Hello there, 

This month we have a guest blog from Óscar Quiroz-Medranos, a San José tenant and community organizer with SOMOS Mayfair. Óscar talks about their upbringing in Mountain View, the struggle to find an affordable home, and offers the preservation framework as a solution.   

SOMOS is a local nonprofit that advocates on behalf of families in East San José. As the Vecinos Activos Coordinator for SOMOS Mayfair, Óscar strategized opportunities for conscious-driven development, led a community map to illustrate its vision for the neighborhood, and advocates for community-led solutions. 

HOUSING INTERSECTIONS

• Pride: Assumptions influence the built environment, the heteronormative nature of suburbia, and the way these homes and neighborhoods are designed. A main challenge for LGBTQ+ potential homebuyers is discrimination — and the fear of it, from real estate professionals and lenders.
  
  
• Seniors: "A generation that faced intense discrimination is now just trying to find a safe, affirming, affordable place to live at the end of their lives," researcher Jacqueline Gahagan said in The Tyee. While LGBTQ+ seniors are often overlooked, Open House San Francisco provides aging seniors with housing, direct services, and community programs. 
  
  
• World Environment Day: This year's theme was to #BeatPlasticPollution. Build It Green centers regenerative housing development, which aims to cause less environmental harm and is intentional about every aspect of the building process — including plastic waste, manufacturing materials, and energy standards. As California homes become uninsurable, the relationship between the environment and housing has never been more clear. 
  
  
• Juneteenth: During the great migrations, people from Texas left for Oakland, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield. Thus, "African-Americans who came from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and brought Juneteenth with them." Read more about celebrating Juneteenth in California. 

Stay updated with Build It Green below.