Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Public officials, school leaders, health administrators and housing advocates met at the Oldemeyer Center in Seaside on Aug. 14 as part of an ongoing effort to address the Central Coast’s housing crisis.
Dubbed the Workforce Housing Solutions Summit, the event was organized by the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), a nonprofit organization working to improve economic health and quality of life in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties.
Though MBEP emphasizes economic health, housing is inseparable from that goal, said CEO Tahra Goraya.
“Without adequate housing, talent leaves and businesses cannot expand,” Goraya said. “Every new unit built not only addresses a social need, but also drives sustained economic output and workforce stability. Our north star points to more housing so we can keep our workforce here. Without the workforce, the economic engine does not turn.”
Representing San Benito County, Principal Planner Arielle Goodspeed and Senior Planner Stephanie Reck said the gathering was a chance to learn from neighboring counties, cities, developers and nonprofits.
“We’re all dealing with some of the same limitations—water, sewer, PG&E, growth constraints, traffic,” Goodspeed said. “You get to learn about a lot of creative solutions.”
Reck noted that while San Benito County can adopt ideas from others, it also has lessons to offer. “We can show how to preserve rural agriculture,” she said.
Among the strategies presented at the event, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh said the district loses about 20% of its teachers each year, mainly due to high housing costs. To address that, the school district’s voters approved a $340 million bond that includes funding for 64 affordable units for teachers and staff. The housing is expected to open by November.
“We’re trying to create housing as a way to retain our teachers so that they can grow in the profession and do a great job for our students who really deserve the best,” said Diffenbaugh.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District has taken a similar approach, directing $34 million from a $315 million bond toward education housing.
The Central California Alliance for Health, a local public agency that serves as the regional Medi-Cal health plan in the counties of San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Mariposa and Merced, is also investing directly in housing. Last year, it combined part of its reserves with state Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program funds to create a housing fund, which awarded $42 million for 21 housing-related projects across the five counties.
“Housing is health care,” the alliance’s Community Grants Director Jessica Finney said. ”That’s why we’re investing in it—to provide quality health care for our Medi-Cal members.”
MBEP’s next meeting will be the 2025 Annual State of the Region on Oct. 17 at CSU Monterey Bay’s University Center, where leaders will discuss jobs, housing, broadband access and the impact of state and federal policies on the region.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service, nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.