2000 Best Practice Awards

2000-2789 Day Laborer Program
Oakland, California
Contact: Zakklyyah N. Nazeeh (510) 568-9214

The Volunteers of America, Bay Area Day Laborer program was established August 1999 to assist men and women who are unemployed and wait on the street corners for contractors. The men and women are taken to the work site for the day, and paid in cash at the end of the day. The purpose of the Day Labor Program is to provide the Day Labor community an organized daily registry of workers, at a central location known and patronized by employer of these workers. The Program works to place the laborer in daily assignments, short-term assignments of varying length and permanent jobs. The Program ensures the just and fail treatment of the workforce as well as serving as a link to other services in the community.

2000-3089 Successful Welfare Reform through a TANF Agency/Housing Authority Partnership
Haward, California
Contact: Ophelia B. Basgal (510) 727-8513

The partnership between the Housing Authority and the Social Service Agency has successfully reduced the number of TANF violations (part of the welfare reform in California, TANF recipients are subject to sanctions or reductions in grant amount, for failure to participate in CalWORKs "work first" program). Through outreach programs providing the required CalWORKs services to TANF recipients (who are also Housing Authority clients) the partnership has successfully met the goals of welfare reform. The project meets the goals of welfare reform by helping to transition TANF recipients into employment furthering family self-sufficiency and family stability. The project also helps reduce housing program costs by increasing the family's contribution towards tenant rent.

2000-3079 Clovis Silver Ridge Section 108 Project

This project involved the creation of 100 apartments for low-income senior citizens. In November 1996, the Affordable Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) expressed an interest in old Clovis Community Hospital site and began discussions with Community Hospitals and the City. As the project began to evolve through its many stages including: environmental and engineering studies of the existing building, examination of building rehabilitation needs, resolution of zoning and other planning issues, financial needs for the project, and meeting with the project neighbors, it began to emerge as a reality.

By November 1997, the project that was approved included the rehabilitation of the existing hospital building to create 46 one and two bedroom units and construction of new buildings with 54 one bedroom units. All of the units would be rented at rents affordable to senior citizens earning less than 60% of the Fresno County median income. During April 1999, after approximately seven months of construction, units were ready for rent and low-income seniors began to move in.

2000-3075 "Bay Area Teacher Housing"
San Francisco, California
Contact: Art Agnos (415) 436-6532

The California State HUD Office has been involved in promoting the "Teacher Next Door" program, but the Community Builders in the Bay Area found that the lack of HUD foreclosed homes in the area provided virtually no teacher housing opportunities. Under the direction of Secretary's Representative Art Agnos, a team of HUD Community Builders, joined by Attorneys and Multifamily Housing Staff, were brought together to identify how existing programs and expertise could be used to further the development Teachers Housing in the Bay Area. The team also identified some emerging models of new Teacher Housing that could be replicated, including proposed developments in San Jose and San Francisco.

The resulting 12 page "Bay Area Teacher Housing" guide produced by the Community Builders in the HUD office began distribution in May, 2000 and has been sent to all CDBG and HOME coordinators, as well as presented by Community Builders to dozens of their contacts in the major Bay Area cities.

2000-3070 Administration-CDBG Program Management

The City of Visalia developed a new project/program management process and tracking system providing a framework for the successful reduction of the City's CDBG carry forward amount.

2000-3033 Loma Vista Mobile Home Park Conversion
Capitola, California
Contact: Amy N. Stewart (831) 464-0170

Conversion of privately owned senior mobile home park to a resident-owned limited equity housing cooperative.

2000-2985 Between the Lines - A Question and Answer Guide on Legal Issues in Supportive Housing
Oakland, California
Contact: Carla Javits (510) 251-1910

Between the Lines is a guide to legal issues in developing and operating supportive housing for people who have been homeless or at serious risk of homelessness, and struggle with the challenges of mental illness, substance use, and HIV/AIDS. Between the Lines is a hands-on-guide that offers insight into and information about the myriad laws and regulations that govern McKinney Act and other supportive housing. The guide clarifies how the McKinney Act and other supportive housing providers can achieve the goal of providing stable housing for as many people as possible, while complying with the laws that govern their work.

