Housing Leadership Day 2023 A POWERFUL Step Toward Solving the Bay Area Housing Crisis

A POWERFUL Step Toward Solving the Bay Area Housing Crisis

Workshop Summary

The BAHFA bond will unlock billions of dollars for the construction of up to 45,000 affordable homes serving over 500,000 Bay Area residents over the coming decades. This Nov 2024 ballot measure will also raise billions for the preservation of existing affordable housing and ensure protection for at-risk tenants.

Moderator and Panelists

Moderator – Irving Torres

Director of Community Engagement, All Home

As Director of Community Engagement, Irving builds relationships with key stakeholders across the Bay Area region in support of All Home’s mission and supports the Community Advisory Council. Raised in San Mateo County, Irving Torres joined All Home after serving as Senior Legislative Aide to San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, focusing on housing and land use issues. Irving worked with constituents in the Fourth District in connecting them to Housing programs and services. Irving earned his undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Utah and holds a Master’s of Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

Panelist – Nevada Merriman

Director of Policy, MidPen

Nevada V. Merriman serves as MidPen Housing’s Director of Policy. Over the last 16
years, she’s held many positions in the Real Estate Development team, including project
manager. Most recently, she was the Director of Housing Development for the Peninsula and
Silicon Valley. She has contributed to developing over 3,000 homes in Alameda, San
Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. She is a passionate advocate for including homes for
extremely low-income and unhoused community members in the vision for our Region’ future.

Panelist – Jordan Grimes

Resilience Manager, Greenbelt Alliance

Born and raised on the San Francisco peninsula, Jordan (He/Him) brings a background of grassroots housing advocacy experience in addition to policy and local knowledge to the Resilience Manager role.  He is passionate about housing and environmental justice, and is excited to help communities pursue smart, equitable land-use policy choices that will both right historical wrongs and help secure a climate-resilient Bay Area that everyone can call home. When not engaged in land-use sustainability or climate resilience work, you can find Jordan competing in bar trivia nights, enjoying live music, solo traveling, and exploring the many wonderful open spaces that the Bay Area has to offer.

Panelist – Ray Hodges

Director of Housing, San Mateo County Department of Housing & Executive Director, Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo

Raymond Hodges is the Director of San Mateo County’s Department of Housing (DOH) and Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the County of San Mateo (HACSM).  Ray previously served 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 where he was responsible for financing affordable homes for homeless and disabled persons and seniors.  Ray also worked at the NYC Department of City Planning after receiving a Master’s Degree in City Planning from MIT and undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor – Go Blue!