2023 Conference Recordings and Presentations

Opening Plenary: Housing’s Next Chapter

Tuesday, March 28 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Brought to you by Chase

As we emerge from the impacts of the global pandemic alongside widening racial and economic inequities, we’ve seen a renewed urgency and interest to address California’s housing crisis. To leverage the energy of the moment and catalyze transformative change for the people and communities most impacted by this crisis we must reimagine California’s housing future and redefine what is possible. Join state, philanthropic, and community leaders as we discuss the vision for Housing’s Next Chapter. What should it encompass and how will we boldly step into this next phase of the work together?

Opening Remarks:

• Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director, Housing California
• David Howden, President, Board of Directors, Housing California | Director, Corporation for Supportive Housing
• Cécile Chalifour, Managing Director | Head of West Region | Community Development Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Plenary Speakers:

• Fred Blackwell – Moderator, Executive Director, Lived Experience Advisers
• Gustavo Velasquez, Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development
• Corrin Buchanan, Deputy Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency
• Sochiata Vutthy, Chief Operating Officer, Community HousingWorks
• Amanda Andere, Funders Together to End Homelessness
• Pete White, Founder & Executive Director, Los Angeles Community Action Network

Afternoon Plenary – Leaders with Lived Experience: Navigating the Field for Greater Impact

Tuesday, March 28 | 12:30 PM – 2:00 AM – Brought to you by Merritt Community Capital Corporation

Across the state, individuals whose lives have been directly impacted by the affordable housing and homelessness crisis are stepping up to be part of the solution. These advocates are translating their experience navigating inequitable systems and structures that marginalize low-income people, people of color, individuals with mental health challenges, unhoused people, veterans, foster youth, immigrants, and many others, into leadership that is an essential element in our fight for housing justice. In this panel you’ll hear directly from these leaders about the challenges they face, the impacts they are having and their call for you to think differently about what it really means to value lived expertise and the people who are bringing it to the table.

Opening Remarks:

• Lisa Motoyama, Treasurer, Board of Directors, Housing California | Senior Affordable Housing Finance Consultant, Community Economics
• Ari Beliak – Title Sponsor, Chief Executive Officer at Merritt Community Capital Corporation

Plenary Speakers:

• John Brady – Moderator, Executive Director, Lived Experience Advisers
• Reba Stevens, Homeless Systems Change Advocate, Community Advocate
• Nick Worrel, Residents United Network
• Jexsi Grey, Veteran, LEA Program Manager, Lived Experience Advisors
• Cody Van Felden, Youth Advocate, John Burton’s Advocates for Youth
• Valeria Felix, California Coalition for Rural Housing Intern, Self-Help Enterprises

Morning Plenary – Housing First: Challenges of Adopting the Model at Scale

Wednesday, March 29 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM – Brought to you by US Bank

Decades of research and lived experience prove that providing affordable and accessible housing with minimal barriers and access to support services is the most effective intervention to help people exit homelessness and improve their health and economic prospects. If the evidence in support of programs following the Housing First model is so clear, why has it suddenly become controversial? In this panel, local, state, and national experts and implementers of Housing First reflect on the challenges that remain for adapting the Housing First model at scale in the midst of our affordable housing crisis, as well as the current political climate that seeks to undermine our progress on advancing housing- and services-focused solutions to homelessness in favor of misguided efforts to stigmatize and criminalize our unhoused neighbors.

Opening Remarks:

• Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director, Housing California
• Richard Cho, Senior Advisor for Housing and Services, U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Vihar Sheth – Title Sponsor, Managing Director, US Bank

Plenary Speakers:

• Margot Kushel MD, Professor of Medicine, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative
• Marc Dones, Chief Executive Officer, King County Regional Homelessness Authority
• Steve Berg, Chief Policy Officer, National Alliance to End Homelessness
• Marisol Bello, Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab

Closing Remarks:

• Todd Gloria, Mayor, City of San Diego

Lunch Plenary – Housing First: Moving from Transactional to Transformative: Growing Powerful Movements to Effect Change

Wednesday, March 29 | 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM – Brought to you by Wells Fargo

As the scale and intensity of California’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis has grown, increased public attention and demands for action have created a unique opportunity for the housing sector to advance bold solutions. Leveraging this opportunity can feel daunting and politically untenable. Join a lively discussion with prominent leaders working at the local, state and national level to explore how they think about transformative system level change. Speakers will share lessons learned from their work and will discuss how they are deploying intentional strategies to deepen solidarity and build power as a foundation for long term success. We hope you leave with new ideas, energy and inspiration to grow the power and influence of the affordable housing and homelessness movement through deepened solidarity.

Opening Remarks:

• Kendra Roberts, 2nd Vice President, Board of Directors, Housing California | Vice President of Operations, HumanGood
• Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, President and CEO, Los Angeles Family Housing

Plenary Speakers:

• Dr. Tiffany Manuel – Moderator, CEO, The CaseMade Incorporated
• Dr. Kyra Greene, Executive Director, Center on Policy Initiatives
• Joseph Tomás McKellar, Director, PICO California

Density Bonus Law for Developers, Jurisdictions, and Others

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 5 | Beginner

This learning lab will focus on state density bonus law, recent legislative updates to density bonus law, and how it can be used as a tool to develop affordable housing. The session will address how much affordability must be provided in a residential development in order to qualify for various density increases and incentives as well as discuss what kind of modifications can be requested through an incentive or a waiver. Participants will have an opportunity to brainstorm ideas and apply concepts to a hypothetical housing development proposal. We will also discuss application of density bonus law with other permitting schemes, such as SB 35.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Erin Lapeyrolerie, Attorney, Goldfarb & Lipman
• Gabrielle Janssens, Attorney, Goldfarb & Lipman
• Joshua Abrams, Principal, Community Planning Collaborative / Baird + Driskell Planning

Developer’s Toolbox – Tips of the Trade for Construction Contracts and Insurance

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 2 | Intermediate

Participants will join the panel in a deep dive on various construction contract versions and how to own their version of the contract for future projects. Tips to allocate risk more appropriately are explained and strategies to negotiate the agreement are provided to help prepare development team members in particular for this complicated stage of pre-development / pre-construction closing. Part two of the workshop concentrates on insurance requirements and insurance policy forms, how they dovetail with the construction agreement and how wording must be updated to properly trigger insurance coverage in the event of a loss. State of the insurance market is also discussed, which at present is difficult for most to navigate given high premiums and narrow coverage options which may or may not comply with Lender/Investor insurance requirements on the deal.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Isabel L. Brown, Partner, Goldfarb Lipman Attorneys
• Robyn Roesner, Area Executive Vice President – National Director, Nonprofit Affordable Housing, Gallagher
• Sara Gibson, Senior Risk Control Consultant, Arthur J. Gallagher
• Matt Heaton, Attorney, Goldfarb & Lipman, LLP

Introduction to Affordable Housing Development and Finance

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 7 | Beginner

Affordable housing project development is a complicated, challenging, long and iterative process. A successful project requires a team of organizations and individuals with specialized expertise from different disciplines and professions, that work closely together during multiple stages. Because development involves considerable financial risk, developers need a deep understanding of project proformas in addition to requiring careful coordination with development teams. But where do you start? This learning lab provides a basic overview of the affordable housing development process within its dominant financing framework of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and companion State funding sources. It focuses on the typical lifecycle of development, the roles of key development team members, and major issues and questions those newer to the profession may face. Attendees will also receive a basic primer on elements of a financial proforma and basic underwriting, including how hard and soft debt sources interact to make the projects affordable and financially viable over the long term.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Michelle Espinosa Coulter, Senior Housing Finance Consultant, California Housing Partnership
• Lisa Motoyama, Sr. Affordable Housing Finance Consultant , Community Economics, Inc.
• Denice Wint, Vice President, Real Estate Development, EAH Housing
• Matthew Wickersham, Principal, AMJ Construction Management

Low-Income Housing Tax Credits Fundamentals

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 1 | Beginner

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit remains the most important and one of the most complex financing tools for the creation and preservation of affordable housing in California. This Learning Lab combines lessons from financial consultants and presentations from CTCAC staff to introduce the nuts and bolts of the tax credit program. Participants will learn how to calculate LIHTC equity and navigate CTCAC’s 9% scoring system. Whether you’re new to affordable housing or already working on CTCAC applications, you’ll benefit from this interactive session.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Anthony Zeto, Deputy Executive Director, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC)
• Genise Choy, Housing Finance Consultant, California Housing Partnership
• Siera Beal, Housing Finance Specialist, California Housing Partnership

Project Closeout: Skills for a Successful Permanent Conversion

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 3 | Intermediate

There is a lot of focus on assembling your development’s financing and getting to the start of construction, but what about the second closing that happens at conversion to permanent financing? There is so much for a development team to manage: demonstrating stabilized occupancy, cost certifications, LIHTC equity adjusters, permanent loan underwriting, additional public funding sources, and applying to CTCAC for your 8609. In this Learning Lab, you’ll learn from industry experts how best to navigate this stage in the development cycle.

