Affordable Housing

By Lonnie S. Holmes

Affordable Housing Plan

Our expensive housing market has had a positive impact on our City's general fund and individuals who can afford to buy or sell. Unfortunately, it's also driving out life-long San Francisco residents, threatening our elderly on fixed incomes, and discouraging critical city workers who should live in the community in which they work. It's a housing crisis we must manage, not just leave to market forces. I want to improve the quality, availability and affordability of rental housing for households at all income levels and assess the impact of regulatory and other factors on quality rental housing;

With 25,000 luxury condos on the way and very little housing planned that low and middle-income families can afford, San Francisco may become a city only for the wealthy, with all its neighborhoods sold to the highest bidders.

The current Mayor's "New Generation Next Agenda" proposed to double the city's current affordable family housing of 1,500 units to 3,000 units by 2011. This is too modest when two-thirds of the city's families (about 39,000 families) are currently in a housing crisis. In reality, low income and middle class San Franciscans are driven out of the City due to a housing crisis.

Under a Holmes for Mayor Administration, I will work with the Residential Housing Builders Association, housing advocates and other to develop a comprehensive affordable plan to stop families from leaving San Francisco in record numbers. I will also revitalize our public housing development units many of which are earmarked Section 8 units that have been empty for years.