| Friend, Two years ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to build 1 million new affordable homes by the end of this decade. California has barely made a dent in that goal, and now we’re stepping backward. Instead, he wants to cut back programs that help first-time homebuyers and low-income renters.(1) He’s pressuring cities to clear encampments of unhoused Californians, leaving them with nowhere to go.(2) And together with the rest of the state’s political leaders, Newsom has spent just 12% of what’s needed to build housing that low-income and working people can afford.(3)
Home is where we raise our kids, care for our elders and contribute to our communities. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. But today, close to 200,000 people are experiencing homelessness right now in California -- about a quarter of the nation’s total unhoused population.(4) Millions of housed Californians are living in poverty, facing down average rents of $2,800 a month.(5) It doesn’t have to be this way -- not in the wealthiest state in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. That’s why we’re fighting for a future with homes for all Californians. The first step toward that future, toward fulfilling the promise Gov. Newsom set two years ago, is reliable streams of revenue at scale that won’t be subject to whims of political leaders. Yours in the fight for fair housing! –Irene, Annie, Angela, Isidra, Mario, Marvin, Alyssa, Jen, Cecilia, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
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