What is this Quick Guide?
This Guide is designed to help local housing and planning staff create and implement anti-displacement policies and programs, including support for renters and property owners. Different tools will guide you through what causes displacement, California state legal requirements, data and information resources, how to shape an anti-displacement strategy for your jurisdiction and how to talk to the community about displacement and what is being done to address it.
Tools that can help
Use the tabs above or the links below to navigate the sections of this Quick Guide. More content is coming soon!
What is displacement?
Explore what displacement looks like in Bay Area communities, from causes to impacts.
Developing a strategy
Walk through the process of designing and implementing a strategy, with guidance on how to get started, what to consider, and planning ahead.
What can we do about displacement?
Talking to your community about displacement
A framework for discussing displacement and tenant protections with the public.
Legal landscape
A high-level summary of California legal requirements and local recommendations.
Background information, technical assistance, templates, materials, data sources, and guidance for community partnerships.
About This Project
This website offers anti-displacement tools for local housing and planning staff in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. Resources are designed to help staff explore and implement new programs for tenant protections, displacement prevention, and support for property owners.
This effort is a collaborative project of 21 Elements and the Santa Clara County Planning Collaborative – a shared initiative among local governments in the two counties working to ensure that everyone in our communities have access to safe, secure, and affordable homes.
What do we mean by "displacement"?
Displacement is the involuntary relocation of households, generally due to rising housing costs or increasing cost of living. It is involuntary in the sense that it is caused by factors outside the control of the displaced households.
Forms of displacement
Direct Displacement
Direct displacement is when a person or family is forced to move because they are evicted or their building is torn down.
This is the most visible and immediate form of displacement, and can be extremely disruptive to the lives of those who are forced to move. Many of the programs and policies outlined in this Quick Guide offer ways jurisdictions can mitigate direct displacement through stronger tenant protections and other measures. However, keep in mind that many tenants often leave before they are formally evicted.
For more detailed information on direct displacement factors in the Bay Area see the BAHFA Anti-Eviction Study.
Indirect Displacement
Indirect or “soft” displacement is when a person or family leaves because they can no longer afford to stay in their home.
Indirect displacement is the most common form of displacement in many Bay Area communities due to rising rents. As housing costs get too high, middle- and low-income tenants move to find something they can afford. Because rents often rise across an entire neighborhood or area, people may be forced to move to a new neighborhood or an entirely new city, away from their social networks, jobs, schools, places of worship, and other important community assets. For people with limited resources, they might be forced to live on the street, in their car or doubled up with friends and family.
Cultural Displacement
Cultural displacement refers to the loss of neighborhood character and cultural assets that residents rely on.
Both direct and indirect displacement can lead to cultural displacement, as the character of a neighborhood changes and old residents and businesses are replaced with new ones. The people who are displaced are often lower-income households of color and immigrants, while the people moving in are often higher-income and white. As a result, even people who are able to stay may feel a sense of loss as their friends and neighbors leave, familiar businesses close, and their neighborhood transforms. For non-English speakers and immigrant communities, these losses can be particularly acute. While the reason that cultural institutions move varies (rising rents, changing land uses, loss of their customer base), the displacement impacts can be profound.
What About Gentrification?
Many people are familiar with the term gentrification, and some will have experienced gentrification. It is what we describe as “cultural displacement.”
Gentrification is used to describe people’s experience of new residents moving in, of rents and other costs rising, and new investment in their neighborhood for people other than themselves. It often reflects a sense of anger or resentment.
Useful resources for community education and conversation about gentrification are available from the Urban Displacement Project:
Video about what happens when new housing is constructed in a neighborhood (useful for a neighborhood meeting!)
What impact does displacement have?
Impacts to people who are displaced
People who are displaced may struggle for years with the impacts of involuntarily moving away from jobs, schools, social support networks, and more. Moving itself can be a significant financial burden.
- Cost of finding new housing and moving
- Decreased access to social and support networks
- In many cases, longer commutes to work, with added burdens of time and cost
- In some cases, loss of housing all together
Impacts to friends, family, and neighbors who remain
Even those who are not displaced can be directly impacted as friends, family, and neighbors move away.
