We all know that Santa Fe is in the midst of a housing crisis. Everyone has a housing horror story. Rents have increased 43% in the last 5 years, and 73% of renter families earning less than $50,000 a year are paying more than they can afford for housing. Median home prices have surpassed their peak of the mid 2000s. People are being pushed out.It's time to act to stop this, and we need your help to make real and lasting change.

On June 26 at 5:00 PM, the City Council will consider changing regulations on casitas (also known as Accessory Dwelling Units) in order to provide more housing options for people in all areas of the city.  You can learn more about the code change here.

The City Council and Mayor need to hear from you on this issue and also that these changes should be a first step toward a systemic response: adoption of all the recommendations from Mayor Webber's Housing Task Force. They need to hear your stories, because they are hearing a lot from the well-organized, well-connected NIMBY groups whose activism helped create this housing crisis in the first place.

Your voice is important. We need you to write to the City Council and Mayor. We need you to call them. We need you to show up, so we can begin to address this housing crisis systematically.

Here are a few easy ways you can make a difference:

• Please take 2 minutes to send this letter to your elected officials, or write one of your own (and be sure to bcc your list).
• If you have 5 minutes more, please call the Mayor and Councilors. Ask them to support the ADU code changes. Tell them that you want more aggressive housing investments from the City. Tell them that it's important to you to have elected leaders who will address the housing crisis courageously and effectively with meaningful policy.
• Forward this email to your contacts, and encourage them to get involved.
• Add the June 26, 5:00 PM City Council meeting to your calendar, and show up to Council Chambers at City Hall (200 Lincoln Avenue) to show support for the ADU code changes.
• Share our letter-writing campaign on social media, email, and text message, and get your friends to come to the June 26 meeting.
• If you know folks who care about affordable housing, and prefer phone calls, call them and get them engaged on this issue.
• Write a letter to the editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican, Albuquerque Journal & Santa Fe Reporter.
• Like our Facebook page, and invite your friends to do the same.
  

Check out the Santa Fe Housing Action Coalition's ADU Research and Recommendations here.

We have a lot of work to do to make sure Santa Fe stays affordable for working people, and this issue is just the first step of many. Every 5 minutes spent on this effort—whether it be through sharing a social media post, or calling our elected officials, or sending a letter, or showing up to a meeting—makes a difference, because for too many years the people most affected by housing policy have not been represented. We can fix that by showing up.

Thank you for all you do to make Santa Fe a more accessible and inclusive community.

Questions? Ideas? Email info@santafehousingaction.org.