Confirmed Presenters:

• David Dologite, Director of Acquisitions, Merritt Community Capital
• Laura Orellana, Senior Vice President, California Community Reinvestment Corporation
• Sherin Bennett, Associate Director, Financial Consulting, California Housing Partnership

Fundamentals of Tax-Exempt Bonds

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Sunset 1&2 | Beginner

This Learning Lab will teach basic and technical requirements, the “who” and “why” of the many participants on those bond closing calls, the process of obtaining a bond allocation, how to create a financing structure that will give the best chance of leading to a successful applicaLon, and the costs associated with using this program. Both advanced students and beginners will benefit from this interactive session. We will delve into the program’s regulatory framework, examine critical legal issues, and discuss the financial implications and benefits of using tax- exempt bonds in different situations. Instructors include a bond issuer, bond counsel and financial consultant with extensive experience working with affordable housing providers on tax-exempt bond transactions.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Chad Horsford, Senior Housing Finance Consultant, California Housing Partnership
• DC Navarrette, Program Manager, CDLAC
• Josh Anzel, Esq., Shareholder, Jones Hall

Fair Chance Housing: Transformative Policy Change to End Homelessness for Formerly Incarcerated Residents

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 8 | Beginner

Lived experience and research document the pipeline from mass incarceration to homelessness. Survivors of mass incarceration return home only to face the “No” when applying for all forms of housing, publicly subsidized and private. This session is led by leaders in a national racial justice movement for Fair Chance Housing, which is a policy that prohibits the blanket discrimination of rental applicants based on criminal histories. The session brings together policy leaders, directly impacted residents, and property owners who recently helped enact the national north star Fair Chance Housing laws in the cities of Oakland and Berkeley for learning about one structural policy change essential for ending homelessness and racial disparities.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Jabar X. Watson, Self, Just Cities
• Krista C. Gulbransen, Executive Director, Berkeley Property Owners Association
• Taqwaa Bonner, Housing Advocate, All Of Us Or None
• Toya Vick, Criminal/Housing Justice Advocate, Starting Over
• Xavier Johnson, Director of Policy Justice, Just Cities
• Margaretta Lin, Executive Director, Just Cities

Tenant Protections – Learning the Basics and the Pitfalls to Avoid

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 6 | Intermediate

During the last few decades, many jurisdictions have established rent control ordinances and with rents continuing to rise in California, the topic will certainly continue to make headlines. Join consultants, attorneys, and city staff to learn more about how Tenant Protection Ordinances work. Get the scoop on success stories and cautionary tales from cities that have recently adopted Tenant Protection Ordinances. The session will cover State law, tenant rights, things to consider when establishing a program, long term implementation, and the petition process.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Amari Watson, Sr. Program Specialist / Hearing Officer, City of Inglewood Housing Protection Department
• Cindy Blot, Senior Associate, RSG, Inc.
• Dominique Clark, Director, RSG, Inc.
• Sara Court, Housing Programs Analyst, City of Santa Ana
• Tara Matthews, Vice President, RSG, Inc.
• Ugochi Anaebere-Nicholson, Staff Attorney, The Public Interest Law Project

Everyone. Everywhere. All the Time: A 360-Degree View of Narrative Change

Track 4: Shape the Housing Justice Narrative
Palm 4 | Advanced

We know that in order to move policy, we need to move people. That’s why we need a housing narrative that builds support for the solutions that ensure everyone has a safe, stable and affordable place to live. And Californians are ready for a conversation about why housing remains out of reach for so many. This learning lab will show you how to shape narratives that build support for our solutions. We will take participants through the 360-degree view needed to make real narrative change in mass movement, mass culture and mass media. We will work on how to bring those pieces together to create a framework for how to tell a new story and move people to action in our communities.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Marisol Bello, Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab
• Edie Irons, Communications Director, All Home California
• Turquoise Teagle, Youth Homeless Services Manager, The San Diego LGBT Community Center

Workshop Block I (One)

Tuesday, March 28 | 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Affordable Housing Supplier Diversity Act 2022

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 5 | Intermediate

Beginning January, 2023, CTCAC will be developing guidelines for Housing Sponsors to share detailed and verifiable supplier and contractor diversity plans in the development of affordable housing per AB 2873. Data collected annually from Housing Sponsors will be used to inform CA TCAC guidelines. The bill would additionally, by March 1, 2028, require CA TCAC to establish supplier and contractor participation goals for women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT business enterprises.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Denice Wint, Vice President, Real Estate Development, EAH Housing
• Ricki Hammett, Deputy Executive Director, CDLAC/CTCAC
• Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, President and CEO, The Center by Lendistry
• Robin S Thorne, Chief Executive Officer, CTI Environmental, Inc.

An Era of Rising Costs and Supply Chain Challenges: Solutions Big and Small for Effective Cost Containment

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Sunset 1&2 | Intermediate

The cost of building housing in California has skyrocketed in recent years with materials and labor costs seeing the biggest increases. These heightened costs to build compound the state’s shortage of affordable housing and have led to decreased affordability for households at all income levels. This panel will lift up solutions and hone what we can do to define, confront and solve this pervasive and complicated barrier to production.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ben Metcalf, Managing Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation
• Mary Jane Jagodzinski, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Community HousingWorks
• Charles E. Davis, Principal, Urban West Development
• John Ahiswede, President, Sun Country Builders
• Mollie Naber, Associate Director of Housing Development, MidPen Housing

Financing Strategies in an Era of Inflation: Tips and Tricks

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom C | Advanced

Economic turbulence creates tough conditions for affordable housing development. What are the underlying inflationary trends? Why have construction and permanent loan interest rates skyrocketed–and what does the future hold? What financial tools and strategies can benefit projects teetering on the brink? In this workshop, we will hear from financial experts in the field. Panelists will provide perspective on the broader economy and the instruments available to protect our affordable housing pipeline. Are interest rate hedges the answer? How can we structure LP equity investments to counterbalance high interest rates? What construction and permanent loan products can best mitigate inflation and high interest rates? Don’t just leave it to the bankers and consultants; no need for an MBA to learn the ABCs of financial structuring!

Confirmed Presenters:

• Aditya Potluri, Senior Housing Finance Consultant, CHPC
• Alice Talcott, VP of Housing Finance, MidPen Housing
• David Dologite, Director of Acquisitions, Merritt Community Capital
• Jade Laird, Director – Wells Fargo Securities, Wells Fargo Securities
• Nadege Adanou, Analyst – Wells Fargo Securities, Wells Fargo Securities
• Reagan Maechling, VP, Acquisitions, Enterprise Housing Credit Investments, Inc.

