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Nov 7, 2024 · 6 min read
Begins With Home: Local Storytellers Champion Solutions to California’s Housing Crisis
The Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative premiered powerful short films in the CZI Community Space.
Maria and her husband spent more than 40 years tending to the flower and lettuce crops of Pescadero, a small town 14 miles south of Half Moon Bay. Like many farmworkers across California, they lived for decades on the property in which they worked. So when her husband was laid off from his job last year, they were also suddenly forced out of their housing, which was tied to his employment.
“It was the worst thing that could’ve happened to us,” said Maria. “Because unfortunately there is no housing available (in Pescadero) and the limited housing that’s available is way too expensive.”
The couple ultimately found a home to rent, though it was difficult. They worry that their rent will go up and price them out of their home, particularly as they continue to rely mostly on Maria’s income working at a local grocery store to make ends meet.
Maria now spends some of her limited free time organizing with Puente de la Costa Sur, fighting for affordable housing for other farmworkers, so that everyone in their community has a safe, stable and affordable place to call home. Maria’s story was among several showcased at a recent film screening in the CZI Community Space titled “Stories of Home.” The screening marked the completion of the first Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative, a project of the Begins with Home campaign.
Launched in fall 2023 by housing affordability organizations and CZI grantees All Home and the Non-Profit Housing Association (NPH), the Begins with Home campaign aims to show the Bay Area that when it comes to building a future of housing justice, hope is possible and they have the power to make change happen by working together. The campaign’s Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative is designed to empower and engage storytellers, strengthen video production skills within the housing justice movement, and build narrative power, so that people can see and believe in a future where everyone can afford to live and thrive in the Bay Area.
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James, one of the Bay Area residents featured in the Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative, smiles after seeing his short film debut in the CZI Community Space.
Edie Irons and Veronica Marquez of All Home, kick off the “Stories of Home” film screening.
Angelina, one of the Bay Area residents featured in the Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative, receives flowers as a thank you for her participation in the campaign.
Solomon, one of the Bay Area residents featured in the Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative, reflects on what having a home means to him.
Attendees watch a short film during the “Stories of Home” film screening.
Members of the Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative cohort, including organizational staff, storytellers, and videographers.
“We know that stories are a powerful tool to change hearts and minds and energize people to take action,” says Veronica Marquez, communications manager at All Home who helped lead the campaign. “We started this initiative to increase the capacity to do storytelling work effectively and ethically amongst the Bay Area housing justice movement. We are proud of what we have done together over the past several months, and are inspired by the storytellers who stepped up to share their own real and raw experiences with housing insecurity and highlight the real solutions happening in our communities.”
Earlier this year, All Home and NPH had conversations with community partners in the housing justice field to learn more about their needs around storytelling — a powerful strategy that can be hard to do well. All Home and NPH designed their initiative to help meet those needs, and put out a call to organizations interested in participating in the storytelling initiative.
Seven organizations working across the housing justice field were selected to participate. They include:
- Canal Alliance
- Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco
- MidPen Housing
- Puente de la Costa Sur
- San Francisco Community Land Trust
- SOS Richmond
- St. Mary’s Center
Participants received training and coaching earlier this year during a series of virtual and in-person workshops to learn best practices for narrative strategy and ethical storytelling, and develop a concept for a short video. They were then matched with local videographers who shot, edited, and produced the videos of Bay Area residents like Maria, in partnership with each organization. Trust was an essential part of the storytelling process, as advocates and filmmakers worked to produce the stories ethically and authentically, ensuring each community member had agency and input throughout the process.
“These stories and storytellers give me hope,” says Rob Avruch, senior program officer for housing affordability at CZI. “This project showcases what it looks like to build narrative power with, within and on behalf of communities impacted by our state’s housing affordability crisis. Through these stories, we can create a shift in what is possible and make a meaningful and material impact in the lives of those currently or at risk of experiencing housing insecurity.”
The film premiere was held at CZI’s Community Space on Sept. 17, where NPH and All Home celebrated the storytellers, filmmakers C.B. Smith, Kristin Tièche, Caron Creighton, and Estevan Padilla, and organizations who were part of the projects, and inspired others to use storytelling in the movement for housing justice.
Maria has a stable place to live for now, but she shared her story to help advocate for other farmworker families whose housing is still controlled by their employers.
“It gives me hope that people are waking up, they are raising their voices, and we are trying to get them to look at Pescadero,” she said. “It is more than just a beautiful place to visit. Pescadero has hard-working people, people who make an effort every day to get ahead, and who need to have a home and decent place to live. That gives me hope, knowing that maybe someone can hear us.”
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About the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities. Through collaboration, providing resources and building technology, our mission is to help build a more inclusive, just and healthy future for everyone. For more information, please visit chanzuckerberg.com.
