Neighborhood opposition to new development is arguably an even taller obstacle to home-building in Sonoma County. Enter Generation Housing, a fledgling advocacy group with the goal of convincing local leaders and residents that more housing, even in their own backyards, is in everyone’s best interest. “People show up at city council meetings and supervisors’ meetings to say no to things. People show up when they’re upset,” says Jen Klose, Generation Housing’s executive director and a former Santa Rosa City Schools trustee. “People don’t often show up to say yes.”
The nonprofit aims to replace entrenched narratives about housing construction, such as concerns about urban sprawl and preserving neighborhood character, with arguments for green projects that teachers, nurses, firefighters and farmworkers — the backbone of the local community — can actually afford. The group works to survey various local industries, create pro-growth marketing campaigns, and put pressure on elected officials to adopt its policy recommendations and follow through on housing goals.
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