Minutes 2019 0325 State of the City Address

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6 For instance, a 687-unit apartment development was recently approved by the Board of Zoning Adjustments to be built near the San Leandro BART station. This project will include many amenities for residents, and is one of the biggest projects we have seen here in the past 10 years. The City also regularly supports new affordable housing and will continue to do. Across from the San Leandro BART Station, the Marea Alta project includes 115-units of affordable family rental housing, and is now fully occupied. La Vereda, the adjacent 85-unit affordable senior housing project, is nearing completion. This housing project was made possible by the partnership between Bridge housing and the city, who has contributed over 10 million dollars of public funding. Using $5 million from County Measure A-1, the City Council approved a 62-unit development near Parrott Street, which is expected to start at the end of the year. As mayor, my job is to make sure things are running well today, while also planning for the next 20 years. I am committed to asking the tough questions to make sure San Leandro is supplying housing that is well designed, sustainable, and affordable for future generations. As you can see, we are making progress. Yet, while doing so, we know we need to protect the most vulnerable in the community from displacement, and balance the concerns of existing residents with our goals for future housing. Although these are tough issues to solve, we need to address them nonetheless. My fellow council members and I are committed to doing our part in a smart, thoughtful manner, consistent with the General Plan vision that we all played a role in developing. Together, with the community, we will address these larger issues and find sustainable solutions. Building housing is one solution, but we also need to look at the human services aspect of housing and homelessness. Those persons who are most at-risk have benefitted from the Homeless Compact that I helped broker in March 2016 between Building Futures, the Rental Housing Association of Southern Alameda County, and the City. Since the launch of the Homeless Compact, we increased the number of folks served from 25 to 50, with more people now living in long-term housing and receiving support services. Additionally, many other individuals were found shelter and provided other services, or re- connected to their families or close friends. Our Human Services Department took an innovative approach to this effort by forming a task force to provide confidential case management. This group includes street outreach workers, police, and human service agency staff, who work together and implement a uniform approach, which many other cities are now attempting to replicate. I am so proud of this new paradigm