Rapid Growth in Supportive Housing Production

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 8 | Intermediate

Join us to learn how partners in Santa Clara County have scaled the production of supportive and affordable housing through policy alignment, leveraging local resources, and working together towards common goals of ending and preventing homelessness. Prior to 2015 there were less than 300 units of supportive housing across the County and today there are over 2,700 units in operation, under construction, or in the pipeline. Following a collective impact model, each organization brings different resources and capacities to implement one coordinated plan to end homelessness and develop affordable and supportive housing for extremely low-income households.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ray Bramson, COO, Destination: Home
• Rachel VanderVeen, Assistant Director, City of San Jose Housing Department
• Flaherty Ward, Director of Real Estate, Santa Clara County Housing Authority
• Consuelo Hernandez, Director, Office of Supportive Housing, County of Santa Clara

Advancing Support for Housing Insecure Student Populations in Higher Education

Track 2: End Homelessness
Sunset 3 | Intermediate

Across the Community College (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC), segments and campuses within each system are advancing proactive support and intervention models for housing insecure impacted and at-risk student populations. From systemwide to regional and campus specific, Basic Needs leaders in Higher Education are working to ensure housing precarity and homelessness is de-stigmatized and resources are accessible for students in crisis and need. This session will feature members of the California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) representing system wide efforts across all three segments. Presenters will share high level strategy and intervention approaches to support housing insecure students as well as spotlight segment specific promising practices and emergent programs across segments and campuses. This workshop will include interactive breakouts inviting thought partnership on ways to further align segment efforts and broader mobilizations across California to advance affordable, stable, and secure housing for students.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy, Vice Chancellor, Educational Services and Support, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
• Ruben E. Canedo, Director/Committee Co-Chair, UC Berkeley/UCOP
• Tim Galarneau, UC Basic Needs Co-Chair, University of California
• Carolyn O’Keefe, Systemwide Director for Student Wellness and Basic Need, California State University, Office of the Chancellor

CANCELED – Deconstructing Poverty: Addressing Economic Inequity at the Root of Homelessness

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 3 | Beginner

Many housing and homelessness programs are designed as a reaction to housing insecurity. However, housing insecurity and homelessness are manifestations of a bigger issue: poverty. This panel will discuss generational poverty and its impacts on housing security, how economic inequity intersects with racial and gender inequity, strategies for interrupting poverty, and centering families experiencing homelessness in anti-poverty work.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Courtney Welch, Vice Mayor, City of Emeryville
• Ryan Finnigan, Terner Center for Housing Innovation
• Kyriell Noon, CEO, Hamilton Families

Acquisition-Rehab Pathways to Community Ownership

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 4 | Intermediate

This session will highlight new acq-rehab pathways through which communities, local governments, and nonprofits are channeling market rate housing into the hands of tenants, community land trusts, and other stewards of community ownership. We will look at examples from the Bay Area and Los Angeles that highlight the role that local governments and affordable housing developers can play in fighting displacement and creating long-term affordability for low-income residents. We will focus on regional acquisition programs tailored to community ownership outcomes and Opportunity to Purchase ordinances. Panelists will explore implementation progress and challenges and share lessons learned on best practices and the enabling ecosystem required for success. The panel will cover key findings and case studies from the recently-published report, “Preventing Displacement through Community Ownership Pathways”.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Oscar Monge, Associate Director, T.R.U.S.T. South LA
• Tom De Simone, President & CEO, Genesis LA
• Saki Bailey, Executive Director, San Francisco Community Land Trust
• Chul Gugich, Principal, Policy & Legislative Research & Applications, LeSar Development Consultants

Housing Access for Justice-Involved Families: New Developments in HUD Housing and Beyond

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 2 | Beginner

This session will explore common housing barriers faced by justice-involved families and policy solutions to increase access to affordable housing. The discussion will include updates on cutting edge issues such as fair housing obligations related to tenant screening and requirements for HUD housing providers.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Jarrell Mitchell, Senior Attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
• Natalie N. Maxwell, Managing Attorney, National Housing Law Project
• Taqwaa Bonner, Housing Advocate, All Of Us Or None
• Toya Vick, Participatory Defense Movement of MoVal

How (and Why) to Bring Homelessness into your Housing Advocacy and Communications

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 4: Shape the Housing Justice Narrative
Palm 1 | Beginner

If you’re talking about affordable housing but not about homelessness, this session is for you. This is a chance to bridge the divide between the housing and homelessness fields, with a focus on narrative strategy. Presenters will discuss narrative best practices related to homelessness, real-life case studies where talking about homelessness helped build support for affordable housing, and practical messaging tools to use in your own work. Need more reasons to attend this session? Recent public opinion research has shown that voters don’t always think of housing as the main solution to homelessness. But that’s exactly what it is! We need to do more to connect the dots between housing and homelessness, both inside our field and in public discourse. Housing as a homelessness solution can be a powerful argument for supporting all kinds of affordable housing—not just permanent supportive housing or units for extremely low-income households.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Marisol Bello, Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab
• Tommy Newman, Vice President of Engagement & Activation
• Edie Irons, Director of Communications, All Home

Debt Limit Drama and Federal Housing Policy: What’s Next to Advance Housing Justice

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Town & Country Ballroom D | Beginner

DC-based housing policy experts will recap 2022 and look ahead to 2023, including examining how the drama on negotiating an increase to national debt limit may affect housing. Topic discussed include an overview of the key housing provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, the final FY 2023 and proposed FY 2024 HUD funding levels, LIHTC legislation, global minimum tax, forthcoming final Community Reinvestment Act regulations, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and other key federal regulatory issues, and other California priorities. Attendees will have a chance to pose their own questions and discuss advocacy priorities & opportunities for California.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Peter Lawrence, Director, Public Policy & Government Relations, Novogradac
• Matt Schwartz, President & CEO, California Housing Partnership
• Sarah Saadian, SVP Policy & Field Organizing, National Low Income Housing Coalition

The Housing Needs of Black Californians — and Solutions that Focus on Health, Affordability, and Racial Justice

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 7 | Beginner

The workshop will explore what can happen when Black folks are at the center of the housing conversation. We hope to help participants understand the significance of establishing a Statewide Black Housing fund. We will look at the displacement data over thirty years and expound on how displacement impacts health, wealth, quality of life, and community. From our data, we have found that people are moving in search of affordable rentals and homeownership. There hasn’t been a statewide response to the displacement of Black residents. Also, we want participants to understand that this statewide Black Housing Fund is one of the many options needed to repair and redress the harm that has occurred. This discussion is not about blame; but rather about changing the material condition of Black Californians. The workshop topics are Statewide Black Housing Fund, Supporting Emerging/Established Black Developers, and creating Black cultural districts.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Darris Young, Director of Organizing for Black Health, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative
• Monet Boyd, Senior Planner, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative
• Nikki Beasley, Executive Director, Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc
• Shahidah Lacy, Esq., Public Protections Policy Associate, Supervisor Keith Carson – District 5

Building Back Better with Community First

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Palm 6 | Beginner

With the reality of climate change, natural and human-caused disasters, and the health disparities that exacerbate these impacts among vulnerable communities, we are living in precarious times. How can we as housers, developers, designers, and planners engage communities to better prepare for a more resilient future and rebuild in a way that is responsive to the community’s collective vision? Building back better means building back more resiliently, which starts with community. In this panel discussion, we’ll look at three distinct examples of rural housing developments that center community organizers in creating safe, affordable, and healthy housing for all.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ernestina Fuenmayor, Project Manager, Salazar Architect, Inc.
• Joanna Mack, NOMA, Associate; Architect, Salazar Architect, Inc.
• Larry Florin, President & CEO, Burbank Housing
• Lihbin Shiao, Principal, Mosaic Urban Development

Workshop Block II (Two)

Tuesday, March 28 | 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Bridging the Gap: How Organized Labor and the Affordable Housing Sector Can Drive Bold Solutions

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom C | Beginner

Across California, millions of people are struggling to pay for one of their most basic needs, safe, stable housing. Solving this challenge requires a comprehensive set of bold solutions that include a commitment to radically expand the supply of affordable housing and ensure that all Californians have good, well-paid jobs. Join a lively discussion with non-profit affordable housing developers and labor leaders to explore the challenges to deliver these solutions and to learn about some of the opportunities and bright spots we can build on.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Rebecca Louie, President and CEO, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
• Alex Lantsberg, Research and Advocacy Director, San Francisco Electrical Construction Industry
• Nevada Merriman, Director of Policy, MidPen Housing
• Scott Littlehale, Executive Research Analyst, Norcal Carpenters Union

