Thinking back to a little more than a year ago, we began 2022 with Building Our Future, a 100-person virtual gathering that sparked working groups and collaboration between housing leaders across California. At the end of that same year, we met in-person to kick-off the California Housing System Innovators Network — where members met, ideated, and began designing initiatives.
On May 24, from 1PM - 2:30PM, BIG is hosting a webinar featuring panelists from California Public Utilities Commission, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, and Building Electrification Institute. We sat down with Jenny Low, BIG's Senior Program Associate and webinar moderator to learn more.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn, engage, and contribute to understanding the different perspectives and key intersections for communities to thrive in the equitable housing decarbonization space. Each attendee comes into the space with their unique angle - e.g. someone focused on workforce will view and experience this space differently than someone from finances. We’re hoping that the panelist conversation and our network map diagram will weave and connect these different angles. By doing so, we hope to amplify the interconnections across angles and broaden everyone’s horizon within equitable housing decarbonization. We hope attendees are fired up to learn other angles and see where they can loop these interconnections in their own work.
What will the speakers discuss?
Thriving communities, and exploring what that means, are the center of our network map diagram. Speakers will share real world examples to tangibly showcase the connections across the diagram from policy and education to workforce and finances. From their stories, speakers will share not only the work specifics in a sector like finances, but also the vision and relationships they build with their communities. Communities are essential throughout all angles in equitable housing decarbonization.
HOUSING INTERSECTIONS
#AAPI Heritage Month: Despite structural barriers to homeownership, there are substantial differences among the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Various parts of the AAPI community — which contain roughly 50 ethnic groups — are severely housing cost-burdened and pay more than half of their income toward housing costs.
Drinking Water Week: "Whether perceived or not by water users, these climate change-driven extreme weather events have clear implications for California household water access,” scientists said in a recent study.
College: In California, the key barrier to college affordability is the rising cost of housing. The Los Angeles Times reports that this acutely impacts the state’s lowest income, first-generation, and minority students.