- Loss of social and support networks
- Helping displaced friends find new accommodations
- Anxiety about facing similar circumstances and being forced to move
- A sense of guilt for being able to remain in place
- Sense of loss, sadness, and disconnection from their community
Impacts to the neighborhood and community
The larger community may struggle with losing access to amenities and eroding cultural diversity.
- Loss of affordable shopping, food, and services
- A sense of lost community
- Erosion of social and support networks
- Loss of cultural and economic diversity
Impacts to the local economy
Local businesses must contend with the potential loss of employees as well as the loss of customers.
- Potential loss of employees, or difficulty finding employees, especially for manual labor and service jobs
- Impact to employees and their productivity
- Loss of customers
- For some, pressure to close or relocate
Why does displacement happen?
Displacement has multiple causes, and is often driven by multiple factors working together. These factors are complex, intersecting, and vary between communities. Below is an overview of some of the major drivers of displacement in the Bay Area.
Overall housing production has failed to keep pace with economic and population growth.
The Bay Area as a whole–and most of its jurisdictions–have not built enough homes to accommodate job and population growth. The growing disparity between supply and demand has helped drive up rents and caused many residents to move in search of housing they can afford. This results in the displacement of long term residents, especially families and young adults, as new employees of higher paying companies compete for the same housing.
Not enough affordable housing has been built to meet regional needs.
Construction of deed-restricted affordable housing has not kept up with demand. The last Housing Element Cycle called for almost 190,000 new units of affordable housing in the Bay Area, but only 57,000 affordable units received construction permits. Meanwhile the next RHNA cycle for the Bay Area calls for over 250,000 affordable units, a high bar to meet considering the shortfall in the previous cycle.
Income Level | 5th Cycle Attainment | 5th Cycle Housing Element RHNA | 6th Cycle Housing Element RHNA |
---|---|---|---|
Very Low | 40% | 46,680 RHNA units | 114,442 RHNA units |
Low | 59% | 28, 940 RHNA units | 65,892 RHNA units |
Moderate | 62% | 33,420 RHNA units | 72,712 RHNA units |
Above Moderate | 209% | 78,950 RHNA units | 188,130 RHNA units |
The cost of housing is growing faster than incomes.
For middle- and low-income households, wages have risen at a much slower rate than the overall cost of living, especially housing costs. From 1970 to 2021, the cost of rent in the Bay Area increased by 96%, while the median income increased by only 25%. During the same time period, Bay Area households with the lowest 20% of incomes saw their wages decrease by 14%. (Adjusted for inflation, see MTC-ABAG’s Vital Signs for more data.) As inflation and market competition drive up rents and mortgage costs, existing residents with lower paying jobs struggle to find and stay in housing that meets their needs and they can afford.
Homes that were previously affordable are no longer available.
Many affordable homes are considered “naturally affordable,” which generally refers to older housing stock that does not cost as much to rent or buy as newer housing stock. However, in a housing market as competitive as the Bay Area, even older homes with few amenities and high maintenance requirements have gone up in cost, often significantly.
Few tenant protections currently exist.
As rents and sale prices increase, property owners might look to renovate older homes so that they can charge more, or simply look for opportunities to attract higher income tenants. Existing residents might also decide not to ask their landlord for standard maintenance or complain about rent increases, for fear of being evicted. They may even tolerate discrimination and harassment to avoid losing their home. Very few cities have effective tenant protection laws and enforcement support.
Public investments may inadvertently attract higher-cost redevelopment.
Public infrastructure investments like transit, parks, and street improvements are important and improve the quality of life in a neighborhood. However, they can sometimes have unintended consequences by attracting new development designed for higher income households. This can drive up costs in areas without adequate tenant protections, leading to more rapid displacement.
Private investment has de-localized rental markets.
As housing costs continue to rise, private investment firms have increasing financial leverage in a market that edges out small buyers. The ability of private investment firms to leverage multi-billion dollar assets for real estate purchases allows them to outbid smaller, local property owners. As landlords, private investment firms have little incentive to set rents or sale prices at affordable levels, and their ability to buy several investment properties at once can drastically accelerate displacement.
