Bay Area Forward

04/24/2021

In need of a vaccination? TODAY - AVAILABLE TO ALL - 18 years and older - NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED!

💉 COVID VACCINATION 💉 On Saturday, April 24th from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM vaccinations will be available at University AME Zion Church! Please share!

02/06/2021

Remember how we changed our name to Manzanita Works? Check out what we've been up to! Say hello to the ESSENTIAL WORKER COMMUTE SHUTTLE PILOT where essential workers can take a break from their brutal commute with safety protocols in place. FREE.

In partnership with the transit provider Bauer's Intelligent Transportation and RidePal, 5 routes currently available from Richmond, Livermore, Daly City, Hayward, Fremont and South San Jose to destinations in East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

Since we've been quiet on social media while working on this, our new Manzanita Works FB page could use some love from Bay Area Forward fans from over the years: please come like our new page 🙌🌿

11/12/2020

Dear FB Friends of the organization formerly known as Bay Area Forward:

As some of you may know, we became a fiscally sponsored project of the nonprofit Community Initiatives based in Oakland in July 2019 after a 5 year windy road with other fiscal sponsors and lots of adventures in working together to create housing and transportation options while developing our vision, mission and values.

With our arrival at Community Initiatives, we changed our name to Manzanita Works and are proud of our now more expansive mission: to support workers and worker family welfare.

The majority of our work is done in relationship with people and not on social media so we've been rather quiet. Thank you to all of our amazing staff and volunteers over the years!

We welcome you to follow our FB page at Manzanita Works. If you're on Instagram you can follow us at .

The 'Bay Area Forward' FB page will remain for now as a record of some of our adventures together.

Best wishes to all of you out there.

10/23/2019

The waiting list for this 65-unit affordable housing complex in Palo Alto is opening up. HUD Section 236 and Section 8 subsidized family units. Click through to their site to see if you qualify & get more info.

10/17/2019

Awesome to see funding continue to come together for this innovative teacher housing project! This is exactly how we need to be thinking about regional problems like housing: be willing to consider close collaboration across jurisdictional lines.

A plan to build housing in Palo Alto for regional teachers and school staff has received a major boost: a $25 million donation from social media giant Facebook.

09/18/2019

Check out this excellent and informative video from Youth United for Community Action on EPA's water supply - the history, the current situation, and concerns for the future. Can we work together in the region to plan for the future?

This is "YUCA: EPA Water Equity" by BAYCAT on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

08/21/2019

Press on our recent Report with Council of Community Housing Organizations that grew out of our Teacher Town Halls with Support Teacher Housing.org.

"Per CCHO, few Bay Area teachers make an average income. Preschool and daycare providers average just $29,429 per year across the two counties; kindergarten teachers net $49,768; elementary school teachers $75,500; and high school teachers top the list at $77,379."

"For the record, even a teacher making nearly $111,000 per year would still end up paying more than 37 percent of their income each month toward that $3,720-per-month, one-bedroom apartment on Zumper—before taxes."

Council of Community Housing Organizations did the reading, writing, and arithmetic on teacher housing costs

08/20/2019

"Now it's real," Simitian said in a press release issued Tuesday. "We have a site. We have some initial funding. We have interest from local school districts. And now we have an experienced development partner to help us organize and build the project."

"The development seeks to alleviate the housing challenges faced by school employees, especially those starting or in the middle of their careers, according to Simitian's office. This group is known as the "missing middle," because they can't afford market-rate housing and don't qualify for affordable homes."

A proposed affordable-housing project in Palo Alto exclusively for teachers gained momentum on Tuesday when the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a developer to make the plan a reality.

08/19/2019

A new report from our partners at Council of Community Housing Organizations on housing the Bay Area's Educators. Click through to read insights on the affordability gap that came in part from our Teacher Town Halls with Support Teacher Housing.org this past year. https://www.sfccho.org

06/10/2019

Mountain View Vehicle Residents gathered Sunday afternoon to understand what uncertain a fate they face on Tuesday at City Council. Many are families, most are the working poor or are senior or disabled. Thank you to the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley for helping understand proposed policy in the absence of a safe parking program.

01/29/2019

Awesome turnout of 200+ community leaders from Marin Organizing Committee in San Rafael last Wednesday! Congrats MOC!

01/28/2019

Awesome turnout of 200+ leaders in San Rafael last Wednesday of Marin Organizing Committee (MOC)! Congrats MOC!

Thanks to their hard work, quick thinking and leadership, Marin County opened their emergency shelter system to help provide a place for the homeless to go during the heavy rainfall from storms two weeks ago.

Tenants of Canal apartments were there to express appreciation for MOC’s & Legal Aid’s support with landlord negotiation on recent rent spikes and MOC celebrated the Marin County Supervisors’ vote to enact a just cause eviction policy for unincorporated county land.

01/16/2019

Congrats on a successful action last night for our partners at the Palo Alto Educators Association, CSEA Local 301 and concerned District parents who shared their stories with PAUSD Board of Trustees and sought support for the District to work with County Supervisor Simitian for creating teacher housing.

Through discussion, the board directed Staff to explore doing just that!

12/05/2018

Exciting to have community leaders from Burlingame to Almaden in San Jose gathered for a successful planning session last night for our upcoming House Meetings!

Want to meet with others about issues impacting you and your community? Msg us to get involved

12/05/2018

Congrats to Marin Organizing Committee who successfully advocated for a just cause ordinance tonight to protect renters in unincorporated Marin County. The Supervisors’ vote was unanimous.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors just passed a Just Cause for Evictions Ordinance. The vote was unanimous, although they have the option to phase out on January 18, 2021 if they don't want to continue it.

This picture shows MOC and supporters rising to support this ordinance.

Many folks from West Marin pointed out that since the ordinance only covers tenants in unincorporated Marin in properties with three or more units it misses the majority of renters.

Still, it is a big step forward because it proposes to collect data on rental conditions in part of Marin and will protect some tenants. This is a huge victory but more needs to be done.

11/21/2018

Bay Area Forward is proud to have partnered with HEART - the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County - to bring free designs of green ADU's to homeowners!

There are 2 community meetings next week in Redwood City & Millbrae to hear what everyone would like to see in the designs. You're a San Mateo County resident but can't make the meetings? You can click on this link to participate online.

About GLADUR HEART’s latest initiative aiming to increase affordable housing is underway! Building green accessory dwelling units (ADUs) will soon be easier thanks to GLADUR – HEART’s green and livable accessory dwelling unit resource program. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District award...

11/05/2018

A productive gathering of our secular and faith based partners in Menlo Park yesterday. It's time to roll up our sleeves folks and build the relationships to work on the issues that impact our local community!

11/02/2018

TONIGHT: two of our local faith partners, Congregation Beth Am and Peninsula Temple Sholom are having special solidarity Shabbat services where people of conscience are welcome to attend and show support.

Friends of Bay Area Forward who live in San Mateo County - please come support our partners at Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame at 6:30pm. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, State Senator Jerry Hill and more will also be in attendance.

Friends of Bay Area Forward who live in Santa Clara County, please come support our partners at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills at 6:15pm.