Action to Keep Sonoma Valley's Most Vulnerable in their Homes

For the Sonoma Valley community to remain healthy, we need our most vulnerable neighbors to be able to stay in their homes, even if today's multiple crises make them unable to pay all their rent. This matters to all of us, whether we are renters, landlords, other residents, or public or private employers.

Sustainable Sonoma is actively helping coordinate multiple organizations throughout Sonoma County to make a unified proposal to the Board of Supervisors that they allocate substantial funds (federal CARES Act funds, PG&E settlement funds, and federal coronavirus funds) to address housing insecurity. Our partners are an unusual combination of tenant advocates, landlord organizations, and housing construction advocates: Generation Housing, North Bay Organizing Project, Sonoma County Tenants Union, Sonoma Valley Housing Group, North Bay Area Realtors Association, California Apartment Association, Burbank Housing, North Bay Jobs with Justice, DeDe’s Rentals, Northbay Labor Council, Legal Aid of Sonoma County, Sonoma Intersections Coalition, and likely more.

The unified proposal was specifically requested by Susan Gorin, Chair of the Board of Supervisors and Sonoma Valley's Supervisor, in response to the large number of letters the Board received from Sustainable Sonoma (letter here) and others that asked for a variety of housing-related allocations.

Guided the Sonoma Valley Housing Declaration, Sustainable Sonoma is helping build consensus around the equitable distribution of rental assistance funding. 

On top of advocating for public expenditures to keep Sonoma Valley residents housed, Sustainable Sonoma is also working with local philanthropists to address immediate basic needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disaster, and compounding emergencies. Together we aim to help address short-term needs while increasing the long-term capacity of local nonprofits and frontline service providers.