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Press Release

December 4, 2006

Contact:
Kate O'Hara, Greenbelt Alliance, (415) 543-6771 x319 or (510) 734-9430 (cell)
Susannah Straw-Gast, SEIU 1280, (707) 803-7730
Evelyn Stivers, Non-Profit Housing Association of N. California, (415) 989-8160 x35

Coalition Urges City to Address Lack of Affordable Homes

City Council Will Consider Inclusionary Housing on Tuesday

VALLEJO – Between 2000 and 2006, home prices in Vallejo more than doubled, increasing by 155%, according to a recent study commissioned by the City of Vallejo*. A family of four needs to earn about $100,000 a year to afford a median-priced home of $425,000, but the majority of Vallejo families (70%) earn $88,000 per year or less—not enough to buy a home.
 
Though new homes are being built, these homes are much more expensive, selling for about $707,000—far out of reach for many Vallejo workers, like teachers, nurses and government employees.

Renters are struggling as well, with 41% of Vallejo renters spending more than a third of their income on rent (the federal government defines housing as affordable if it costs one-third or less of a household’s income).

 “The unbalanced housing market is forcing families to move out of Vallejo to find homes they can afford,” said Kate O’Hara of Greenbelt Alliance. “This increases the pressure to build on working farms and natural areas and increases traffic clogging the freeways.”

Greenbelt Alliance is part of a broad coalition of organizations and residents that are joining together to urge the City to address this lack of affordable homes.

This Tuesday night, the City Council will have an opportunity to do so.

The City Council will discuss an inclusionary housing policy, which would require new housing developments to include some homes affordable to people with modest incomes.

For many workers, salaries have not kept pace with the sharp increase in home prices in recent years. “Workers are not finding homes they can afford in Vallejo,” explained Art Grubel of Service Employees International Union, Local 1280. “Many of the homecare and Head Start workers, as well as some County employees that we represent, are struggling to buy homes in Vallejo.”

A majority of cities in the nine-county Bay Area (59 out of 101) have adopted inclusionary housing ordinances. Petaluma, American Canyon, Napa, Walnut Creek, and Pittsburg are among the cities with inclusionary policies.

* David Paul Rosen Associates. City of Vallejo Inclusionary Housing Study.  November 2006.  Available on the City of Vallejo’s website.

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org

Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California is the collective voice of those who support, build and operate affordable housing in the Bay Area.

Service Employees International Union, Local 1280 represents a diverse group of members including clerical, nurses, professionals, paraprofessionals, and supervisors throughout Solano County.