May is Affordable Housing Month

Join us in Celebrating Affordable Housing Month!

Did you know that your zip code is one of the most important data points to predict individual and families’ success, from educational outcomes, health factors, and opportunity to thrive?

As Matthew Desmond wrote in “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,”   

“The home is the wellspring of personhood. It is where our identity takes root and blossoms, where as children, we imagine, play, and question, and as adolescents, we retreat and try. As we grow older, we hope to settle into a place to raise a family or pursue work. When we try to understand ourselves, we often begin by considering the kind of home in which we were raised.”

Access to safe, stable affordable homes, is one of the most important tools to create strong, thriving, equitable communities. That is why we are joining residents, community groups, and library branches from around the San Francisco Bay Area region to celebrate Affordable Housing Month this May.

During Affordable Housing Month, residents from all over the region come together to learn, engage, and add our voices to the conversation about how we strengthen our neighborhoods. 

This year, we are inviting residents from across the region to embrace the Bay Area as our neighborhood and ponder in collective community: What would it look like to actively welcome all of our neighbors to live, work, play, and stay in our region? What would it take to create a space where everyone, no matter their background, is welcomed and valued? 

At the library, we believe it means connecting our communities to information, resources, and services to help with access to affordable housing and to do our part in creating awareness about the struggle many face to find a safe and affordable home.

Affordable Housing Month is an opportunity to deepen your awareness of your neighbors’ experiences; grow your understanding of the foundational role that home plays in strengthening our individual, family, and community outcomes; and cultivate a commitment to ongoing learning.

We are offering a curated book list to support your explorations. Visit our local branches during the month of May to peruse our top picks or view the full catalog recommendations here.

We’re also pleased to share East Bay Housing Organization (EBHO)’s events calendar of local events occurring locally throughout the month.  EBHO mobilizes the power and wisdom of its members to produce, preserve and protect affordable housing opportunities for low-income communities in the East Bay, and envisions a racially and economically just East Bay where everyone has a safe, stable and affordable home.

Lastly, for individuals and families in need of direct services and resources, we invite you to check out EBHO’s local resource guide here. 

Imagine: A community where everyone sees you as their neighbor and where we are all stronger together for it!

For more information about the Bay Area’s Affordable Housing Month celebration, you can also visit: www.affordablehousingmonth.org