The region is still grappling with the negative impacts of segregation, redlining, and income inequality.
Historic practices of housing discrimination have established lasting patterns of racial and economic inequality that make low-income households of color particularly vulnerable to displacement today. See the Urban Displacement Project’s video “The Legacy of Redlining” for more information, using San Francisco as an example of the lasting impact these practices have had in Bay Area communities.
Detailed Guidance for Creating an Anti-Displacement Program
How to use this guide:
Starting at the beginning?
You can use this guide like a checklist, starting from the first section (Build your team) and proceeding through each phase for important questions to answer and tasks to complete.
Already have a strategy?
You can jump into this guide at any point, using the items below as frequently asked questions to support your work.
1. Build your team and partnerships
Click each item to see more details.
Which of our staff should advise on program development?
Identify key departments, programs and staff members that will need to be part of implementation, might be impacted by it, or who can bring valuable information or insights because they work with the population being served.
- Create a list of key staff members and share information on the new initiative.
- Decide whether they will be consulted as advisors, or if some of them might be involved in an ad-hoc project committee. Communicate everyone’s roles, the level of commitment, and how the outcome might benefit or impact them. Be sure to ask everyone on your list if there are others who should be involved or consulted.
- Determine when and how to involve the city attorney’s office or county counsel as well as the city manager’s office.
Who can we partner with?
Identify stakeholder groups that work with and represent the groups the program will serve and can provide input and guidance as well as potential partnership for implementation. Build a database of stakeholder contacts.
- Request recommendations and introductions from staff in other departments and programs.
- Your City or County’s Housing staff, or program coordinators for federal funding or will likely have a list of stakeholder groups they can share.
How can we leverage local partnerships?
Consider forming an Advisory Group of community organizations and stakeholders. These groups are often already providing key services and might play a role in the new program’s implementation. Their advice and partnership will contribute to a more effective and efficient program. An Advisory Group can help in the early stages with policy recommendations and resource review, as well as community outreach and advocacy.
- Invite key stakeholder groups to join the Advisory Group.
- Establish parameters for their roles, time commitment and how the group will operate.
- Consider providing compensation if possible for the contribution of their time and expertise.
- See South San Francisco’s Anti-Displacement Study as an example.
2. Map existing programs, commitments, and resources
Click each item to see more details.
What anti-displacement programs do we have in place (even if we don't call them that)?
Review existing programs and policies that engage with and support tenants. Work with staff to identify programs that are working well and can be expanded, and services that the jurisdiction is struggling to provide or populations that are hard to reach. This review can help build the scaffolding for new programs and uncover issues that must be resolved first.
- Discuss existing programs with key staff identified in step one.
- Review any relevant jurisdiction policies and programs, such as housing department policies and programs, family support services, affordable housing incentives, rental assistance programs, partnerships with services providers, etc.
What are the state legal requirements?
California provides some baseline tenant protections and program requirements. Local programs should ensure enforcement of the state requirements and consider strengthening them.
- California state law provides baseline “just cause” protections for tenants by limiting how evictions can be used. Jurisdictions should review the Just Cause Profile (COMING SOON!) to ensure they are in compliance with state law as well as to understand the limitations of that law and how a local policy and program can strengthen it.
Where are there gaps? What policies and programs are needed?
Review existing policy commitments and legal requirements. Regulations set in city or state code are an important starting point. Sometimes policies are in place, but enforcement is lacking. Sometimes the policy is weak or nonexistent. Be clear not only about what is missing, but also what isn’t working as well as it needs to.
- Review existing commitments from the Housing Element, Council/Supervisor, legal requirements, TOC policies, and any other relevant program commitments.
What's working well? What's not effective?
Existing programs may struggle with efficiency, impact, uptake, or reaching intended populations.
- Discuss program performance, issues and needs with key staff.
- Discuss program impact and community needs with stakeholder groups.
3. Document and understand needs
Click each item to see more details.
How do we learn what our community needs?
