HomeMy WebLinkAbout120725 email - Homeless and Affordable Housing PlanALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Good evening Commissioners and Councilmembers,
Thank you for the significant work that has gone into the Homeless and Affordable Housing Services Plan. I appreciate that this plan clearly names homelessness and housing instability
as the result of displacement, health system gaps, and a severe lack of deeply affordable housing, not personal failure.
I strongly support the commitment to a year-round day center, a lived, expert-guided encampment response, and strong prevention tools such as tenant protections, mediation, and recognition
of informal housing residents’ rights. These are essential for stabilizing people before they fall deeper into crisis.
As both the City and County move forward with rezoning and development decisions, I would like you to ensure that any increase in density is tied to mandatory, permanent affordability.
Voluntary incentives like the Multi-Family Tax Exemption are helpful, but they do not reach the people currently unhoused without deeper affordability requirements.
I also respectfully ask you to adopt a clear “no displacement without housing” standard, so no one is removed from an encampment or informal housing situation without first being offered
a safe, voluntary, and supported housing option.
Finally, compensating lived experts is a strong step, but equity requires shared decision-making power, not just consultation. People with lived experience are experts in how housing,
homelessness, health, and safety systems actually function in real life. Without their leadership and decision-making power, policies risk being well-intentioned but ineffective, harmful,
and disconnected from the realities they aim to address.
This plan has strong values, but values alone will not keep people housed or safe. We need enforceable protections, mandatory affordability, and housing-first implementation so these
commitments result in tangible outcomes for those bearing the heaviest burden of this crisis. Thank you for your leadership.
Best regards,
Tonia Burkett (Sh <https://pronouns.org/> e/Her/They <https://pronouns.org/> )
Dreamer, Facilitator, & Consultant
https://usawaconsulting.com
(503) 395-8262
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