Coalition Building for a Transformative Electoral Win in 2024

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 3 | Beginner

Local housing bond measures are powerful sources of funding for affordable housing but it’s too challenging to win the two-thirds supermajority vote required to pass them. “Coalition Building for a Transformative Electoral Win in 2024” will present a solution, the transformative 2024 Campaign to pursue a Statewide Constitutional Amendment to lower the voter threshold for local affordable housing bond measures to a simple majority, while simultaneously pursuing local affordable housing bond measures across the state, including a $10-20B Bay Area regional measure.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Geeta Rao, Senior Director, Enterprise Community Partners
• Matt Huerta, Principal, Matt Huerta Consulting
• Zekun Li, Senior Campaign Manager, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California

Creating and Preserving Accessible, Affordable Housing for People with Disabilities

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 5 | Intermediate

This workshop seeks to demystify federal and state statutes and regulations meant to ensure that affordable housing development policies promote full access for people with disabilities. The landscape of federal, state, and even local regulations is challenging to navigate, and this workshop will provide an interactive opportunity for housing providers to assess their programs, learn from model policies, and get feedback on challenging issues they have encountered. The workshop will also discuss the reasons behind the need for accessible housing, including statistics and research on housing justice as it pertains to disabled individuals. Panelists will share their experience implementing comprehensive fair housing policies for people with disabilities developed as part of the groundbreaking settlement with the case study of ILCSC, et al v. City of Los Angeles, et al. We will also discuss the implementation of uniform policies across housing portfolios to ensure equal access for people with disabilities.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ann Sewill, General Manager, City of Los Angeles’ Housing Department
• Dara Schur, Senior Counsel, Disability Rights California
• Kendra J. Muller, Attorney, Disability Rights California
• Nubyaan Scott, Attorney, Disability Rights California

New Data from the Affordable Housing Pipeline: Implications for Policy, Advocacy, & Funding Innovation

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom D | Intermediate

As communities across California step up to meet their affordable housing goals, Enterprise Community Partners has created the first-of-its-kind database: the Affordable Housing Pipeline (Pipeline). The Pipeline provides new, critical information about the tens of thousands of affordable homes that are nearly shovel-ready and quantifies the funding needed to unlock these affordable homes. This session will include a presentation of Pipeline findings and will highlight their implications for policy and advocacy at the federal, state, regional, and local level. Drawing from their different positions in the public and nonprofit sectors, the panelists will discuss what the pipeline means for the state, current barriers to financing affordable housing and the opportunities for innovative funding and financing models to bring affordable housing development to the unprecedented scale that the need requires.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Justine Marcus, Senior State and Local Policy Director, Enterprise Community Partners
• Kate Hartley, Director, Bay Area Housing Finance Authority
• Elda Mendez-Lemus, Chief Real Estate Officer, LA Family Housing
• Consuelo Hernandez, Director, Office of Supportive Housing, County of Santa Clara

Rural Housing Top Topics

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 1 | Intermediate

Often forgotten, misunderstood, and under-resourced, explore with state and local housing agency leaders the unique challenges and opportunities to address the housing and community development needs of California’s diverse rural populations.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Maria Gallegos-Herrera, California State Director, USDA, Rural Development
• Rob Wiener, Executive Director, California Coalition for Rural Housing
• Theresa Nantor, Director of Rental Housing Development, Community Housing Improvement Program
• Gustavo Velasquez, Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development

Casa Esperanza: An Equity Approach to Housing Undocumented and Monolingual Transition Age Youth (TAY)

Track 2: End Homelessness
Sunset 3 | Beginner

Larkin Street Youth Services and Dolores Street Community Services will offer a brief presentation followed by a moderated panel discussion and interactive Q&A with workshop participants to share our experience launching a new supportive housing program for transition age youth that prioritizes young people from San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood with an immigrant history, including youth who are undocumented and/or monolingual. We will share our learnings about our process to define our shared values, how we worked with the local Coordinated Entry System on an equity-based outreach strategy, and how we ensured that a dramatically under-served population and neighborhood were prioritized for new supportive housing.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Jesus Silva Sanchez, Voz de casa Esperanza, Larkin Street Youth Services
• Jose Ayon Bravo, Voz de casa Esperanza, Larkin Street Youth Services
• Kevin Cervantes, Voz de casa Esperanza, Larkin Street Youth Services
• Laura Valdez, Executive Director, Dolores Street Community Services
• Maria Reyes, Sr. Program Manager, Dolores Street Community Services
• Mary Hill, Program Director, Larkin Street Youth Services
• Rafaela Ramirez, Program Manager, Larkin Street Youth / Program Manager

Interim Housing: Healing on the Pathway to a Permanent Home

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 2 | Intermediate

Interim housing has gained nationwide momentum as a non-congregate temporary housing model; however, there’s not yet a clear consensus on what interim housing is and what role it plays in a coordinated homelessness response. In the Bay Area, interim housing presents an opportunity to reimagine shelter in safer configurations, helping unsheltered people in particular to heal, stabilize, and rebuild a sense of community and belonging in a way that is challenging to do in a traditional congregate shelter. Communities must make simultaneous investments in interim housing, permanent housing, and prevention to permanently end homelessness. As a leader in interim housing—with more interim housing communities than any other city across the country—the City of San José partnered with leaders with lived expertise and Homebase to evaluate how to build a financially sustainable interim housing model that centers resident expertise, engagement and belonging in its physical design and programs. The presenters will lead an interactive discussion of the successes and challenges that emerged from this evaluation, centering resident voices. The presenters will then expand the conversation regionally, with All Home leading a discussion about how interim housing can be scaled successfully as part of a Housing First approach, using principles developed from their regional working group.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Carla Carvalho, Senior Policy Analyst, Homebase
• Claudine Sipili, Director, Lived Experience and Innovation, Destination Home SV
• Gail Gilman, Chief Strategy Officer, All Home CA
• Ragan Henninger, Deputy Director, City of San Jose, Housing Department

Asserting the Rights of Voucher Tenants: SOI Discrimination and Increasing Utilization

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 6 | Beginner

The session will explore the housing choice voucher program and issues related to using these vouchers on the private market. The voucher program is the largest HUD housing program in California, allowing low-income tenants to be housed and an important component of tackling homelessness. For this session we will give a basic overview of the voucher program and the unique role of the private market in housing voucher tenants. The discussion will focus on challenges tenants face to utilize their vouchers, including source of income discrimination. In addition, we will explore advocacy tools to advance voucher tenant’s rights.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Hanna Kim, FHSP Associate Director, Brilliant Corners
• Lila Gitesatani, Staff Attorney, National Housing Law Project (NHLP)
• Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Esq., Poverty & Civil Rights Attorney, Pease Law, APC
• Peggy Bailey, Vice President for Housing and Income Security, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Shifting Housing Narratives in the News: Educating Journalists on Housing, Health, and Racial Justice

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 4: Shape the Housing Justice Narrative
Sunset 1&2 | Intermediate

Housing affordability, racial equity, and health are inextricably linked. In this interactive session, the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO), and Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) will share their new guide to support journalists in uncovering the roots of housing, racial, and health inequities and elevating solutions for racial equity and housing justice. They will also discuss BARHII’s first-in-the-nation campaign focused on the housing needs of Black Californians.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Katherine Schaff, Health Equity Coordinator, Berkeley Media Studies Group, a project of the Public Health Institute
• Li Lovett, Communications Director, Council of Community Housing Organizations
• Darris Young, Impact Manager, BARHII