Many of the various program requirements are rooted in the nation’s fair housing laws, which are designed to ensure that people who have been discriminated in the past are treated fairly in the housing market. By understanding the legal and regulatory issues, agencies will be able to make more informed decisions about the implications of the policies and practices established to accomplish its mission.

2000-2775 Oakland Connects: Bridging the Digital Divide in Oakland
Berkeley, California
Contact: Tamara L. Sturak (510) 642-9123

On February 25, 2000 in Oakland, California a conference was held to explore ways to bridge the growing barriers in access to and use of technology by low income communities. The conference, Oakland Connects - Bridging the Digital Divide in Oakland, was attended by over 400 people representing the broad range of diversity of people and perspectives within this community. This event was organized and implemented by the Oakland Community Information Infrastructure (OCII) Conference Steering Committee. OCII is an emerging group of nonprofit organizations, universities and government agencies working in partnership to create a community infrastructure that will facilitate the flow of information and resources across the divide.

2000-2477 San Jose Teacher Housing Programs
San Jose, California
Contact: Alex Sanchez (408) 277-5817

The City is committed to making San Jose the most teacher-friendly city in the Nation. This is a challenging goal considering that San Jose is one of the highest housing cost areas in the nation. The City’s median home price $494,000 for a single family and $300,824 for a condo-townhome. To help close the gap between the average teacher’s salary and the purchase price of a home, the Department of Housing launched an innovative First Time Teacher Homebuying Program in July 1999.

The program is offered to full-time credentialed teachers who teach grades K-12 in San Jose public schools. The purpose of this program is to assist teachers with the purchase of a home in San Jose and to offer them the opportunity to live and work in their school’s community.

2000-1848 Visalia Fox Theatre Renovation

In 1996 the Visalia Fox Theatre, after over 65 years of venerable service to the City of Visalia as a cultural and social meeting place and structural landmark in the community closed. The closure was the result of the change to multi-screen, small auditorium formats for the movie industry, leaving the theater without a viable use. The theater sat vacant for months while rain, lack of use, and overall deferred maintenance inflicted its toll on this important cultural and historical landmark.

In that same year a group of interested citizens armed only with their good intentions and belief that important historical and cultural venues should be preserved for the benefit of the community decided to form the Visalian Friends of the Fox, a private non-profit organization whose purpose was to: (1) To acquire through purchase the Fox Theatre located in downtown Visalia at 300 West Main Street, Visalia; (2) To restore the Fox Theatre to its original state, maintaining the historical setting and design; (3) To operate the Fox Theatre as a viable home for the visual and performing arts; and, (4) To make the theatre available for use without discrimination to any group, individual, or organization, subject to the normal and customary costs and availability.

2000-2727 North Richmond Community Plan
El Cerrito, California
Contact: John Gioia (510) 374-3231

An innovative, expedited process was used this spring to develop a community strategic plan for the North Richmond Neighborhood. Following an earlier intervention by a consultant who assisted in bridging barriers to cooperation among City of Richmond and Contra Costa County administrators, the planning process involved residents of the neighborhood and community-based organizations (CBOs), with city and county administrators available as resource people. Historically, this has been a badly divided community with a great deal of animosity among city and county residents, agencies, and administrators. The planning process was designed to engage broad participation in identifying problems and developing cooperative solutions.

2000-2810 Clovis, Magill Heights Housing Project

The Magill Heights neighborhood is made up of a four-block area. The purpose of the project was to improve the condition of the neighborhood. The project involved several funding sources. CDBG funds were used to install full street widths, a cul-de-sac to three of the four streets, curbs, gutters, storm drainage, and a sound wall. The Clovis Community Development Agency purchased vacant property using redevelopment affordable housing funds and CDBG funds for a housing in-fill project. The County of Fresno provided HOME CHDO funds as loans to ten low-income, first-time homebuyers through a self-help housing project.

