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What is a Housing Element?

East Palo Alto, like every City & County in California, has a "General Plan" to govern its land use and planning decisions. This plan must include a "Housing Element." A Housing Element is a plan for meeting the housing needs of a city's residents. To be approved by the State of California, the Housing Element must look at the next five years and plan how best to meet the housing needs of all East Palo Altans. This includes thinking about where to build, what to build and the specific programs needed to address East Palo Altan's barriers to accessing housing and the City's share regional housing needs.

What does this have to do with me?

In addition to the State requirement for community participation, the City's Housing Director and policy makers want local tenants, property owners, churches and other community groups to provide specific input into the solutions that as a community should be proposed and supported.

What kinds of housing are needed?
Where should these home be built?
How can we make housing affordable?
What kinds of housing policies and programs are needed?

and anything else you think the City should be considering in planning for housing.

April 2011 Housing Element Update