Centering Community in Transformative Models for Housing and Land Use

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 7 | Intermediate

Learn about three transformative models for housing and land use, centering community in conversations around housing and land use, and looking beyond the typical ‘community engagement’ process to co-authorship of housing strategies. Presenters will describe strategies of working with local, regional and national movement building coalitions to integrate strategic efforts that build collective impact. The value-add of neighborhood-based community development organizations cannot be overstated. Not only do these place-based organizations develop affordable housing, they also play a vital role in organizing local stakeholders, have long standing and trusted relationships with the people in their neighborhoods, and resource community-led plans and planning policy efforts. This allows the community to directly shape development at the neighborhood-scale with a proactive vision – and not just react to individual projects.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Erika Wilson, Director, Communications and Marketing, Urban Strategies, Inc
• Rémy De La Peza, Esq., Founder, Principal, Morena Strategies
• Hilary Noll, Associate Principal & Sustainability Lead, Mithun
• Regina Celestin Williams, Executive Director, SV@Home

Organizing For Housing Justice: Building Power to Transform our Housing Future

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 4 | Intermediate

A growing and diverse community of organizers are working to transform our housing systems and reimagine our collective housing future. Come learn about inspiring work to build power with directly impacted people in communities across California. Speakers will talk about why they organize, the challenges they are up against, and the exciting progress they are experiencing. They will explore how we build deeper alignment and power across the housing and homelessness sector and will provide insights about how leaders working to advance housing justice can support and accelerate power building efforts.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Jazmin Posas, Program Manager, Residents United Network, Housing California
• Evita Chavez, Program Officer, State Housing Advocacy, San Francisco Foundation
• Karla Martinez, Policy Advocate, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
• Saa’un Bell, Sr. Associate Director- Policy, Narrative & Campaigns, Power California

Healthcare Systems as Partners in Ending Homelessness

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Palm 8 | Intermediate

In 2020, Kaiser Permanente, CommonSpirit Health, and two other health systems joined a national pilot led by Community Solutions and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to explore how to make measurable and transformative contributions toward better coordinating care with the local homelessness response systems in three communities. This session will share what was learned about healthcare’s role in ending homelessness in the first two years of the pilot and detail the operational changes being pursued in Sacramento, California.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ashley Brand, System Director, Community Health, Integration & Housing, CommonSpirit Health
• Lisa Bates, CEO, Sacramento Steps Forward
• Leslie Wise, Strategic Consultant, Kaiser Permanente

Workshop Block III (Three)

Tuesday, March 28 | 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm

Creating a Preservation Ecosystem from the Inside Out

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 4 | Advanced

Preservation (acquiring and rehabilitating homes currently in the speculative market) is a key strategy to stabilize tenants, prevent displacement, and bring more housing stock into long term and permanent affordability. The field is experimenting with different models of preservation, and with different approaches depending on building size, financing structures, and project sponsor goals and partnerships. In this session we’ll unpack – with the audience – the ecosystem supports that made three different types of preservation deals work well and identify gaps for our field to build. We’ll use an interactive, round table process (called ‘deal analysis’) to assess the role (and effectiveness) of new financing tools, public sector policy and funding programs, tenant engagement practices, and map out how anticipated policies and programs can fill some of the gaps in our current ecosystem.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Elizabeth Wampler, Deputy Director, LISC Bay Area
• Iman Novin, President, Novin Development Corp. (NDC) and Novin Construction
• Josefina Aguilar, Executive Director, South Bay Community Land Trust
• Nikki A. Beasley, Executive Director, Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.
• Josh Ishimatsu, Policy Team Manager, City of San Jose, Housing Department

Growing a Diverse Pipeline

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 7 | Intermediate

The affordable housing industry is working to become more equitable, diverse, and inclusive and to better reflect the communities we serve. So how can we authentically attract, train, and retain BIPOC professionals and those with lived experience? Learn about programs being implemented and scalable, proactive measures you can take throughout California. We will discuss creative partnerships with the community college and Cal State/Cal Poly systems, regional industry associations, and developers.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ari Beliak, President and CEO, Merritt Community Capital Corp
• Gisela Salgado, Leadership Development Programs Director, California Coalition for Rural Housing
• Rochelle Mills, President and CEO, Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO)
• Victoria Philips, Program Director, Workforce Development, San Diego Housing Federation

Opportunity Maps and Beyond: Developing an Equitable Approach to AFFH in State Funding Programs

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Sunset 1&2 | Beginner

Over the last few years, State funding programs have used Opportunity Maps to shift affordable development to areas of greater resources to provide better opportunities for low income residents, especially BIPOC residents. Developers, especially those working in culturally strong but resource-weak communities, have identified flaws in this approach that could leave behind areas already suffering from disinvestment and gentrification. California Department of Housing and Community (HCD) is engaging stakeholders to identify revisions to the Maps as well as alternative approaches to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Come share your ideas!

Confirmed Presenters:

• Tyrone Buckley, Assistant Deputy Director of Fair Housing, California Department of Housing and Community Development
• Elissa Dennis, Executive Director, Community Economics Inc.
• Betsy McGovern-Garcia, Director of Real Estate Development, Self-Help Enterprises
• James Perez, Project Manager, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation

SuperNOFA – the Next Chapter

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom D | Beginner

In 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community (HCD) took on the challenge of streamlining HCD programs into one Multifamily SuperNOFA. Instigated by the passage of AB 434, the Multifamily SuperNOFA combined four existing HCD programs in an effort to simplify the process. While demand has been overwhelming, streamlining continues to be a work in progress. In this workshop, we’ll hear from HCD about the results from round one and lessons learned that will inform round two. And we’ll discuss potential improvements and next steps towards a streamlined state housing finance system.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Diana Downton, Senior Affordable Housing Finance Consultant, Community Economics, Inc (CEI)
• Gina Ferguson, Multifamily Finance Branch Chief, California Department of Housing and Community Development
• Hector Leyva, SuperNOFA Section Chief, Department of Housing and Community Development

Findings from Recent Statewide Studies of Homelessness in California

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 2: End Homelessness
Town & Country Ballroom C | Beginner

This session presents findings from two complementary statewide studies—one examining the circumstances and perspectives of people experiencing homelessness, and one examining the programs intended to serve them. The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness is a first-of-its-kind, large-scale, representative mixed-methods study of adults experiencing homelessness in California, conducted between October 2021 and November 2022. The Study of California’s Homelessness Programs is a mixed-methods assessment of how homelessness services, shelter, and housing are funded and implemented across the state, conducted throughout 2022. Based on the findings of these studies, the presenters and audience will discuss their implications for policy, practice, and narrative change.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ryan Finnigan, Terner Center for Housing Innovation
• Corrin Buchanan, Deputy Secretary, California Health and Human Services Agency
• Margot Kushel, Professor of Medicine, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative
• Tiana Moore, Policy Manager, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative
• Robynne Rose-Haymer, Capitol Impact, LLC

People Power: The Importance of Investing In Our Homeless Workforce

Track 2: End Homelessness
Sunset 3 | Advanced

We cannot make progress on homelessness without a capable and adequate workforce. Today, the homeless services sector is in crisis – with large vacancies in direct service/front line positions, which are critical to getting clients assessed, housed, and stabilized. Vacancies in administration and management positions are hindering growth during this unprecedented period of resource expansion. Insights from this Los Angeles-focused analysis are helping us make smarter, more impactful investments in the workforce that ends homelessness. This session will highlight insights from the 2022 Homeless Sector Workforce Analysis conducted in Los Angeles County (LA), which investigates the sector’s strengths and challenges that are hindering our ability to attract, retain, and develop talent. Attendees will see how patterns in LA’s homeless services sector compare with other continuums of care and other sectors of the economy. They will also learn how LA is using the analysis to inform workforce investments.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Carter Hewgley, Director, Home For Good, United Way of Greater LA
• Hazel Lopez, Senior Director, CES and Community Engagement, The People Concern
• Dean Obermark, Senior Data Analyst, California Policy Lab at UCLA
• Vanessa Rios, Senior Advisor, Workforce Development, The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
• Rudy Favard, Manager, Human Capital Advisory | Workforce Transformation & Development, KPMG

