Community leaders address housing needs and regional inequity at annual policy convention in Mountain View

Housing, climate change and inequity were top of mind at the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation’s annual policy convention on Friday, May 3, as the region’s nonprofit and philanthropic leaders sought to tackle the Bay Area’s most pressing issues.

The meeting kicked off with opening remarks from Anne Im, Silicon Valley Community Foundation senior director of community partnerships, who did not shy away from questioning how a region with so much economic prosperity and innovation could also foster so much inequity.

“We’ve got resources, we’ve got money, we’ve got academia, we got the peak innovative spirit. If we can’t figure this out here, who else is going to figure it out?” Im said, addressing the massive disparities of living in Silicon Valley, where large swaths of the population are facing housing and food insecurity.

Attended by more than 100 people at the Mountain View Community Center, the event functioned as a call to action, urging the community to build stronger connections and contribute to local organizations that are doing important work in the region.

“We don’t have to wait. We can do this right now here in our neighborhoods and make a difference,” Im said. Even small donations and sporadic volunteer work still make a meaningful impact, particularly for organizations with big needs, she added.

The sustained focus on community engagement carried over to the four panel sessions, which each addressed major challenges for the region: housing affordability, mental wellness, workforce development and climate change and adaptation.

With more than a dozen speakers from local agencies and nonprofits, the panel discussions covered a wide range of issues, but a central theme to all of them was the recognition that “equity costs more.”

Quency Phillips, founder and executive director of Lighthouse Silicon Valley, a nonprofit that serves marginalized communities, underscored that equity could be framed in terms of money, resources or opportunities. “If we’re thinking about equity, whatever you think, add a tax to it,” he said, referring to the need to do more than just the bare minimum to achieve meaningful change.

Jan Lindenthal-Cox, chief investment officer at the Housing Accelerator Fund, lauded the state’s efforts to streamline bills to make it easier for housing projects to get built, but said subsidy sources were just as critical.

“It doesn’t cost any less to build affordable housing than it does to build market-rate housing. And sometimes it even costs more,” she said.

Similar to other speakers, Lindenthal-Cox proposed a call to action, in this case for the public to support a potential regional bond measure from the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority that could go on the ballot in the fall. The measure proposes to generate up to $20 billion to create more affordable housing, which would be a huge step towards building affordable homes faster and at a lower cost, she said.

Speakers on the climate change panel also addressed the importance of investing in the future, and proposed a multi-hazard climate adaption plan to support local communities. They emphasized more partnerships as well and encouraged communities to take stewardship over living systems.

María Marroquín, executive director of the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, said she was attending the climate panel session to be part of the conversation. Climate change was having a big impact on day laborers who work outdoors in harsh conditions, she said, adding that the solutions needed to include them as well.

Other community members said they were participating in the conference to learn more about the priority areas for non-profit organizations. “It’s an opportunity to make connections and hear about local concerns,” said Sherry Auerbach, co-chair of the Los Altos Rotary Club.

At the end of the conference, the audience was asked to raise their hand if they felt more hopeful about addressing the challenges they saw in their communities. An overwhelming majority raised their hands high and several participants shared their plans to become more actively involved moving forward.