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It has been 30 years since Mill Valley has built a 100% affordable housing project.
However, a group of residents calling themselves “Friends of Hauke Park” claims the city’s proposed 45-unit affordable project at 1 Hamilton Drive is conflicting with the city’s duty to “affirmatively further fair housing” as required by state housing mandates.

The group recently filed a petition with Marin County Superior Court in an attempt to thwart the project. However, as the executive director for the Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California private nonprofit organization serving Marin, Sonoma and Solano counties, it is clear to me that the group is misapplying the principle.

This is far from a violation. The project would constitute an important first step toward furthering fair housing in Mill Valley.

Federal and state law mandates that cities like Mill Valley, in their housing element in all other relevant activities, affirmatively further fair housing. This requirement goes beyond nondiscrimination in housing, and it includes proactively taking action to “overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity” for communities of color, persons with disabilities, and others protected by fair housing law.

The petitioners seek to divide the city into “East Mill Valley” and “West” Mill Valley, or likewise divide the city by census tract. They claim it is a fair housing violation to choose to build the project in a census tract that has a 70% White population and a median family income of $124,083 (which are about median for Marin County) on the basis that the other census tracts in Mill Valley have an even greater White population and median income.

However, any way you slice it, the neighborhoods of Mill Valley are highly resourced, more affluent and less diverse as compared to the Bay Area as a whole. Developing affordable housing in any of these areas will serve to further housing opportunity and choice and overcome segregation, regardless of where other affordable housing is already located.

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​The California Mortgage Relief Program offers up to $80,000 in assistance to residents within specific income limits who have missed at least two mortgage payments or have overdue property taxes.
At the end of July, the delinquency cutoff date for missed payments was expanded from March 1 to Aug. 1, 2023.

“We understand many homeowners are still grappling with the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rebecca Franklin, president of the CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corp., in a statement. “Resetting the delinquency date means more families can now qualify for our program.”
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But due to limited outreach efforts, the program has gone somewhat under the radar, officials and advocates acknowledge. They say they are trying to get the word out to the many struggling homeowners who may benefit. 

They add that because of requirements including mortgage type and size, qualifying for the money can be more difficult in the Bay Area — one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. And even for those who may qualify, the application process can be daunting, advocates say.
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Here’s a look at the program and advice from officials and advocates on how to find out if you qualify, how to apply, and what to do if at first you don’t succeed.

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