Lessons Learned from COVID-19: Where Do We Go From Here on Tenant Protections

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 3 | Intermediate

The last few years have been a whirlwind of evolving laws and programs to slow evictions during the ongoing pandemic. The rapidly changing landscape of legal protections has provided us with an opportunity to take some of the wins and lessons from this period forward into permanent, transformative solutions for keeping low-income people housed. This session will address how we can build on successful advocacy during the pandemic by passing more robust tenant protections at the state and local level, and advocate for structural changes that will move the needle on preventing evictions. We’ll also address ways to make any future rental assistance programs actually work for tenants.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Madeline Howard, Senior Attorney, Western Center on Law & Poverty
• Shanti Singh, Legislative & Communications Director, Tenants Together
• Janine Nkosi, Director of Housing Justice Initiatives, Faith in the Valley
• Greg Bonett, Senior Staff Attorney, Public Counsel

Trends in Unsubsidized Affordable Housing in California and Strategies to Preserve Affordability and Support Tenant Stability

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 8 | Beginner

Low-income residents, particularly those in unsubsidized affordable homes, are especially vulnerable to displacement, and this has only been exacerbated by the ongoing economic instability from the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of a looming recession. In this panel, learn about the scale of unsubsidized affordable homes at risk in California, the current trends in speculative investments by large equity firms, and the tools needed to stabilize low-income residents.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Amiel Leano Atanacio, Senior Program Officer, Enterprise Community Partners
• Danielle M. Mazzella, Senior Research Manager, California Housing Partnership
• Doni Tadesse, Southern California Organizer, California Reinvestment Coalition
• Rae Huang, Rev., Housing Now! CA Coalition
• Becky Dennison, Executive Director, Venice Community Housing

All The (Narrative) Research That’s Fit To Print

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 4: Shape the Housing Justice Narrative
Palm 5 | Intermediate

This session offers a guide to the national and California-based housing narrative research landscape. If you are interested in demystifying narrative research and digging into how to put the research into practice, then this session is for you. This session will ground participants in three housing narrative research projects. Participants can then explore how to use the key findings of each research project to advance narrative in their work – or overcome a narrative challenge.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Marisol Bello, Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab
• Madison Roberts, Narrative Specialist, NPH Northern California
• Robert Arvuch, Senior Manager, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

The Power of Collaborations between Lived Experience Advocates and University Researchers: Constructing Better Research on Housing and Homelessness

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 6 | Beginner

Our workshop will highlight the strengths of creating collaborations across lived experience advocates and university researchers. We will discuss the multiple benefits of our research collaboration — which occurred between four members of the Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership (HEAL) Network and a graduate student researcher at UC San Diego — as well as highlight some of the key findings from our study including client and staff perspectives on homelessness services in San Diego and resident perspectives on permanent supportive housing. We will use the remainder of the workshop to both walk through best practices in getting started with lived experience advocate and university collaborations and to collectively brainstorm other collaborations that can occur across lived experience advocates, researchers, service providers, journalists, and local officials, including what research topics would be best explored through a collaborative model and how such collaborations can generate maximum impact: turning research findings into collective actions.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Amelia Broadnax, Founder/CEO of Grow Lead Motivate Housing Inc. andOperation Manager for Uptown Community Service Center, Grow Lead Motivate Housing Inc., Uptown Community Service Center, and Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network
• DeForrest (DeDe) Hancock, Chair of Policy Coordinating Committee, Homeless Experienced-Advocacy and Leadership Network, Voices of Our City Choir & Voices of Dignity; Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network
• Dennis Larkin, Board of Directors, Townspeople; Policy Coordinating Committee, Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network, Townspeople; Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network
• Kuni Stearns, Charter Member, Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network, Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership Network, Voices of Our City Choir, Lived Experience Advisers
• Stacey Livingstone, Graduate Student Researcher, UC San Diego, Homelessness Hub, Scholars Strategy Network

How to Advance Racial Equity In A Meaningful Way

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 2 | Beginner

Ensuring racial equity cannot be done alone. Meaningful systemic change requires a whole community response with active participation from elected officials, government partners, community organizations, people with lived experience, and individual community members. Join us in a discussion on how multi-collaboration can result in the establishment of a shared plan to advance racial equity in a community and end the systemic injustices that have disproportionately impacted Black people. The session will identify how to form a Committee; utilizing data to inform the action plan; building an environment to listen and learn, establishing authentic and trusting relationships; creating an Action Plan that is actionable; and moving to implementation. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) is the lead agency of the San Diego City and County Continuum of Care (CoC). In July 2020 the CoC board established the Ad Hoc Committee on Addressing Homelessness Among Black San Diegans to explore the factors contributing to disparities among Black persons experiencing homelessness by analyzing system and program-level data within the homeless system and other sectors; to listen and engage in extensive public dialogue with community stakeholders; and to develop actions and recommendations to reduce and eliminate racial disparities in the San Diego homeless crisis response system. In September 2022, the CoC published the Action Plan: Addressing Homelessness Among Black San Diegans.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Lahela Mattox, Chief Operations Officer, Regional Taskforce on Homelessness (RTFH)
• Darlene Matthews, Principal, Equity in Action
• Michele Williams, Consultant, Equity in Action
• Curtis Howard, Founder LIVEX, Lead Organizer All of Us or None (AOUON)
• Hanan Scrapper, Regional Director, PATH

Partnerships to Promote Health & Housing Stability for People Experiencing Homelessness Utilizing Hospital Services

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Palm 1 | Intermediate

Due to a lack of housing and services, many people experiencing homelessness seek basic needs such as food, shelter, and primary care at emergency rooms. Many of these individuals utilize hospital emergency departments as their primary care facility, because they lack access to more appropriate care. This overdependence on expensive and temporary interventions is an inefficient use of limited healthcare resources, and does not provide for the long-term solutions of housing and comprehensive, wrap-around services needed to help these individuals stabilize and stem the cycle in and out of hospitals. Learn about piloted partnership models in Los Angeles County, where hospitals and healthcare systems alongside service providers and housing stakeholders have collaborated to connect patients experiencing homelessness to services and housing.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Cindy Levey, Executive Director, Community Benefit and Social Responsibility Systems, Cedars-Sinai
• John Maceri, Chief Executive Officer, The People Concern
• Nicole Wilson, Project Manager, Community & Homeless Health, CommonSpirit Health
• Seyron Foo, Senior Program Officer, Homelessness Initiative, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Workshop Block IV (Four)

Wednesday, March 29 | 10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Behind the Scenes with HCD’s Housing Accountability Unit and the AG’s Housing Strike Force

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom D | Beginner

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the CA Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Accountability Unit (HAU) and the Attorney General’s (AG) Housing Strike Force, tasked with providing technical assistance to, and holding local jurisdictions accountable for following state housing laws that promote housing production at all income levels. Hear from staff who work in each part of the HAU and from the Attorney General’s Office.

Confirmed Presenters:

• David Pai, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice
• David Zisser, Assistant Deputy Director for Local Government Relations and Accountability, California Department of Housing and Community Development
• Melinda Coy, Proactive Housing Accountability Chief, California Department of Housing and Community Development
• Todd Gloria, Mayor, City of San Diego
• Laura Nunn, Senior Manager, California State Department of Housing and Community Development

Lending and Investing in Affordable Housing: Maximizing Impact – Dollars and Beyond

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom C | Beginner

Community lending and investing are among the most critical and catalytic components in the production of affordable housing and community development. This panel will take a look at current conditions that inform lending and investing decisions while also delving into the ways that investors and lenders are responding to current and future developments in order to maximize their impact in dollars and beyond. Our panelists will address lending and investing opportunities to increase racial justice and equity, how climate change may be impacting their work, the impact of economic trends on pricing, investor appetite, and what this may mean for your pipeline.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Ari Beliak, President and CEO, Merritt Community Capital Corp
• Irene Choi, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions, Red Stone Equity Partners
• Lisa Gutierrez, SVP, Director of Business Development, U.S. Bank
• Thái-Ân Ngô, Senior Housing Finance Consultant, California Housing Partnership
• Jessica Gonzalez, Vice President, Wells Fargo, Community Lending and Investments
• Eri Kameyama, Vice President/Commercial Banker, JPMorgan Chase

