Area reached out to the Los Altos Hills city manager Wednesday. He declined to do an interview but sent a statement, which said in part:

“The town adopted a substantially compliant housing element prior to the state law deadline. The town is currently reviewing the proposed “builder’s remedy” project proposals.”

Some Los Altos Hills residents NBC Bay Area talked with off camera said they are concerned the builders remedy projects will change the look of their neighborhood.

But Zbrozek said that he personally has received nothing but support.

“I am looking forward to having control over the future of the parcel,” he said.

The Town of Los Altos will hold a public hearing on the project and it must still comply with environmental laws and go through a design review.

A total of 395 affordable housing projects are in various stages of predevelopment, needing additional public or private funding to be completed, according to research from the two organizations, which was organized into the Bay Area Affordable Housing Pipeline database.

Of those projects, 282 are new construction projects while 67 are some form of renovation or rehabilitation of an existing building.

The researchers also found that Alameda County has the highest number of projects in development at 106, but Santa Clara County leads the region in total units in development with 10,829.

State officials have determined the Bay Area needs roughly 180,000 new housing units by 2031 to meet the total need housing need across the region.

“The good news is that the sheer size of the predevelopment pipeline gives Bay Area cities, towns and counties a good running start toward meeting the affordable housing production challenge laid down by the state,” BAHFA Director Kate Hartley said in a statement.

Making It in the Bay Feb 13

California State Senator Introduces New Bill to Keep SB 35 Housing Legislation in Place

GOOD NEWS Feb 13

Struggling Santa Rosa Restaurant Gets Much-Needed Boost After Viral TikTok Video

Affordable housing is generally funded by various bonds and funding measures, with local, state and federal funding filling in the gaps to cover the costs of development.

In lieu of waiting for state or federal funds to cover the $7.6 billion gap, officials with the regional planning agency the Metropolitan Transportation Commission have proposed placing a bond measure on the 2024 ballot that would provide between $10 billion and $20 billion in funding exclusively for affordable housing.

State lawmakers authorized the BAHFA to place a parcel tax or bond measure before voters in an effort to raise funding for affordable housing when the legislature created the authority in 2019.

The authority is jointly governed by the MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments.

“The Bay Area faces a critical lack of affordable homes, and existing local, state and federal resources are oversubscribed,” said Justine Marcus, the senior state and local policy director for Enterprise Community Partners.

“We need new solutions to ensure every planned housing development gets built and that homes that are currently affordable remain affordable for generations to come,” she said.

With Senate Bill 35 (SB 35) set to expire in less than two years, Wiener is introducing Senate Bill 423 (SB 423) to keep the legislation in place and even strengthen it into the foreseeable future.

Wiener believes SB 35 helped turn the tide when it was passed six years ago. That bill helped speed up housing permits and blocked so-called frivolous court appeals that can and often did tie new housing projects up for years.

“It has been absolutely transformational,” Wiener said.

Wiener said under the current law, more than 18,000 homes have either been built or are being built – 75% of those being below market rate.

Making It in the Bay Jan 6

House Prices Dropping in the Bay Area

Housing Feb 6

High Cost of Housing Continues to Be Largest Concern for Bay Area Residents

Wiener said letting SB 35 expire would be unconscionable, especially because California is now required to build 2.5 million new homes in the next eight years to try to address the housing crisis.

“It’s going to take all of the tools in the tool kit to be able to do that,” Wiener said.

In San Francisco, 2,000 homes have been built with help from SB 35 and another 1,000 are in the process.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed endorsed the plan to extend SB 35, saying, in a statement, the streamlined permitting process has been crucial in getting new housing built more quickly in the city. She also said it’s critical if the city plans to meet its required new housing goal in the next eight years.

The average selling price for a home in the region is actually below the average asking price — something we haven’t seen in more than 10 years. 

“Usually there’s a bidding war, and that determines the price. But things have changed,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. 

The company says one big reason for that is a more flexible tech industry.

“Now that remote work is giving many tech workers the opportunity to live in any part of the country, the Bay Area doesn’t have such a stronghold on that talent,” said Fairweather.

“All of those things are adding to buyer confidence,” said San Jose real estate agent Lynsie Gridley, adding that buyers are starting to come back feeling better about their chances without having to compete with multiple offers. And the deals are getting done.

“We were seeing offers coming in under asking, and sellers often accepting those offers anywhere from 1% to 5% under asking,” said Gridley.

