Episode 3: The Hidden Affordability Gap: Rethinking Poverty and Community Solutions in San Francisco

Listen Now | VOC Producers | Share | Transcript | Donate

Other Archive Highlights Episodes: 1 | 2 | 3

Event Images courtesy of Sloan Larsen Event Photography www.sloanelarsen.com all other images courtesy of our panelists and their organizations

Listen or watch this episode:

Stay updated on future episodes by subscribing to Voices of the Community on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, or where ever you listen to your podcasts

"Half of San Franciscans’ income goes to housing—what are they sacrificing?"- Angela Woodall

San Francisco’s affordability crisis is pushing families to the brink, with housing consuming half their income and poverty rates nearing 23%. Community solutions are fighting back.

This show was inspired by our partnership with San Francisco Public Press and the powerful reporting that Angela and the team have done around the chronic affordability crisis plaguing our communities which is only accelerating in our post pandemic world.

Join us to discover with experts how outdated federal poverty lines hide the hidden true financial struggles, as families compromise on healthcare and basic nutrition. Learn how grassroots innovations like zero-interest lending circles (which help build credit) and shared childcare are empowering their communities to survive and thrive.

Angela Woodall – Lead Writer & Researcher,

San Francisco Public Press

Angela Woodall is an award-winning cross platform reporter who focuses on healthcare, media and environmental issues. She teaches online and digital journalism at San Francisco State University and has won awards for her feature writing. Angela is currently writing, “On Her Own: Big Ag and the Farm to Table Movement.”

Caroline Danielson – Senior Fellow,

Public Policy Institute of California

Caroline Danielson is vice president of research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Her research focuses on multiple dimensions of the social safety net, including its role in mitigating poverty, program access and enrollment, and the integration and governance of programs. Her work has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Policy Analysis and the Social Service Review. Before coming to PPIC, she was a principal analyst at the University of California’s Welfare Policy Research Project and a faculty member in the Department of Politics at the State University of New York, Potsdam. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in policy analysis from the Pardee RAND graduate school.

Stephanie Zamudio –

Liaison, Family Independence Initiative (FII)

Stephanie works directly with families to turn data into action. FII’s model—lending circles, resource hubs, and family-led solutions—proves that trust and resources (not handouts) empower communities to thrive.

San Francisco Public Press

The San Francisco Public Press is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization that publishes independent public-interest journalism about under-covered topics, with a focus on under-served audiences. Online, in a quarterly newspaper and on community radio station KSFP-FM, we offer local investigative and solutions reporting. Coverage areas include environmental protection, housing affordability, public health, transportation safety, homeless services, digital privacy, immigration and elections. Signup for the newsletter to stay informed about local news.

Our values:

We are a noncommercial publication and independent from corporate influence.
We question those in power and amplify voices from underserved communities.
We believe in bold storytelling, risk-taking and context-rich nonpartisan coverage that is free from political advocacy or institutional spin.

We are conveners, bringing together diverse communities to listen, learn and collaborate on ways to address problems and effect change.

Public Policy Institute of California

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. Our mission is to inform and improve public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research.

We believe in the power of good information to build a brighter future. We pride ourselves on the independence and rigor of our peer-reviewed work. And even when our findings are unexpected or controversial, we believe in letting the facts speak for themselves.

We encourage civil, productive dialogue that inspires sustainable policy solutions in Sacramento and around the state. Our events feature viewpoints across the political spectrum, promoting constructive, thoughtful, and respectful discussions about the issues that matter most to California.

Above all, we are committed to a nonpartisan approach in all aspects of our work.Adopt-a-Family: Every year, Compass matches hundreds of families with individuals and groups from the community. These community members shop to fulfill the wishlists of our clients, ensuring they have a magical holiday season. You can find more information on the event and register on their website.

PPIC’s work is guided by our conceptual model and strategic plan. The PPIC conceptual model lays out our core activities, essential outcomes, and anticipated impact. It also outlines how we engage our key audiences—decision makers at all levels of government and the individuals and organizations that influence them.

In 2019, PPIC assessed and refined our strategic focus and structure through 2025. As a result of this process—and with the input of our staff, board of directors, and external stakeholders—we developed a 2025 Plan with a stronger, more intentional focus on opportunity. We envision a California with effective, efficient, and equitable public policies that improve the well-being of our state’s people, communities, and environment.

The PPIC 2025 Plan establishes research priorities and clarifies our focus: we want to explore how the most diverse state in the nation can expand opportunity across its varied populations and regions.

UpTogether

UpTogether was founded as Family Independence Initiative (FII) in Oakland, California in 2001 after our founder saw firsthand the faults of the United States social services system. He was frustrated watching the same families cycle in and out of social service agencies, while the financial resources designed to support them did nothing to build their economic or social mobility.

As the son of a hardworking single mother who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, he saw that his mother, a talented dressmaker who worked hard to “make it” in the U.S., wanted more access and opportunity for him and his sister. He was certain there was a better way to invest in people’s initiative than what his mother had experienced. He also knew firsthand the harmful stereotypes and belief systems that perpetuated biased practices and policies, undermining the pride of those being “helped” and their chances for success.

Our founder believed if families had access to resources and community support, they would decide for themselves how to implement them—as his mother had—and they could move up, together, out of poverty. He founded FII based on this philosophy.

In 2021, we changed our name from FII to UpTogether to more clearly convey our purpose and engagement with community.

Subscribe to the Voices of the Community newsletter to stay updated on future episodes and issues that matter

““Give families resources and trust—they already have the solutions.”

— Stephanie Zamudio – Liaison, Family Independence Initiative (FII)

Thanks to our CoProduction Partner

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."

Donate to Voices of the Community

We are fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions. Please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. If you want to send us a check, please make checks payable to Intersection for the Arts and write [Voices of the Community] in the memo line of your check. This ensures that you’ll receive an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes, and your donation will be available for our project.