If passed by voters, it could help more than 40,000 Californians with\u00a0home buying assistance and the construction of\u00a0tens of thousands of affordable homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the biggest housing bond I have worked on in my whole career,\u201d Linda Mandolini, CEO of nonprofit affordable housing developer Eden Housing, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cIt is really focused on helping lower-income Californians and seniors and folks who are just having a hard time making ends meet in California.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years ago, housing advocates attempted to pass a $20 billion affordable housing bond in the Bay Area<\/a>. But after the measure faced legal challenges, commissioners on the Bay Area Finance Housing Authority voted to pull the bond<\/a> from the ballot. They said it would be better to wait another election cycle when there was more certainty for the measure to pass.<\/p>\n This statewide measure will only need a simple majority vote, or 50% plus one vote.\u00a0Silicon Valley advocates are hopeful residents understand how critical it is.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Californians are very focused on making life more affordable,\u201d CEO Alex Shoor of Catalyze SV<\/a>, a nonprofit working to stimulate affordable and sustainable housing in the county, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThere\u2019s no greater indicator of the lack of affordability in the state, and no greater way of improving that affordability than building housing,\u00a0to bring down the cost of housing.\u201d<\/p>\n The state is facing an affordability crisis, where gas prices, groceries and rent are among the highest in the nation<\/a>. Californians are opting to move out of state to give their pocketbooks more breathing room. In the Bay Area, where the costs of housing<\/a> top the nation,\u00a0 40% of Santa Clara County residents<\/a> said they are likely to leave the region in the next few years.<\/p>\n The need for the statewide housing bond has become more urgent, advocates said. If voters pass the measure, it will come just in time as the county\u2019s Measure A <\/a>\u00a0money, an affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2016, has been spent.<\/p>\n Measure A injected $950 million into building more than 5,000 homes<\/a> across the county. The housing bond was the first of its kind to prioritize deeply affordable and supportive housing for the county. But the housing crisis is so severe that advocates said more is needed to fill the gap.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big problem. It requires big investment,\u201d Mandolini said. \u201cNot only will (the state bond) create a meaningful number of new affordable housing developments, it will preserve existing affordable housing. It will give us more opportunities to take advantage of private investment.\u201d<\/p>\n Debra Townley, who lived in her car for years while managing a chronic health condition, said the money that would go into rehabilitating affordable housing is just as important for people who can\u2019t afford a decent place to live.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of times people like us end up in buildings that they can afford\u2026and often it\u2019s very run down and depreciated,\u201d Townley told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just not conducive to good health. It also isn\u2019t conducive to having a wheelchair or a service dog.\u201d<\/p>\n Townley said she and her son\u2019s life changed when they were placed into affordable housing that only required 30% of their income and accommodated individuals with disabilities. But thousands more are waiting to be housed, as the county grapples with the highest number of homeless people<\/a> it\u2019s seen on record, at more than 10,700.<\/p>\n \u201cOur mental health has gotten better. Our physical health is somewhat better. My outlook about the future is so much better,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s so many aspects of life that get better when you have a solid ground. Affordable housing allows that for us.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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