National and Local Efforts to Increase Affordable Housing and Homeownership for Communities of Color

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Sunset 1&2 | Beginner

This workshop will bring together housing experts to share their innovative strategies for increasing affordable housing and homeownership. Participants will hear from two non-profit San Diego-based organizations using innovation to ensure communities have access to affordable housing. Owning a home continues to be the primary source of wealth for most Americans, but the benefits from homeownership have not been shared equally. Workshop attendees will also hear from a national organization about their efforts to increase access to homeownership for Latinos in California and across the country and their work to advance more equitable federal policy in housing. The workshop will also include a discussion about homeownership to close racial equity gaps.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Arnulfo Manriquez, President & CEO, MAAC
• Esmeralda López, California State Policy Director, UnidosUS
• Laura Arce, Senior Vice Present, Economic Initiatives, UnidosUS
• Ricardo Flores, Executive Director, LISC San Diego

Roadmap Home 2030

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 1 | Beginner

Roadmap Home 2030 is a transformational state level systems change vision and plan to end homelessness, create affordable housing for all, protect renters, and advance racial and economic inclusion in California through a comprehensive set of 57 evidence-based policy solutions. Developed through extensive research and collaboration with partners and allies, this bold vision requires centering the people most directly impacted by California’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis and pursuing strategic aligned action together. In this workshop, panelists will discuss the next phase of this work to build momentum and strategic action across our networks and raise greater awareness and support within the capitol, as well as provide an overview of our 2023 legislative priorities that further Roadmap’s vision and goals.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director, Housing California
• Christopher Martin, Policy Director, Housing California
• Justine Marcus, Sr. Director, Programs, Enterprise Community Partners
• Tomiquia Moss, Founder/Chief Executive, All Home
• Matt Schwartz, President & CEO, California Housing Partnership

Investment without Displacement: Centering Impacted Voices in Developing Inclusive Communities

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 2 | Intermediate

Across California, communities that historically experienced public and private disinvestment are finding their neighborhoods changing due to renewed public interest in urban centers and real estate speculation. Driven by mostly well-intentioned policies, new investment and the resulting impact on the physical, social, and political experiences of existing residents is causing communities to reconsider how they think about infrastructure and neighborhood change and is raising questions about how to ensure that new investment can fulfill their needs as opposed to driving their displacement and exclusion. In this panel, leaders from government, directly impacted communities, and community-serving institutions will explore the policies and strategies communities are championing to ensure that existing community needs are supported, not supplanted, by land use and zoning policies and public and private investments.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Cesar Corvarrubias, Executive Director, The Kennedy Commission
• Nisha Vyas, Senior Attorney, Western Center on Law and Poverty
• Maya Abood, Finance Officer, City of Los Angeles Housing Department

From Research to Reality: Aligning Homeless Action Plans for Maximum Impact

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 8 | Intermediate

Homelessness Strategic Action Plans are only as good as they are implemented. They are created at all levels of government and are used to create new policies and resources, allocate staffing and financial resources, and communicate both best practices and barriers towards success. This workshop will showcase the newly released plans from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, and the San Diego Task Force on Homelessness with a discussion on how to align the common themes into action.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Curtis Howard, Founder LIVEX, Lead Organizer AOUON, LIVEX and All of Us or None (AOUON)
• Dhakshike Wickrema, Deputy Secretary, Homelessness, California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency
• Helene Schneider, Senior Regional Advisor, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
• Tamera Koehler, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness

Strengthening the PSH Ecosystem through Practitioner Partnerships across the State

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 6 | Intermediate

As practitioners, we know that developing and operating Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is hard and the infrastructure to support it needs to be improved. There are a range of internal and external factors that influence PSH delivery, such as the capacity of the field to serve a high acuity population, the level of alignment between the housing finance and homelessness services systems, lack of long-term operational funding, and extreme pressure to reduce costs and do more with static funding. Presenters will share the purpose and key findings from their regional PSH stakeholder convenings and intersperse these learnings and ideas for system change with panel participants. The panelists represent Permanent Supportive Housing developers, owners and operators from the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego whose collective portfolio reflects tens of thousands of existing and planned PSH units across the spectrum.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Jaylene Sanchez, Resident & Community Organizer, San Diego Housing Federation
• Marc Tousignant, Director, Vulnerable Populations, Enterprise Community Partners
• Natalie Bonnewit, NPH Consultant, Bonnewit Development Services
• Rebecca Louie, President and CEO, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
• Ann Goggins Gregory, Senior Vice President, Resident Services, MidPen Housing Corporation
• Sarah Buchanan, Executive Vice President, San Diego Housing Federation

The Legal War Against Unhoused People: Moving Beyond Discrimination, Coercion and Criminalization

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 5 | Beginner

Since the 1980s, our nation’s affordable housing programs have been gutted and California has become the nation’s epicenter of houselessness. While California lawmakers at the state and local levels have made limited strides in addressing our pernicious housing crisis, the response has been inadequate and houselessness has continued to grow. Rather than responding to the pressing needs of this humanitarian emergency with policy proposals that respect the dignity and humanity of unhoused people, municipalities all over California have chosen to scapegoat and discriminate against them. These strategies include banishment, segregation in mass shelters and designated camping areas, shelter expansion, forced displacement, criminalization of houselessness, and compulsory programs, like court-ordered mental and behavioral health treatment, that further curtail civil liberties. They are cruel, discriminatory, do nothing to end houselessness, and disproportionately worsen the conditions of Black and brown people. Yet, much of this discrimination is difficult to challenge under current law. Learn how the Equal Rights for Every Neighbor Campaign is working to oppose local and state efforts to banish, erase, and punish unhoused neighbors, expand California’s anti-discrimination law to include “housing status,” and support efforts to create robust government investments in a “housing-first” strategy. Together, these strategies can protect unhoused people from violent forms of discrimination while ensuring that all of our neighbors have a safe place to call home.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Cynthia Castillo, Policy Advocate, Western Center on Law and Poverty
• Lili Graham, Litigation Counsel, Disability Rights California
• Brandon Greene, Program Director – Racial and Economic Justice, ACLU of Northern California

Right to Counsel: A Tool for Preserving Housing and Protecting Tenants

Track 3: Protect Low-Income Renters
Palm 3 | Intermediate

This session will go into the necessity for Right to Counsel/ Eviction Protection Programs to Affirmatively Further Fair housing by removing the barrier of legal representation to underrepresented and low-income communities of color. Additionally, it will address the systemic inequalities rural tenants face — having an eviction on your record excludes tenants from future housing, as many landlords will not consider an applicant with a prior eviction filing. This session will delve into patterns of exclusion and decades of disinvestment that have led to unfair housing practices in the City of Fresno and the policies needed to rectify this. Further, statewide financial assistance for local right to counsel programs must be allocated into the State’s budget. This will allow for local right to counsel and eviction defense programs to continue serving our most needed tenants and expand their services. Along with Statewide assistance, there should be a statewide hotline to ensure tenants have the help they need if their local municipalities do not currently have a right to counsel program.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Chelsea Lalancette, Staff Attorney, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
• Karla Martinez, Policy Advocate, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
• Shar Thompson, Central Valley Regional Coordinator, Tenants Together

THIS is Affordable Housing: Our Proactive Story

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 4: Shape the Housing Justice Narrative
Palm 7 | Intermediate

“Affordable housing tops $1M per unit!” We’ve seen the salacious headlines. We’ve heard the conversations exploiting outlier data. The “Affordable Housing Costs…” topic is one of the most challenging narratives our industry faces specifically and directly, as it reinforces concerns, fears, and questions around how to (and who can) solve our housing challenges. Join narrative, messaging, and advocacy specialists to workshop how, where, and why this framing emerges – and what we can do to unseat this harmful narrative and seed new proactive, positive, and human-first, justice-oriented narratives.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Alina Harway, Communications Director, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)
• Derek Jansen, Director, RALLY
• Marina Wiant, VP of Government Affairs, California Housing Consortium
• Taylor Holland,Director of Development, Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation
• Kelsey Brewer, Senior Director, Business Development and Government Relations, Jamboree

