The Monterey Peninsula Housing Coalition was created when a group of Monterey Peninsula board and council candidates began discussions about the housing dilemma, and the obstacles to affordable housing development in communities throughout the Peninsula. There had been an appreciation for current efforts, but also a recognition that more needed to be done, particularly in regard to mobilizing community engagement and support.
The conversation continued after the election, and this past spring, the group hosted a retreat, which resulted in the establishment of the following objectives:
1) Completing a Peninsula Employee/Student Housing Study
2) Establishing a framework for the possible creation of a Housing Related Joint Powers Agreement (JPA)
3) Identifying and Prioritizing Water Allocation for Affordable/Workforce Housing
4) Leveraging Additional Federal/State/Local Dollars
Tonight, the Coalition is hoping to get feedback from the council and the public on the ideas that we have. After we have spoken to all of the local councils and boards, we will reconvene in order to plan our next steps.