Sonoma Valley Collaborative partnered with La Luz Center's Sonoma County Parents LEAD (Leadership, Equity, Advocacy, Diversity) program to create a Housing Advocacy Workshop for Latinx parents to influence housing policy, such as the Sonoma County Housing Element, which is under review. | Sonoma Valley Collaborative se asoció con el programa Sonoma County Padres LEAD (Liderazgo, Equidad, Abogacia, Diversidad) de La Luz Center para crear un taller sobre como Abogar por Vivienda Asequible con Padres Latinx para influir las política de vivienda, como el Elemento de Vivienda del Condado de Sonoma, que está bajo revisión.

The Sonoma County Parents LEAD program aims to increase leadership and advocacy among Latinx parents, by building systems of support and organizing community members to change policies aimed at strengthening families. The Parents LEAD manager, Nidia Figueroa, presented the workshop, using a translation of our Housing Advocacy Worksheet. The Worksheet helps people step by step to create effective personal advocacy statements to support a better housing future in Sonoma Valley. | El programa Sonoma County Padres LEAD tiene como objetivo aumentar el liderazgo y la abogacia [junto] con los padres latinx, por medio de sistemas de apoyo y la organización de miembros de la comunidad para cambiar las políticas que fortalecen a las familias. La gerente  de Padres LEAD, Nidia Figueroa, presentó el taller, usando una traducción de nuestra Hoja de Trabajo de Abogar Por Vivienda Asequebile. La Hoja de Trabajo ayuda a las personas a crear declaraciones de defensa personal efectivas para apoyar un futuro de mejor vivienda en Sonoma Valley.

Here is what participants shared | Esto es lo que las participantes compartieron:

"My friend Monica has 3 children. Her husband had an accident and is home. She is the only one at home who works and can no longer afford rent and expenses In Sonoma. Because of this, they are leaving the state so they can afford to live. As a parent, having the assurance that my children have a place to sleep and live calmly is important. If the cost of rent is increasing and salaries are decreasing, many people (families) will be without a home. We need to lower the cost of rent and lessen the requirements. We need to have more regulated housing." — Carmen Sanchez

"My neighbor looked for a house for 5 or 6 people and found a house with 4 rooms for $3,500, and one she saw before with 2 rooms cost the same, is there a standard rental rate or why is this difference so illogical? [The housing benefit of ] Economic, emotional, health stability, group, family and social integration. [It is a broader problem] Because the income does not have stability and the economy of the people who inhabit it is abused. [My call to Action] is to standardize rent, know the rules, implement advice.”
— Erandy Bravo

"Housing is an obstacle today because people are facing the highest cost and injustices in rent increases and evictions. To have affordable housing is to have family stability and financial security. We need to continue to help by getting the word out about the housing problem and follow up for the benefit of all."
— Lidia Figueroa

"My house does not have a good heating system. At this moment it is literally a refrigerator, the doors and windows don't work, so there is heat leakage, the window panes are thin, the increase in electricity consumption is very large. The benefit of affordable housing is peace of mind, not having to work for much longer periods of time to be able to cover our needs. The solution is knowing our rights and obligations."— Maria Perez

Thank you to La Luz Center for connecting Sonoma Valley Collaborative's housing advocacy effort to the Sonoma LEAD Parents group. The parents' statements will be submitted to Sonoma County decision-makers, as a first step in connecting these Latinx community leaders with the Sonoma County Housing Element process. | Gracias a La Luz Center por conectar el esfuerzo de abogacia de la vivienda de Sonoma Valley Collaborative con el grupo de padres LEAD de Sonoma. Las declaraciones de los padres serán enviadas a los tomadores de decisiones del Condado de Sonoma, como un primer paso para conectar a estos líderes de la comunidad latinx con el proceso del Elemento de Vivienda del Condado de Sonoma.