Collect data on displacement risks. Identify neighborhoods and populations that are experiencing displacement as well as at higher risk for displacement. Quantitative data is valuable, but can be hard to acquire and confirm. Qualitative data is easier to get and very valuable, but requires time and is strongest when combined with quantitative data.
- Review the Urban Displacement Project’s Housing Precarity Risk Model to identify areas within your community with elevated displacement risk.
- Review BAHFA’s Eviction Study.
- Map census data for your jurisdiction to identify areas where housing overpayment is high, where rental housing is prevalent, and other data that can help identify at-risk areas.
- Identify areas where property values are rising, rents are going up, and interest in redevelopment is strongest in coordination with your planning staff, local developers and realtors, and community organizations.
- Partner with community organizations to engage people who have experienced displacement as well as people at high risk of displacement. Work with them to organize focus group discussions or interviews in a safe setting where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, views and ideas.
- Consider conducting a survey with the broader community about their experiences of displacement and attitudes about it.
How should we get feedback from local stakeholders?
Contact existing service providers and partners as well as potential new partners. Many jurisdictions have relationships with organizations that provide services to individuals or families in crisis. These providers can be a good source of information on which communities are at risk of displacement, what their needs are, and how existing or new programs can help.
- Contact service providers who work in your jurisdiction to get their insight into vulnerable communities and what programs and services are needed.
- Ask housing staff for contacts and introductions, especially CDBG coordinators and city or county housing staff.
- Consider hosting a focus group of service providers to facilitate dialogue between them about where the needs are greatest and their perspectives on what is working, what is not, and what is needed.
How should we involve the public?
Consider additional public outreach efforts to gather feedback from the larger community and to build a broader understanding of what displacement is and why it’s an important issue for local government to address.
- Build on previous outreach and engagement from your housing element, CDBG funding initiatives, your county’s Consolidated Plan and any other related efforts. Consider replicating what was most effective in reaching the broadest audience.
- Partner with community organizations, faith-based groups and others to help get the word out and to reach people where they are at (instead of having to go to a special meeting).
- Discuss available local outreach and engagement platforms with your city’s Public Information/Communications Office.
4. Identify existing capacity and gaps
Click each item to see more details.
What do we have capacity for?
Review available budgets and staff resources. Various departments may have an interest in supporting new programs, depending on what is proposed. Note that programs vary widely in their cost to implement and administer. Sometimes new investment will be needed, or existing efforts and resources will need to be repurposed. In some cases, programs might be able to leverage local resources and staff time by working with regional efforts and/or community partners.
- Map out existing capacity as well as capacity gaps and opportunities in discussion with key staff.
What existing regional efforts and resources exist?
Identify statewide, regional and cross-jurisdictional programs that can be tapped into for support, funding and other resources.
- Reach out to regional networks and organizations for recommendations of existing programs and resources that could support work specific to your jurisdiction.
- Review the Resources Directory (COMING SOON!).
5. Align on priorities for action
Click each item to see more details.
What are reasonable program goals?
Based on needs, budget, and capacity, set reasonable but impactful goals for your anti-displacement efforts overall and for its specific components. What can be implemented given available resources and the political landscape? Goals should be clearly defined, measurable and realistic.
- Map out program goals based on community needs and available capacity with key staff.
What programs and policies could we adopt?
Consider what programs might be most effective at meeting your goals. While you likely already have some in mind, it can help to review other options.
- Talk to staff from neighboring jurisdictions about programs they are considering or already implementing. What have they found to be the most impactful, workable and popular?
What programs and policies should we adopt?
Identify program and policy options that will address local needs. Based on data collected on local context and needs, that will have the biggest impact for communities at high risk of displacement. Some programs may represent easy wins that are relatively low effort to implement, while other, more complicated programs will require more detailed planning.
How can we increase reach?
Use the feedback and data collected to continue, expand or create new programs and policies to address service gaps in existing programs. If some existing efforts are not effective, decide whether to discontinue them and reallocate that funding and staff capacity, or redesign them to be more effective.
Who will help the policy or program succeed?
