We are committed to gaining a deep understanding of our community's realities by going church to church, community to community, and door to door, asking as many residents as possible about their housing stories. What is it like for renters in San Mateo? What challenges are they facing? What solutions would be helpful? If we haven’t knocked on your door yet and you want to participate, please fill out the Housing Survey here.

The City of San Mateo, like the larger county, has a troubling history of housing segregation—a legacy that persists today through limited new housing development, soaring rental and homeownership costs, and exclusionary zoning. Too many of us live in unsafe environments, facing overcrowded conditions, habitability issues, and the constant fear of eviction. Some of us, unable to afford the homes we’ve lived in for years, are forced to move far away. Equity means removing these barriers so that everyone in our community can live safely and securely in our home San Mateo.

We must embody the change we wish to see and collectively take control. It is our city, and the struggles and solutions are also our own. Together, we can apply pressure and demand policies that enable people to be treated with dignity and remain in their homes. The suffering and exploitation must end. Changing the laws is the ultimate goal and the only way to achieve the equity we seek.