As part of our mission to advocate for increased production of affordable and missing middle housing in Orange County, The Homes For All/Viviendas Para Todos program has allowed us to work with community members in Fullerton who are experiencing the effects of the affordability crisis firsthand.
Our Homes For All/Viviendas Para Todos program is being piloted in the city of Fullerton. The program consists of a five workshop series aimed at engaging community members to form a coalition in their city and become advocates for future affordable housing. Our two-hour long sessions touch on topics such as Historical Patterns of Housing Segregation, Land Use and Processes of City Governance, Affordable Housing, Policy, and Public Comment.
Our first two classes were held in September and October covering themes regarding Housing as Health and processes of city governance. Our team has been delivering the content of the workshops in a fully immersed Spanish format for our Spanish monolingual participants. With our 20 participants all residing in the city of Fullerton, it has been a common trend that residents want to see more inclusive housing opportunities for families of varying income levels.
Our goal at the end of the workshop series is to empower these voices to share their housing experience and advocate for change at the city level. Through our “housing as health” framework, we aim to promote the idea that housing is a significant social determinant of health, and both the lack of housing and poor housing quality can negatively impact health and well-being.
The affordability crisis disproportionately impacts low-income families and communities of color through barriers such as restrictive zoning laws, rent control, and stagnant wage growth. The housing shortage has proven to be an intersectional issue, as our residents have expressed feelings of vulnerability ranging from unhealthy living conditions and the unnerving risk of being housing insecure. We believe it is crucial to build public awareness in order to create policy change at the local level. Our efforts seek to effectively communicate the importance of affordable housing for the health and well-being of historically vulnerable communities.
As we continue our programming, we will continue to support the local community leaders in our coalition to help bring the change they want to see in their community and make Fullerton an affordable and inclusive place to live for current and future generations to come.
