HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2603-6083CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting
Monday, May 04, 2026
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
1.Proclamation of May 2026 as Affordable Housing Month. CEQA Status: Not a project.
CITY COUNCIL
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: May 4, 2026
Report #: 2603-6083
TITLE
Proclamation of May 2026 as Affordable Housing Month. CEQA Status: Not a project.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the City Council proclaim the month of May as Affordable Housing
Month in the City of Palo Alto.
BACKGROUND
Affordable Housing Month is a national observance in the United States that is typically held
in the month of May each year. The event was established to raise awareness about the need
for affordable housing and to recognize the important role that affordable housing plays in
building strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities.
Affordable Housing Month typically includes a variety of activities and events, such as
workshops, rallies, and community outreach efforts. The focus of these events is to raise
awareness about the need for affordable housing, educate the public about the benefits of
affordable housing, and advocate for policies and programs that support the development of
more affordable housing options.
Silicon Valley at Home (SV@Home) has shared a list of events they are hosting in Santa Clara as
part of Affordable Housing Month, including a kickoff networking event on May 4, 2026, that
brings together local officials and housing advocates, followed by a Women in Housing Brunch
on May 8, 2026, and fair housing policy discussion on May 13, 2026. A full list of events can be
found on the SV@Home website: https://siliconvalleyathome.org/affordable-housing-month/.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Affordable Housing Month Proclamation 2026
APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director
Proclamation
AFFORDABLE HOUSING MONTH
WHEREAS, an affordable place to call home provides everyone an opportunity to thrive, making our
community stronger, healthier, more inclusive, and more prosperous; and,
WHEREAS, ensuring that people of all income levels have access to a home they can afford helps build
strong and resilient communities; and,
WHEREAS, affordable housing is a basic human right, and yet, each year, thousands of Silicon Valley
Families and individuals struggle to find an affordable home in one of the most expensive housing markets in the
nation; and,
WHEREAS, according to the most recent Census data, 23% of renter households in the City of Palo Alto are
cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing, and another 19% are severely cost-burdened,
spending more than 50%; and,
WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness emphasizes expanding
homelessness prevention and housing programs as a critical strategy to address our region’s housing crisis and,
WHEREAS, the City of Palo Alto is actively working to reduce barriers to the production and preservation
of affordable housing by collaborating with a network of organizations to deliver essential services, strengthen
tenant protections, support innovative housing solutions, and advance efforts to end homelessness, and,
WHEREAS, more than 10,000 affordable homes are in the pipeline across Santa Clara County, and the City
of Palo Alto remains committed to partnering with local, regional, and state agencies to secure funding to support
the construction and preservation of high-quality, affordable homes that will serve as lasting community assets
for generations to come, and,
WHEREAS, partnering organizations in Santa Clara County are dedicated to furthering safe, stable,
permanent, and affordable housing to all members of the community and are collaboratively working to bring the
need for affordable housing to the forefront of discussion in our region; and,
WHEREAS, these organizations have partnered with local agencies and community members to organize
Affordable Housing Month to encourage the sharing of best practices, opportunities, and solutions to provide
affordable housing for all; and,
WHEREAS, the City leverages state and federal resources, including the Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG), Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) and Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) programs,
to support affordable housing development, housing stability and essential services for zero-low-and moderate-
income residents; and,
WHEREAS, the City has implemented meaningful housing actions by identifying affordable housing
redevelopment opportunities on City parking lots to be developed for affordable housing, creating a permanent
source of affordable housing funding by dedicating a portion of the business tax revenue for affordable housing,
investing $57 million in affordable housing since 2018, crafting additional renter protections, and continued
support of fair housing services; and,
WHEREAS, the City has implemented meaningful actions to help those experiencing homelessness in Palo
Alto through making permanent its safe parking ordinance, expanding RV safe parking, piloting an outreach
worker program, providing an overnight warming location, and providing funding and partnering to build an
interim housing shelter on City-owned land; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council adopted the 6th Cycle Housing Element that outlines how 6,086 new housing
units can be accommodated within Palo Alto by 2031, and includes implementation programs to increase the
number affordable housing units.
THEREFORE, I, Vicki Veenker, Mayor of the City of Palo Alto, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby
proclaim the Month of May as Affordable Housing Month, inviting our residents to support affordable housing
solutions and to recognize the efforts of the City of Palo Alto and its dedicated community partners who seek to
improve access to affordable housing opportunities in the City of Palo Alto and our neighboring communities.
Presented: May 4, 2026
Vicki Veenker, Mayor