Morning Session (10:45 AM – 12:00 PM)

Workshop Summary

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) is a first-of-its-kind regional authority created to address the Bay Area’s chronic housing challenges. Hear from a panel of experts in advocating and planning for new programs and a regional funding measure to support affordable housing development.

Moderator and Panelists

Moderator – Raymond Hodges 
Director, San Mateo County’s Department of Housing (DOH) and Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM)
Since establishing its Affordable Housing Fund in 2013, DOH has awarded over $250 million to support the development and preservation of more than 3,700 affordable homes across San Mateo County.  HACSM manages a 5,000-voucher Section 8 portfolio as well as targeted Mainstream, Permanent Supportive Housing, Emergency Housing, VASH, and Family Reunification rental assistance programs.  Ray previously worked as a Supervisor and Project Manager for the Department.  Prior to the County of San Mateo, Ray served as Director of Planning and Development for the Division of Special Needs Housing at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) where he was responsible for financing more than 1,000 affordable homes annually for homeless and disabled persons.  

Somaya Abdelgany
Preservation Program Coordinator, Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA)
She leads the development of pilot programs that aim to preserve affordability of the existing unsubsidized housing stock and protect current residents from displacement in the process. These programs, including the Welfare Tax Exemption Preservation Program and the Housing Preservation Pilot to be funded by REAP 2.0, present the opportunity to make immediate impact towards the vision of a more equitable Bay Area while preparing BAHFA for the infusion of preservation capital through a potential regional ballot measure in 2024.

Somaya brings 8 years of experience in affordable housing development, technical assistance, and public program implementation to this work.

Geeta Rao
Senior Director, Enterprise Community Partners (Northern California)
She oversees the programmatic work and co-manages operations. Geeta brings 20 years of experience in affordable housing and community development: program design and implementation, policy development, technical assistance, legislative advocacy, community organizing and planning, and coalition building. Geeta serves on the leadership team of Bay Area Housing for All (BAHA), an effort to place a $10-20 billion housing measure on the 2024 ballot for the San Francisco Bay Area. Geeta led Enterprise’s co-sponsorship efforts of AB 1487, which created the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and co-authored The Elephant in the Region: Charting a Path for Bay Area Metro to Lead a Bold Regional Housing Agenda. Geeta lives in San Francisco and spends her time baking Midwestern treats, dancing at ODC Dance Commons, and (reluctantly) birdwatching across California with her two boys.

Carlos Romero
Councilmember, East Palo Alto
Elected to the East Palo Alto City Council in 2008, Carlos Romero served as Mayor of East Palo Alto in 2011 and currently serves as Vice Mayor. Prior to being elected mayor, he was chair and vice chair of the East Palo Alto Redevelopment Agency, served on and chaired the city’s Planning Commission for six years and was a member and chair of the East Palo Alto Rent Stabilization Board for four years.