Dwellings City of San José Housing Department

The City is working to create a feedback loop for homelessness solutions that will improve resource utilization and make solutions more accessible to those in need. A key part of this process is listening to people with lived experience with homelessness to understand how we can make it easier to navigate the complex system for obtaining and using homelessness solutions. On today’s episode, I’m joined by Chad Bojorquez, chief program officer at Destination: Home, and Greg Pensinger, homelessness response manager in the City of San José Housing Department. We talk about the Live Experience Advisory Board and how homelessness solutions are evolving to better meet the needs of homeless residents.

There's a constant need for affordable housing in Silicon Valley, and there are a variety of tools the City and other entities can use to finance the construction and operation of that housing. There are also myriad requirements that must be satisfied, so investors must take numerous steps to bring affordable to fruition. On today's episode, I'm joined by Rachel VanderVeen, deputy director of the City of José Housing Department. We talk about how financing affordable housing in San José actually works.

Project Homekey has helped fast-track solutions for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. It does this by allowing public entities to develop a variety of housing types and convert existing buildings into permanent or interim housing. We'll dive into the details of this initiative and explore its potential impact on communities across the region. On today’s episode, I’m joined by Consuelo Hernandez, Director of the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing. We are going to talk about Project Homekey, a statewide effort to rapidly expand housing opportunities for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

The Apartment Rent Ordinance has had a significant impact on San José apartment renters since 1979 through rent stabilization, the petition process, and the rent registry to name a few examples. It also has rules on how rent is raised in a year and how data is used for policy decisions. On today’s episode, I’m joined by Noel Padilla. Noel is a Senior Analyst with the San José Housing Department’s Rent Stabilization Program. He and I are going to talk about the City’s Apartment Rent Ordinance, which affects more than 100,000 residents in San José.

What does it mean to be homeless as a foster youth after turning 18? Many young adults who have aged out of foster care have nowhere to go and few places where they can seek help. With many rules (some in conflict with one another) creating significant obstacles to housing opportunities, a number of organizations have taken up the cause of advocating for transition-age youth. This group is loosely defined as people 18-24 years old. On today’s episode, I’m joined by Sparky Harlan, a nationally recognized leader in youth services. Sparky is the longtime CEO of the Bill Wilson Center. We talk about homelessness among youth and young adults, and what is being done to address it.

How can solutions be scaled to meet the housing demand in our region? According to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment estimates, we need to create 441,000 new homes to solve the Bay Area housing shortage. The solutions to help us get there include innovative approaches to building affordable housing, streamlining regulations, and leveraging new types of financing. On today's episode, I'm joined by Vince Rocha, vice president of Housing and Community Development at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. We will discuss the economic implications of increasing or failing to increase the housing supply in our region, and ideas to help get more housing built.