2000-224 San Francisco Affordable Housing Information System (SFAHIS)
San Francisco, California
Contact: Anamarie Avila (415) 252-3203

With a vacancy rate of 1%, finding an affordable rental unit in San Francisco is a daunting task for those of all income levels but especially those of low to moderate incomes. The Mayor’s Office of Housing established the Affordable Housing Information System (AHIS) to help address this dilemma with complete, timely information for those seeking a rental unit in San Francisco. The database is a web-based application. The format is interactive and user friendly.

The AHIS presents a logical sequence of information in eight modules: (1) Home, (2) Eligibility, (3) Quick List, (4) Search, (5) Guide, (6) Links, (7) Administration, and (8) Contact. The modules are defined in language commonly used by rental seekers. The format enables the user to customize their search and prioritize their housing needs and preferences. The site has proven to be a popular tool based on the community response and the number of visits to the web site is estimated at 150 hits per day.

2000-2440 North Richmond Career Center: Marin Employment Project
Richmond, California
Contact: Andre L. Shumake (510) 374-7309

The North Richmond Career Center vastly improved its ability to provide employment opportunities for low-income residents of North Richmond, California through a coordinated effort of linking job seekers to employment opportunities and providing transportation. The Career Center identified a workforce shortage in a nearby county and invited two major employers to the Career Center to present information to unemployed persons. The employers interviewed and hired job seekers on the spot after their presentations. Recognizing that transportation and unfamiliarity with the work locale presented significant barriers to people accepting jobs, the Career Center collaborated with local churches to provide bus and carpool services for the new employees.

Private foundation funds were accessed to rehabilitate the bus and cover start-up costs. As most riders are TANF recipients, ongoing support for the bus is now provided by Contra Costa County. The first employer to participate hired 61 residents for the Christmas season, and retained a third of them as permanent workers. Another employer, the Marin Conservation Corps, alerted by the publicity of this first success, offered a different type of employment opportunity in outdoor, manual labor, and attracted many individuals who had not worked in decades.

2000-358 Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center (REC)
San Francisco, California
Contact: Claudia Viek (415) 541-8584

Created in 1985 with HUD CDBG funds, the REC is a nonprofit business development organization which operates two components to promote economic self sufficiency and job creation for low and moderate San Francisco resident. These are; (1) entrepreneurship training programs for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as existing business owners seeking to expand their operations, and (2) a business incubator targeted to fledgling businesses seeking to stabilize and grow their operations. Due the success of their operations, the REC was able to leverage public and private resources which allowed them to purchase their existing building at 275 - 5th Street in San Francisco.

2000-2350 Paradise Ridge Community Resource Center

This best practice is the social services version of the one-stop shop. It brought together a number of service providers (some of which had not been available in Paradise before) related to children and families into one building.

2000-1195 Hamilton Family Center
San Francisco, California
Contact: Salvador Menilvar (415) 409-2100

Hamilton Family Center is a newly constructed innovative transitional housing facility for homeless families which offers a variety of housing unit choices and a full range of programs and services. Families residing at Hamilton remain together and acquire the necessary social and job skills to obtain self-sufficiency during their 6 - 18 month residency. Completed in l999, the new facility represents a significant improvement as a building compared to the sponsor's previous program site at the former Hamilton Family Shelter where families slept in group dormitories in bunk beds in a church basement.

2000-1196 The Village
San Francisco, California
Contact: Judith Sandavol (415) 587-7896

The Village is a consortium of service providers who have agreed to provide social, housing, economic development, health and youth services to a lower income San Francisco community.

