Dear Friend of CCHO,
Two historic events have touched many of us in the past year. Rene Cazenave passed away in June 2010. And the second Community Congress was held in August. With both we can reflect on the past and on the future. Thirty-two years ago CCHO’s leaders were young and the housing movement was young. Today the Council of Community Housing Organizations has a three-decade legacy of work at the forefront of the fight for housing justice in San Francisco, and the Congress demonstrated the depth of the movement’s growth and the breadth of leadership among both veterans and newer generations. The fire is still strong.
We are in a transition process, and beginning this Fall we are bringing new blood to CCHO, moving the CCHO office to a city-center location, and building a new formal Friends of CCHO network of supporters. Peter Cohen and Fernando Martí are joining the CCHO staff to work alongside Calvin through this transition into 2011. It is important, however, to reiterate that the CCHO steering committee and leadership from the full array of member organizations are the backbone of CCHO—our “staff” have never been alone.
It is essential for CCHO to build capacity if the affordable housing movement and non-profit infrastructure are to be sustained at the high level it has achieved, while at the same time maintaining CCHO’s traditional policy advocacy program. CCHO has always had a very humble budget—and while the staffing transition means the organization’s budget must increase, we will continue the tradition of a brass tacks operation and disciplined fiscal management.
Make no mistake about it: the Council of Community Housing Organizations is an institution built for the long haul, continuing to lay the groundwork for the local affordable housing community and keeping San Francisco as a beacon in the broader movement. But in this new chapter of the organization, we must turn to extraordinary Friends of CCHO like you to keep the fire burning. We hope we can count on your partnership.
CCHO needs your help. We are asking that CCHO activists, staff of organizations, and allies of the affordable housing movement do their part to support the ongoing work by making a personal contribution to CCHO. Please take a moment to make a donation to help fuel our work into the future. In sincere appreciation,
Calvin Welch
Co-founder, CCHO
