By Dianne Anderson

With rents running as high or higher than the average mortgage, elected officials and developers are looking to engage the community on one of the most pressing issues facing families in these times.

To brainstorm solutions and offer resources, representatives from numerous organizations will converge at the “Housing for All: Empowering Communities through Equitable Access” summit at CSU Dominguez Hills Innovation & Instruction Lecture Hall at 1000 E. Victoria Street in Carson.

On Saturday, May 11, the event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., featuring keynote speaker, Senator Steven Bradford, in partnership with The Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute at CSU Dominguez Hills.

Sen. Bradford, also the Vice-Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said he is thrilled to bring resources to the community as equity in homeownership is essential for building generational wealth and fostering economic stability within communities.

“At the Summit, our panelists will discuss ways to expand access to affordable housing, provide financial tools, and outline how we are combating discriminatory practices within the lending and housing markets,” said Sen. Bradford in an email. “By ensuring that everyone has opportunities to purchase a home, we can create vital pathways for building generational wealth. This event is a crucial step forward in addressing housing challenges and fostering community growth and prosperity.”

Panel discussions will include Legislative and Policy Solutions to Foster Affordable Housing, Navigating Obstacles and Opportunities in Affordable Housing Development and Ensuring Affordable and Inclusive Communities: Strategies for Equity.

Rick de la Torre said the Long Beach Community Development Department expects the event to cover a lot of good ground.

“The upcoming summit and resource fair promises to again showcase the vital importance of expanding homeownership opportunities, which can create investment in communities and opportunities for building generational wealth. And those are opportunities that we see are being realized through our First-Time Time Homebuyer Assistance Program,” he said.

As of last week, he said grants available through the city’s homebuyer program include 24 grants made so far totaling $500,000, with the amount of grant funds remaining at $1.62 million. A total of 65 grants at $25,000 each are still available to be issued.

Discussions at the summit will kick off with legislative and policy solutions, geared toward city and county elected officials, along with short presentations from local, state and federal government officials. HUD and CalHFA will speak to resources available for residents, who can ask questions and have one-on-one conversations about access to affordable housing.

Many housing organizations and companies will offer insight on the best ways to ensure that affordable housing infrastructure and development is created in cities. Strategies with public and private sectors will be in focus, along with how collaborations between the two can help make housing equitable.

“The last panel brings it all together for developers to come in and get ideas on what would be the best way to develop different sites, and how to make it affordable and make it good for all communities,” said Jasmine Leon Guerrero, Senator Bradford’s district representative.

For elected officials, she said they hope to spark fresh ideas among leadership to keep residents in affordable housing, and for stakeholders to strengthen development strategies to draw more residents to their cities.

Other participants at the fair include City National Bank, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, Consolidated Board of Realtists, Stay Housed LA, The Dymally Institute, Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches Housing Task Force.

Organizations and grassroots programs will also share how they reach the community, including Long Beach Neighborhood Housing Services, and Affordable Housing Clearinghouse, along with panelists providing feedback on navigating the current housing crisis.

“They are going to talk about different feasibility of developing on surplus land or unused structures or parking lots that are available that we’re not tapping into yet. Because the Senator is doing this, we’re looking at bridging policy and access to services,” she said.

Leon Guerrero said the summit is focused on innovative approaches to help the Black and Brown community get into spaces that they haven’t had much access to in the past.

“The last panel will speak about alternative financing mechanisms they can work with to move forward to this home and create that generational wealth because right now it’s so hard to tap into it,” she said.

To RSVP for the event, participants are encouraged to RSVP for parking instructions at

https://sd35.senate.ca.gov/housing-equity-summit-and-resource-fair

For more information on home buyer grants and assistance, see

https://www.longbeach.gov/lbcd/hn/lbhomegrant/

https://www.longbeach.gov/lbcd/hn/

https://www.longbeach.gov/lbcd/hn/homebuyer/