How we can solve Silicon Valley's affordable housing crisis

Every member of our community deserves to have a safe, stable and affordable home. Countless studies have shown how ensuring access to affordable housing is not only good for the residents living there, but the overall health of the community. And here in Silicon Valley, it's a sentiment we hear from people of all backgrounds, age and ideologies.

That's why it's so troubling when we hear our leaders agree that we need solutions, but “just not here.” We've heard this argument time-and-time again, most recently during debates over local Project Homekey proposals, including a rejected Santa Clara proposal that would have moved families with children off the streets in less than a year. And it continues to fuel the scale of homelessness and suffering we're witnessing today.

In order to reverse the crisis in our community we all must begin to embrace “yes” in all neighborhoods and be part of the solution rather than another barrier.

The first step is to acknowledge that much of the dangerous rhetoric we hear today is rooted in fear, misinformation and racial bias. So, we as a community need to focus on the facts.

• Fact: Our housing and homelessness crisis is the result of systemic failures. Despite stereotypes that wrongly portray personal failures as the cause of housing stability and homelessness, economic issues compounded by a severe lack of affordable housing is what's pushing our neighbors into the streets. There are just 29 affordable and available rental units for every 100 households in need in our community, and data show that homelessness increases more rapidly in communities where people spend more than 32% of their income on rent.

• Fact: Investing in affordable housing — particularly deeply affordable and supportive housing — brings benefits to the entire community. Affordable housing has been championed as a catalyst for downtown revitalization, and contrary to opponents' claims, an analysis of a decade of data on 20 major markets including San Jose shows that affordable housing does not reduce property values — with many other studies showing that affordable housing projects have actually increased nearby property values. Furthermore, researchers have found virtually no relationship between the prevalence of subsidized housing and higher crime.

• Fact: Creating affordable housing is the most effective way to end the cycle of generational poverty. Living in a stable, secure home empowers you to focus on your future, instead of worrying about where — or if — you will sleep that night. Research shows that when there is enough affordable housing, people are able to increase their earnings, children have better outcomes in school, and economic mobility improves for all.

And we must remember that residents of affordable housing are real people, who by and large, are just like the rest of us — they hold leases just like any other renters, they're working jobs that keep our cities running, sending their children to school down the street, and becoming regulars at neighborhood businesses, if given the chance.

So, rather than perpetuate myths and fear that continue to impede action, let's rally around proven solutions. Since Santa Clara County voters approved the historic Measure A affordable housing bond in 2016, we've funded 41 new affordable housing developments that will collectively provide 4,440 affordable homes. But we must continue building in order to truly meet the enormous need in our community.

It's time to reject the notion that we can fix our region's broken housing system while saying “just not here.” Let's go all-in on housing for all — and build a community where all families, today's and tomorrow's, can thrive.