Meaning, even with mortgage rates still hovering near 6%, prices may have, for the time being, found a ceiling.

“It’s good that housing is becoming a little bit more affordable,” said a San Jose resident.

Agents say that moving forward, they expect to see the housing market here pick up, thanks to better weather and people making new moves for the new year.

But, some potential buyers said they’re still nervous about putting down big money for a down payment, because their company’s stock prices have recently fallen.

A new report shows Mountain View is now the most expensive city in the region to rent a one-bedroom apartment. 

The city saw a nearly 24% increase in rents compared to the year before. One reason? Experts said more high tech companies are requiring employees to head back to the office. 

“This is the first time Mountain View has surpassed San Francisco,” said Crystal Chen of Zumper. 

A new report from the company showed Mountain View had the highest average in January with the median price of $3,130 for a one-bedroom. 

Richmond Feb 7

Unhoused Richmond Teacher Works Full-Time, Unable to Make Ends Meet

Housing Jan 31

Why Are Rent Prices Increasing in the Bay Area?

San Francisco has the second highest rents in the Bay Area.

For some perspective, the median price for a one-bedroom apartment in San Jose is $2,530 and the most affordable city is Vallejo where the median rent is $1,600.

So, why is Mountain View suddenly seeing the spike? Companies, particularly Google may be playing a role. 

“I think with big tech companies having return to work policies a lot of those workers are coming back to California and moving down to the Peninsula which creates demand and drives up prices,” said Chen. 

Other factors could be that most of the new units in Mountain View are luxury apartments. 

Derrick D’Acolatse, owner of Legacy Property Management Silicon Valley said our economic climate is also keeping people from buying homes. Meaning more are looking to rent.

“I believe interest rates  are having an impact on rental increases on prices,” he said.

And with more demand, and limited supply, renters may be looking at bidding wars.

“People are willing to pay $100 to $200 a month over asking price just to get a property,” said D’Acolatse. 

With many apartments in the city renting in a week or less.

Which is why property managers said if you want to rent in Mountain View, you may want to submit an application first and then go look at the unit because you may have to compete against dozens of other potential renters.

The buildings and lots around housing advocate Aaron Eckhouse’s neighborhood in north Oakland are part of the city’s eight-year plan to expand affordable housing across all economic levels. 

But last week, the finalized plan, called the Housing Element, fell short of the state’s certification requirements.

“I do think we’re seeing the state is taking a strict standard, to hold cities accountable,” said Aaron Echhouse, East Bay for Everyone volunteer. 

A letter from the Department of Housing and Community Development asked for more details on potential limitations for building on certain sites, and wants to see more transportation, parks, and other investments in areas where affordable housing is set to be built.

“They felt that Oakland had some really strong pieces for affirmatively furthering fair housing by expanding opportunities in high resource neighborhoods, but they wanted to see them do more to expand resources in some more disinvested parts of Oakland,” said Eckhouse. 

Oakland’s director of the Planning and Building Department said in a statement, “staff are currently reviewing the suggested edits and anticipate being able to resolve all comments.” 

District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife agrees.

“We feel like we’re in a good position to make those amendments and get it back to state HCD in a timely manner and not have a huge hiccup to the process we’re attempting to abide by,” said Fife. 

If Oakland fails to get the Housing Element certified, it risks being penalized by the state.

“The most serious thing is I think the city is also concerned they may lose the pro housing designation which puts them in a more favorable position for state funding,” said Jeff Levin, senior director of policy for East Bay Housing Organizations.

The city of Oakland has until the end of May to get the housing element certified. 

City council members said they’re confident they’ll meet that deadline.

But the sixth grade teacher never imagined she’d be working full-time and still unable to make ends meet. 

“It hasn’t been easy at all. I come and try to spruce myself up and keep a smile on my face but on the inside, it’s a struggle,” said Schexnayder. “I’ve been between my car, motel six and an Airbnb, whenever I can afford it.”

She drove from her home state of Mississippi to take a teaching job in Richmond two years ago.

“I had no idea that I would come here, leaving Mississippi, live in a home, and come here to being homeless,” said Schexnayder.

Schexnayder said she hasn’t been able to find affordable housing so sometimes she rents an Airbnb or motel room, and every month when the money runs out, she sleeps in her car. 

“I’m thankful for the grocery stores, the gas stations, where I go to kind of wash up and take care of hygiene and come to work,” said Scheznayder. “Most nights I’m scared it’s unsafe. But I get up in the mornings and still come to work. This is what I love to do.”