Demystifying CalAIM: Case Studies in Implementation

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Palm 4 | Intermediate

California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) provides a unique opportunity to coordinate services for healthcare, housing and other social determinants of health. Because of the flexibility built into CalAIM, its implementation has looked different in each community and each provider has approached CalAIM implementation uniquely. This interactive session will provide insight to the experiences of three organizations implementing CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and/or housing-related Community Supports in different communities (Alameda, Orange and San Diego Counties) during its first year of operation and stimulate dialogue about opportunities for essential program enhancements, community coordination, and future program development.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Glen Hilton, Director of Community Care, PATH
• Jordan Hoiberg, Interim Director of Housing Services, Illumination Foundation
• Bridget Nolan Satchwell, Principal, Wellbrook Partners

Workshop Block V (Five)

Wednesday, March 29 | 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Housing Element: New Tools for Housing Justice

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 7 | Intermediate

With recent changes in state law and new state enforcement mechanisms, the Housing Element is now more than just a plan – it has the potential to be a lever for accountability that translates a vision for more just, affordable housing into a reality. While new RHNA numbers are an essential part of the new Housing Element regime, so are the mandates to further fair housing and redress racial segregation, resulting in programs and policies that promise to address displacement and discrimination. However, are we prepared to make the most of this new opportunity? This panel will help advocates, developers, funders and everyday residents understand why this round of the Housing Element is unique and what we can do to maximize its promise in the implementation phase to ensure racial justice in housing opportunities.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Cesar Covarrubias, Executive Director, The Kennedy Commission
• Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, Managing Attorney, Public Advocates

Hot Topics in Housing

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Town & Country Ballroom D | Beginner

Interact directly with affordable housing and homelessness policy experts and get an inside look at the policy themes dominating the State Capitol in 2023. Hear the latest on affordable housing and homelessness-related bills and budget priorities sponsored by Housing California and partners, and get all your questions answered from those working in the Capitol.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Christopher Martin, Policy Director, Housing California
• Sharon Rapport, Director, California State Policy, Corporation for Supportive Housing
• Marina Wiant, VP of Government Affairs, California Housing Consortium
• Brandon Greene, Program Director – Racial and Economic Justice, ACLU of Northern California
• Francisco Dueñas, Executive Director, Housing Now!

The Community Housing Fund: Financing for Deep Affordability and Equity

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 2 | Intermediate

This workshop will focus on the elements and the design of the Community Housing Fund, a financing tool focused on spurring the development of new units of extremely low income (ELI) housing. Created through a public-private partnership with Meta, LISC, and Destination: Home, the session will explore the unique funding and operational roles of each of the partners, the strategies employed to incentivize the creation of new ELI units, and the progress to date in
achieving the Fund’s targeted affordability goals.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Anu Natarajan, Meta Housing Initiative Lead, Meta (Facebook)
• Asha Rao, Senior Director of Investments, LISC Bay Area
• Randy Tsuda, President & CEO, Alta Housing
• Ray Bramson, Chief Operating Officer, Destination: Home

Social Housing: From Vienna to California

Track 1: Create Affordable Homes
Palm 1 | Intermediate

Affordable housing developers, tenant rights organizers and advocates made a trip to Vienna in September 2022, and returned with a wealth of information about the origins of social housing after WWI, how it is practiced today, and how Vienna has dramatically reduced the crises of homelessness and unaffordability that we face in the U.S. Panelists will share what they learned about the history and practice of social housing in Vienna, and the lessons they hold for us in CA.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Cristian Ahumada, Executive Director & CEO, Holos Communities
• Janine Nkosi, Director of Housing Justice Initiatives, Faith in the Valley
• Mahdi Manji, Director of Public Policy, Inner City Law Center

Tribal Housing in California: Seeing Housing Through a Tribal Lens

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 2: End Homelessness
Palm 3 | Advanced

109 federally recognized tribes are listed under California with about 60 non-federally recognized tribes listed under the Native American Heritage Commission. Tribes throughout Native American country, including California, have a severe deficit in housing from extensive rehab, overcrowding, ADA facilities, and homelessness. Native Americans compose .4% of the population, yet 1.2% are experiencing homelessness. Imagine if there were an accurate representation of housing needs in Native American communities; the numbers would be drastically higher, but with a similar story. Tribes are disadvantaged and disinvested in until recently with the tribal set asides created through AB 1010. $130 million have been set aside for housing assistance programs, however, less than 1/3 has been successfully accessed by a handful of tribes. These programs are not framed to work with tribal housing practices, nonetheless, respect tribal sovereignty. Continued advocacy from tribal leaders to make changes and create programs created for and by tribes is a path towards restitution for tribes.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Annalee Trujillo, Executive Director, Pala Housing Resource Center – Pala Band of Mission Indians
• Iliana Chevez, Tribal Program Manager, California Coalition for Rural Housing
• LeeAnn Brown, Executive Director of Housing, Wilton Racheria
• Councilman Tom Pisano,Councilmember, Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians

Creating & Supporting Tenant Councils in Supportive Housing

Track 5: Build and Shift Power
Palm 4 | Intermediate

The workshop will provide guidance and understanding on the value of creating tenant councils in supportive housing communities. There will be presentations on tenant engagement through a trauma-informed lens, the importance of integrating lived-experience individuals, and a breakdown of the tenant council guidebook authored by the Corporation of Supportive Housing staff and consultants with Lived Expertise of leading tenant councils, living in PSH and experiencing homelessness. Attendees will be involved in activities that help gauge their perceptions, understandings, and opinions of the importance of tenant councils, but grounded in an experience where both presenters and recipients can learn from each other. Speakers will be a diverse group of individuals who work in the supportive housing sector, including those with expertise in system change, lived experience, and property management.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Alicia Diane Rhoden
• Cheryl Winter, MPH, LICSW, Senior Program Manager, CSH
• Linda Arnold, CSH CoLab Consultant, Corporation of Supportive Housing
• Theodore Patton, Consultant/Advocate, Corporation for Supportive Housing
• Chismen Oliver, Senior Program Manager, CSH

Permanent Supportive Housing’s Role in Ending Homelessness among Older Adults

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Palm 8 | Beginner

As the older population increases, homelessness among older adults is expected to rise sharply. NAEH projects that homeless adults aged 62 and over will more than double between 2010 and 2050. Older adults experiencing homelessness have three to four times the mortality rate of the general population due to unmet physical, mental, and substance use needs. The combination of issues typically associated with homelessness — such as mental health and substance use — with those related to aging is prompting housing and service providers to work more closely together. This workshop will provide information on the needs of the homeless older adult population and examples of housing that integrate services to meet the homeless older adults’ needs — including examples of developers who are partnering with local PACE providers to better serve homeless older adults. Participants will also learn about new legislation that incentivizes developers to work with local PACE providers.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Alberto Aldrete, Operations Director, St. Paul’s PACE
• Rebecca Louie, President and CEO, Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
• Sharon Rapport, Director, California State Policy, Corporation for Supportive Housing

The Way Home, Season 3, Sneak Peek Screening & Fireside Chat

Presentation(s) not available.

Track 6: Health and Housing Intersection
Town & Country Ballroom C | Beginner

Kaiser Permanente is proud to offer a sneak peek of the upcoming release of the third season of “The Way Home,” a short-form documentary film series from KTF Films, made possible with the support of Kaiser Permanente, that aims to deepen understanding of the causes — as well as promising solutions — to the homelessness crisis in California and across the country.

Following the screening of the Season 3 episode, Vanessa Davis from Kaiser Permanente will join Dr. Tiffany Manuel from The Case Made and Chione Flegal from Housing California, for a fireside chat to discuss the promising possibilities of driving narrative and policy change by aligning efforts at the intersection of health and housing.

Confirmed Presenters:

• Chione Lucina Muñoz Flegal, Executive Director, Housing California
• Dr. Tiffany Manuel, CEO, TheCaseMade Incorporated
• Vanessa Davis, National Program Lead for Housing for Health, Kaiser Permanente