In this edition:
- Updates on the new Burbank Housing location
- Resident Services food distribution associations
- Burbank Homekey Partnership with Napa County
- Profile of Arnold Sternberg
Nuts+Bolts | April 2021
Welcome to the first issue of Nuts + Bolts, Burbank Housing’s monthly newsletter on affordable housing and other related topics! We hope this publication becomes a resource, not only keeping you up-to-date on Burbank's latest activities, but also providing you with useful information and connections to community resources. 
Access to safe and affordable housing for everyone is a critical piece of the puzzle to keeping communities healthy and thriving. 
Burbank Housing wants Nuts + Bolts to be a place where we can continue the conversation about what affordable housing is, what it isn’t, and why housing security remains an issue facing people from all backgrounds in our community.
In this month’s issue, we'll discuss finding our own “forever home” and highlight the partnership between Burbank Housing and local food banks that is keeping refrigerators stocked. We'll also go in depth on the Napa Homekey development project and profile a long-time champion of affordable housing. 
So spread the word! Burbank Housing’s Nuts + Bolts aims to be an essential resource for anyone interested in combating housing insecurity and working together to foster opportunities for people in our community.
Burbank Housing has moved to a new location, going from “renter” to “owner” for the first time in its 41-year history. 
In order to accommodate our continued growth, both as a leader in affordable housing and a partner to the community, Burbank Housing has purchased a new office headquarters, located at 1425 Corporate Center Parkway, in southwest Santa Rosa.
Checking in with Resident Services As part of our mission to create vibrant local communities, we view supporting the well-being of our residents as crucial. Our Resident Services Department is committed to promoting health and resiliency for anyone who calls a Burbank community home. To that end, we foster strong partnerships with local food distribution organizations, helping our residents to take food insecurity off the menu. 
One of the long-standing challenges facing people in our community is food insecurity. Whether the result of economic hardship, work schedules or medical conditions that make getting to the market difficult, or simply a lack of reliable transportation, if there is anything that the past year of natural disasters paired with the Covid-19 pandemic have laid bare, it’s that reliable access to food is tenuous at best for many of our neighbors, friends, and family members. 
With reliable access to food consistently ranking at the top of our annual resident needs assessments, and at least 3,000 Burbank Housing residents taking advantage of food pantries, having reliable partners that can provide food for that kind of need is critical. Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB), Harvest for the Hungry, Catholic Charities, and Farm to Pantry round out a robust network of local partners that provide everything from locally gleaned food from farms to shelf-stable staples on a monthly basis to 22 of our Burbank Housing Communities throughout Sonoma County, where food distribution is led largely by resident volunteers and managed by RS staff. 
Home food delivery to seniors and food for children that are out of school during the summer months is another area where RS makes the most of its partnerships. In collaboration with Harvest for the Hungry, 70 deliveries of locally-sourced, seasonal produce were provided to seniors across 4 of our communities last year. The combined efforts of REFB and Burbank Housing also meant that during the summer of 2020, 35,000 meals were provided to youth as part of the county-wide Summer Lunch Program, alleviating a significant burden from families during an already stressful time. 
Just as critical as access to housing that is safe and affordable, reliable access to food that is healthy is another piece of the puzzle needed by everyone in order to prosper and live lives that are meaningful to them. If you would like to partner with Burbank Housing in helping our communities thrive then please consider a donation that will go directly to our Resident Services Department. Our community partners would also love to have you as a volunteer! If you’re interested in offering your time to help those in your community gain safe and reliable access to food, click on any of the links below to find out more. 
Updates from Burbank Housing's Development Team 
In July 2020, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced a new, $600 million program called Homekey, focused on providing immediate housing relief for Californians experiencing homelessness. This funding source allows public entities, frequently partnering with developers, to purchase and rehabilitate existing housing to provide short-term and then permanent housing to those experiencing homelessness. Burbank Housing has partnered with the County of Napa for a $2.1 million allocation of Homekey funding to purchase and rehabilitate an eight-unit apartment complex at 2301 Adrian Street in Napa (“Napa Homekey”). 
The Napa Homekey project will be owned and operated by Burbank. Because of the lack of vacant hospitality buildings in Napa, funding will be used to acquire an existing eight-unit apartment complex on 2301 Adrian Street. All current tenants will be permanently relocated and compensated for the difference between their current and future rents for a period of 42-months as well as receiving relocation assistance. As the existing buildings are in much better shape, rehabilitation work will be relatively minor and focused mainly on ADA compliance. Once the relocation period elapses and rehabilitation is complete, the County will identify individuals and families experiencing homelessness who Burbank can house. Supportive services will largely be provided by Adobe Services. 
Burbank Housing is thrilled to be participating in an innovative funding program designed to provide rapid housing relief to the most vulnerable in our community while growing our relationship with local partner organizations.
Profiles of Individuals Fighting the Good Fight 
Conflicts both abroad and at home, the unending fight for civil rights, economic booms & busts. During a life that spanned nearly a century, Arnold Sternberg saw a lot. To those that knew him however, Arnold never lost his forward-looking vision of a more equitable society, nor his focus on the critical need for affordable housing in our communities. Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 1974 as California’s first Director of the newly formed Department of Housing and Community Development, Arnold oversaw the department’s mandate to promote and maintain adequate housing and decent living environments throughout the state, which ultimately lead to more prosperous outcomes for all in our community. Arnold took his experience and expertise to Burbank Housing in the 90’s serving as its third Executive Director, and helmed the agency until his retirement in 1998. Run a cursory search for him online and you will come across no shortage of quotes from Sternberg in local publications passionately advocating for those experiencing housing insecurity by fixating his ire on what he saw as local government officials’ unwillingness to face up to the problem that a lack of affordable housing creates. “Arnold was the kind of leader that gave those who worked with him the tools to do great things” – Larry Boughton, Construction General Manager at Burbank Housing 
Arnold Sternberg and Larry Boughton, Burbank Housing's Construction GM in 2005 Arnold Sternberg passed away this year on March 14th at the age of 96. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His vision for equitable housing is survived by countless allies working tirelessly in communities all across the state. He will be missed.
Thank you for your interest in Burbank Housing! Access to affordable housing is a key component to any healthy community. Please consider partnering with Burbank Housing in its efforts through a tax-deductible donation. 
Copyright © 2021 Burbank Housing, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Burbank Housing 1425 Corporate Center Parkway Santa Rosa, CA 95407 |
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