Readers’ Forum Housing Authority must prioritize resident voices

I’ve lived in San Anselmo for 10 years. Up until a year ago, I’d never been to Marin City and I hadn’t heard of Golden Gate Village. It is the only public housing in Marin where Black people are the majority of residents.

The architecturally and historically unique treasure is right on our doorstep. I certainly didn’t know the existential threat to the GGV community posed by the Marin Housing Authority’s proposed private partnership redevelopment plan with Michaels Development Co.

But times have changed. Many hours of MHA meetings later, I’ve heard dozens of Marin people speak in support of the GGV residents. They speak about values and reparations. They call for self-determination for the residents and for visionary leadership from the Housing Authority.

More than 50 groups have written letters in support of the residents. These are glimmers of hope in a county known for racial inequity.

Despite all this, a basic lack of trust and meaningful communication remains between the MHA and the GGV Residents Council. The council has been actively advocating for their own plan for several years, which is significantly different from the Michaels plan — including a call for immediate repairs of long-neglected buildings, no new buildings and a path to home ownership for the residents.

The responsibility with the Housing Authority is to acknowledge and address the GGVRC’s legitimate distrust of “business as usual” relying on “best practices” emanating from an unjust system. I hope the Housing Authority does everything in its power to make sure the residents’ voices are prioritized going forward.

— Lisa Swerling, San Anselmo