Clearly identify the roles of specific staff, departments, and partners in program creation and implementation. Outlining roles and responsibilities early will help to assess capacity and support problem solving.
- Discuss options for implementation roles and responsibilities with key staff.
- Consider the level of investment needed to put the program in place and operate it over time, evaluating options for in-house implementation vs. contracting, or a hybrid.
- Consider committing to a 2- or 3-year pilot initiative, with evaluation of the initiative built-in to measure performance and identify how to extend its impact.
Is there support for the program?
Gauge the political appetite for potentially controversial programs. Discuss options with elected officials and community leaders to identify likely issue areas and opportunities to leverage advocacy networks.
- Discuss program options with elected officials, community leaders, stakeholder groups and the public.
- Collect feedback on opportunities for support and expected issue areas.
- Strategize options for addressing expected issues and building support for adoption and implementation.
- Talk with staff from neighboring communities about their experience adopting specific programs.
How do we budget for funding and staff capacity?
Outline program costs and staffing needs and compare with the existing capacity of departmental budgets, staff time, and partner resources.
- Discuss implementation of similar programs with staff from neighboring jurisdictions.
6. Develop and adopt policies, programs, and systems
Click each item to see more details.
Should the program be formally adopted by City Council/Board of Supervisors?
Assess whether the adoption of a new program may require a City Council/Board of Supervisors ordinance or resolution.
- Discuss adoption requirements and options with the City Manager’s office and the city attorney or county counsel.
How do we build support for adoption?
Discuss the program and community needs with elected officials early and often to help pave the way for smooth program adoption.
- Using strategies created through work with community leaders and elected officials to build support and advocacy for program adoption.
How can we make the adoption process easier?
Use sample staff reports, ordinances, and policy memos from other cities and regional resource networks to reduce the burden on staff time.
7. Implement!
Click each item to see more details.
How will we know if the program is successful?
Identify measurable goals, such as number of households contacted or instances of services provided.
- Draft measurable impact metrics using data on community needs collected during previous steps.
- Discuss draft metrics with key city staff and stakeholder groups.
Who will staff the program?
Identify key city departments and staff who will administer the program. Staff will be key to managing a successful program.
- Discuss staffing with key staff and department leads.
- Develop plans for staffing and document it.
How will the program function on a day-to-day basis?
Map out program procedures and staff structure. These will be heavily dependent on the size and complexity of the new program.
- Map out day-to-day management with the staff team.
- Assign project roles and record responsibilities.
How do we maintain our partnerships?
Work with partner organizations to map out collaboration including roles, responsibilities, reporting and accountability mechanisms, and support needs.
- Plan for day-to-day functioning of partnerships in discussion with staff team and stakeholder groups.
How do we let people know about the program?
Develop an outreach plan – a program is only useful if the community knows about it.
- Identify effective outreach methods for the target communities in partnership with stakeholder organizations.
- Plan for initial launch publicity and ongoing outreach and education.
8. Commit to ongoing improvement
Click each item to see more details.
How will we track progress?
Create systems for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of program impact and efficiency. This will require consistent qualitative and quantitative data collection, so opportunities for feedback and evaluation should be built into everyday program processes. This can be as simple as a feedback form for community members accessing services, or a tracking system used by program administrators. Monitoring systems should be designed to help staff understand the direct impact of the program and areas for improvement.
- Identify impact metrics with staff team and partner organizations.
- Create opportunities for public feedback of provided services.
- Create a tracking system for ongoing evaluation of impact metrics.
How do we share updates on the program?
Map out a process for reporting back regularly to both elected officials and the community. This can be a template document, slide deck, webpage, or other format that is accessible and useful for outreach and advocacy. This reporting process can help build trust between city departments and community members, and represents an opportunity for additional outreach and education.
- Plan a schedule and method for reporting in coordination with the staff team and Council staff.
What are the benefits of monitoring and reporting?
Leverage progress for program support and funding. Ongoing evaluation and reporting can be helpful for applying for public and private funding sources.
- Identify opportunities for additional funding through discussions with regional organizations, community groups, and other stakeholders.
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