The President of the Teachers Union said that Schexnayder is not the only teacher living on the edge. 

“Our starting salary here for a teacher is in the mid to late 50s, that is not sufficient to be able to independently live,” said John Zabala.

He said West Contra Costa School District teachers are among the lowest paid in the Bay Area. They’re currently at an impasse with the district as they fight for higher wages. 

“About two weeks ago we had a rally where about 700 people spoke and people were in tears, letting them know how desperate they are to remain working here,” said Zabala. “To just do their jobs which is what they want to do … and instead, they’re spending so much of their time and energy just to fight for survival.”

The district acknowledges teachers are struggling. In a statement they said, “WCCUSD is working rapidly to readjust budget priorities in recognition that many of our educators are currently experiencing economic hardship, which has been worsened by rising inflation and the economic climate of the greater Bay Area.” 

They say they’re offering a 10% raise.

“I don’t regret coming here because I love that I’m chasing my dream. But it makes me sad to know I’m  doing this while most times sleeping in my car,” said Schexnayder. “It’s really sad.”

Schexnayder said she wasn’t prepared for the high cost of living in California. She’s met many others who are working, some multiple jobs, who are homeless too. 

“It’s not a personal thing.  I believe it’s a Bay Area, California thing, where there are people that are working jobs getting up going to work and yet still doesn’t have a safe, comfortable place to live,” said Schexnayder. “It makes me really sad.”

She said California’s teachers deserve way more than what they get paid. Though she loves her Richmond students, she may have to move back to Mississippi at the end of the school year, but she’s determined to continue pursuing her passion.  

“I wake up every day, not knowing how it’s going to end. All I do know is that I’m going to teach and that’s what gives me joy. That’s what I live by,” said Schexnayder.

The teachers union has set up GoFundMe to help Schexnayder as they fight for higher wages for all the district’s teachers.

In San Francisco, prices have seen the greatest drop nationally, down 15% year over year, or about $1,500 a month in mortgage savings, the report shows.

Oakland was fourth with an 11.6% drop, or about $700 a month in savings, and San Jose was sixth with a decline of 10.6%, or about $960 in monthly savings.

Redfin credits the drop in mortgage rates and decreased housing demand.

“It’s hard to predict, though, because San Francisco is facing a lot of changes,” Daryl Fairweather, chief economist with Redfin, said. “There’s no longer this strong pull of workers to the area to get a tech job. You can get a tech job just about anywhere. And a lot those tech San Francisco (companies) are laying off workers, so maybe people don’t feel like it’s really worth it to pay for a home when job security is not as great as it used to be.”

The Bay Area, however, remains one of the most expensive markets for homes in the U.S., with median monthly payments of $8,496 in San Francisco, $8,116 in San Jose and $5,443 in Oakland.

Out of the roughly 110 cities and counties in the Bay Area, about 65 had not submitted their so-called Housing Element plan as of Wednesday morning, according to the Bay Area Council.

That means there will be a “builder’s remedy” in those jurisdictions, giving developers the freedom to build affordable housing in any zone within those areas even if the city or county objects.

Bob Redell has the full story in the video above.

The uptick in home values in those four Sonoma County areas are as follows: Sonoma 95476, up 1.8%; Santa Rosa 95404, up 0.6%; Santa Rosa 95409, up 0.5%; and Petaluma 94952, up 0.4%.

Jeff Tucker, senior economist with Zillow, explained the reason for these areas bucking the trend.

“The home values and the amenities of living in the North Bay, including places like Sonoma, Marin County as well, are mostly tied to the lifestyle amenities and the proximity to Napa Valley, the mountains and the ocean,” Tucker said. “And most importantly, they’re less tied to job proximity.”

Tucker also explained why it’s now a buyers’ market because a lot of the conditions in the housing market favor buyers. For instance, there are now more homes available on the market for longer periods of time, so buyers aren’t stuck in a bidding war and won’t end up paying more than the asking price.

He did, however, say there’s a huge caveat: Buyers still have to go out and get a mortgage, and those are still incredibly expensive.

The protest ended with Dominique Walker being arrested, while two others were cited.

“Nonviolent, civil disobedience. We were every clear about that. We wanted to stop the meeting because there should be no meeting, when folks are potentially going to be homeless,” said Walker.

The Oakland-based activist group said they were acting to support renters in the county’s unincorporated Eden areas. The Eden area consists of Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo and Hayward Acres communities.

