Community members and nonprofit workers at Brightline's office, Nov. 15, 2017
On Wednesday, November 15th, Brightline hosted a community-oriented lunch conversation in San Francisco, as part of a series of small group “On the Table” conversations convened by Silicon Valley Community Foundation. This conversation brought together partners in workforce development, education, and housing, such as Mission Hiring Hall, APRI-SF, and Mission Housing Development Corporation.
Community members and nonprofit workers shared their experiences on surviving stratospheric housings costs in the Bay Area. For instance, education service providers revealed that both high housing costs and inadequate public transit from affordable housing sites negatively impact low-income youth and families. Moreover, workers on prevailing wage jobs struggle to meet the cost of living in the Bay Area, revealing the struggle of higher incomes catching up to housing costs. Finally, nonprofit workers themselves also now struggling to find housing in the Bay Area; ironically, many nonprofit workers are having trouble to meet their own basic needs while serving the needs of others.
This conversation acts as a catalyst for future actions to create more affordable housing. As brought up in the conversation, solutions that increase housing density will also need coordinated strategies to improve transportation and workforce development systems. Throughout 2018, Brightline will continue working to increase workforce diversity, clean environments, and affordable housing for communities most in need.