The Impacts of our Collaborative Work
Sonoma Valley Collaborative has learned and accomplished a great deal together since we forming two weeks after the October 2017 fires. Here's a snapshot of what our cross-sector collaboration has accomplished (updated April 2024).
Recruiting Emergency Volunteers
As the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented needs for food and essential services, it was recognized that governments, businesses, and nonprofits must come together to recruit younger volunteers to safely meet our community’s evolving needs. We launched Sonoma Valley Volunteers in partnership with the City of Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley Food Security Task Force, to connect novel volunteer opportunities with a new volunteer force to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Sonoma Valley Volunteers contintues to play a key role in connecting volunteers to emergency volunteer needs.
This effort also helped coordinate Spanish translation and distribution of emergency info about food banks, health resources, and volunteer opportunities, to assist struggling Sonoma Valley households.
Raising the Voice of Underrepresented Groups
We facilitated public comment from youth and La Luz Center on the future of Sonoma Developmental Center and housing policies and supported formation of a Sonoma Valley Youth Council.
Listening session in October 2021 at Teen Services.
Teen focus group touring the Sonoma Developmental Center campus and weighing in on its future on October 28, 2021.
Shaping Pro-Housing Housing Elements for Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley Collaborative invested in two years of intensive advocacy that resulted in pro-housing and pro-tenant policies in the 2023 County and City of Sonoma Housing Elements, which determine how below-market homes are preserved and built for the next eight years.
We won 19 of the 26 housing affordability policies we advocated for in the City of Sonoma Housing Element, in many cases writing policies that were adopted word-for-word.
Blueprint For Action on Housing Affordability
We researched and published Homes for A Sustainable Sonoma: Strategic Recommendations for Our Community. It highlights time-sensitive opportunities and priorities for Sonoma Valley to:
Strengthen public will for housing affordability
Help people keep their existing affordable homes
Build new homes that embody the principles of the Sustainable Sonoma Housing Declaration
Solving Housing Problems
We co-designed with Catalyst the Casa Sonoma program led by Petaluma People Services, which crafted over 100 agreements between tenants and landlords and and held 77 landlord trainings during COVID, keeping people in those homes.
Engaging philanthropy
Our research into COVID-related pressing needs across sectors influenced Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund to flexibly mobilize an urgent cooperative response to the COVID crisis. We brought partners, funding needs, and solution ideas to Catalyst for consideration for funding.
A United Voice Advocating for Sonoma Valley’s Housing Future
Our coalition has submitted consensus letters to Sonoma County about the future of the former SDC campus, and have raised our collective voice to urge the City of Sonoma to use its policies to better promote and support housing affordability.
We have the foundation for continued cross-community advocacy and collaboration on affordable homes for all community members.
Pulse of the community
Our Voices of Sonoma Valley Report shared what residents and workers of Sonoma Valley shared about what they want for their community at 20 listening sessions in 2018.
Listening session with the Springs community in 2018.