The consortium grew out of a cluster of service providers who began providing services to residents of a failed two-twenty story tower housing complex in San Francisco. The housing was vacated approximately five years ago and families were relocated with section 8 vouchers while the replacement housing was being developed. Over this period the services have been operating out of space rented from a paper distributor located across the street from the old housing site. These services have remained in touch and continued to provide services for many of the displaced families. The aim was to keep track of these families so that when the new housing was complete they could exercise their right of first refusal and return to the new housing. This program has been remarkably successful. To date 150 families have returned.

2000-1311 Women Helping All People Campus of Learners' Program
Marin City, California
Contact: Royce McLemore (415) 332-4092

Women Helping All People (WHAP) is a non-profit grassroots organization started in 1990 by women who live in Public Housing in Marin City, California. It has collaborated with public and private agencies to provide a variety of educational and employment opportunities for residents of the 292 unit project. Many of the programs center around the state of the art computer learning-multimedia center located in one of the three public housing units provided for WHAP programs. Two programs are particularly innovative and involve creative partnerships with public agencies. The first is a computer learning program for adults which is run in partnership with the Marin County Office of Education Regional Occupational Program. The second innovative program is focused on children enrolled in the year round In-School/After School Tutorial Program.

2000-1562 "Theory in Action: Smart Growth Case Studies"
Oakland, California
Contact: Gary Binger (510) 464-7900

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), representing the 101 cities and 9 counties of the San Francisco Bay Area, published "Theory in Action: Smart Growth Case Studies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Around the Nation" in April, 2000. The 58-page publication features narrative and illustrated examples of smart growth best practices combining northern California and other US projects and policies in a variety of categories. The urban, suburban, and rural case studies focus on creative and replicable response to some of the major planning and growth challenges facing many metropolitan regions. Case studies include such critical issues as transit based housing, higher density in-fill housing, mixed income and affordable housing, community revitalization, main street and small business rejuvenation, historic preservation, brownfields development, and economic development.

2000-2470 Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) - Collaborative Family Day Care Project
Oakland, California
Contact: Jon Gresley (510) 874-1513

The Oakland Family Day Care Development Project is a HUD-funded collaborative of 10 partner agencies, established in 1997 and designed to train low income residents of public housing in Enhanced Enterprise Zones to become licensed family day care providers.

2000-2705 Gloria Way Affordable Housing
East Palo Alto, California
Contact: Carol Lamont (650) 853-3123

The new affordable housing developed at Gloria Way and Bay Road in East Palo Alto, a Showcase Community, provides much needed family housing. The housing is designed for family living, with units constructed around courtyards with two active play areas for
children. The project is located in a central place in the community near public transit stops, community services, and the library, and has been designed to provide a transition from adjacent commercial and government uses on one side and a single-family residential neighborhood on the other side. The new residents all previously lived in the community, and many previously lived in substandard overcrowded conditions. Many residents were relocated from uninhabitable apartment complexes that were demolished in the Gateway redevelopment project area. The new Gloria Way housing is a visible reminder of the progress made since the residents of this predominantly minority lower income community voted for incorporation in 1983.

To build and make the new ownership units available to extremely low and very low income families, Habitat raised $1.8 million in local donations from individuals, the faith community, corporate donors, and foundations throughout the San Francisco Peninsula area. In addition, 6,000 volunteers provided 80,000 work hours to build the 24 new homes.

2000-2267 Kings County Foster Youth Transitional Housing Program

The Kings County Foster Youth Transitional Housing Program provides an affordable residence and supportive services to young adults who have "aged out" of the foster care system. Goals of the program include adequately preparing the young adults to be self-sufficient, preventing homelessness, and preventing teenage pregnancy. Services provided to the residents include job training/employment guidance, assistance with educational opportunities, health education, tutoring in life skills such as budgeting and meal preparation, assistance with transportation, and mentoring. Housing and services are available until a resident is 21 years old.

Content Archived: April 20, 2011