Plenaries 2023 - Housing CA 2025 Conference

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Tuesday, March 28 – 9:00AM-10:30 AM

Opening Plenary

Housing’s Next Chapter

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
Chief Executive Officer, San Francisco Foundation

Gustavo Velasquez
HCD 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

Tuesday, March 28 – 12:30PM-2:00PM

Lunch Plenary

Leaders with Lived Experience: Navigating the Field for Greater Impact

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 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

Wednesday, March 29 – 9:00AM-10:15AM

Opening Plenary

Housing First: Challenges of Adopting the Model at Scale

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 (HUD)

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 (WA)

Steve Berg
Chief Policy Officer, National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH)

Marisol Bello
Executive Director, Housing Narrative Lab

Closing Remarks

Todd Gloria
Mayor, City of San Diego

Wednesday, March 29 – 12:00PM-1:15PM

Lunch Plenary

Moving from Transactional to Transformative: Growing Powerful Movements to Effect Change

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 Inititatives

Joseph Tomás McKellar
Director, PICO California