The group is demanding three tenant protection policies, including a fair chance ordinance, rental registry and just cause for evictions that passed an initial vote last month be immediately enacted before the COVID eviction moratorium ends.

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“We are primarily an immigrant community, primarily people of color, who are suffering and who will not have these protections,” said Julio Contreras of My Eden’s Voice.

Housing activists are calling on both board president Nate Miley and supervisor Lena Tam to vote in favor of the ordinances.

Tam said she planned to meet with experts before taking a stance.

Miley said that he supports increasing protections for tenants, but he believes further changes need to be made to “just cause” proposals to increase protections for smaller property owners.

“How we can carve a program together that works to protect tenants that need to be protected, as well as deal with landlords that need to be dealt with,” Miley said.

The moratorium is expected to end 60 days after the local health emergency ends, which could come as soon as February. Renters would then have 12 months to pay any back rent or face eviction.

Activists said they will continue their acts of civil disobedience until they feel the county is providing fair housing to all.

“We believe that housing is a human right and this is a part of it,” Walker said.

In San Francisco, prices were down 10% year over year, and in San Jose they have dropped 7% year over year, the report shows.

Daryl Fairweather, chief economist with Redfin, has some advice for those looking to buy: “Now is the time to strike if you have the means to do so.”

“If you are buying now, you are pretty much in the driver’s seat,” she said. “You can take your time when it comes to touring homes, submit an offer that’s … a bit under the asking price and really ask for any amenities you want.”

The Bay Area, however, remains one of the most expensive markets for homes in the U.S., and with mortgage rates still relatively high, the slightly lower list price might not make much of a dent in the monthly payments.

After critics of the original 600-page plan, dubbed the Housing Element, felt it didn’t spread out the new construction to include wealthier neighborhoods, the City Council approved an amendment that commits Berkeley to rezoning such areas for more housing development.

Much of the focus of recent housing development in the city has been with projects along Shattuck Avenue in the downtown area.

The plan doesn’t list any specific projects, but it does lay out a vision of what housing in Berkeley could look like in the next several years.

The city was required by the state to complete the plan by the end of January. By comparison, the same state mandate calls for 82,000 housing units San Francisco, 62,000 in San Jose and more than 26,000 in Oakland.

Berkeley’s plan will now go to the state for final approval.

The normal adoption fee of $150 will be waived during the event, hours will be extended and staff will be on hand to expedite the adoption process. Oakland Animal Services is seeking to place 50 big dogs in homes during the adoption event, according to Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services.

The shelter will be open on Friday through Monday from noon to 5 p.m. It is located at 1109 29th Ave. in Oakland.

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“The changes we have made in the last three years, as well as the tremendous community support that we have received, has made it possible to achieve the lowest euthanasia rate for dogs in OAS’s history in 2022. We’re asking for people to step up in a big way to help our dogs now,” Dunn said.

Dunn said the city has seen a dramatic increase in dogs being put up for adoption, with 555 more dogs taken in in 2022 compared to 2021. She said the current spike is being driven by an increase in December, which saw 289 dogs enter the shelter, compared with the recent monthly average of 234.

The shelter has 73 kennels for big dogs, which can be divided into two during an emergency. The shelter currently has 98 big dogs which are considered those over 25 pounds.

Huskies, German Shepherds, Malinois, pit bulls and other breeds are available, Dunn said. She said staff would be focusing on matchmaking during the event to help pair adopters with the perfect companion.

Dunn said that Oakland Animal Services has not had to euthanize a dog for space since 2019 but called the need to place 50 dogs in homes by Monday urgent. She said staff was making a nine-point criteria for ranking each dog to assess which would be euthanized if the event fails to place enough dogs.

Fostering a dog for a temporary period can help alleviate the overcrowding if adoption isn’t an option, Dunn said. She said food, crates, leashes and more support is available for the foster program.

“We welcome people from anywhere and we hope people from outside Oakland will come,” Dunn said.

At San Jose’s Animal Care Services, mother nature is to blame.

The animal care services in San Jose are asking people to hold strays for 72 hours to give the shelter time to get dogs adopted or fostered.

The recent storms caused rivers and creeks to balloon in the South Bay, forcing stray dogs to find higher ground.

Both shelters are trying to make this an easy process for families looking for a new family member by waiving adoption fees.

For more information on the adoption event in Oakland, visit oaklandanimalservices.org.

Bay City News contributed to the report.