Nuestro Momento, Nuestra Misión, ?VIVA MEDA! 51 Anniversary Celebration Remarks

Welcome to ?VIVA MEDA!

It is my absolute honor to be standing here before you as MEDA’s Chief Executive Officer.?I am so happy to be welcoming each and everyone of you to MEDA’s 51st Anniversary celebration.?

Our MEDA, your MEDA, just keeps on keeping on.

At this birthday party we are celebrating MEDA, but really this occasion is about spending time together with you – our family, our friends, our partners, our clients, our tenants.?We know that MEDA’s work would not be possible without your care, your friendship, your partnership and your trust.???

On this, our 51st anniversary, we are highlighting a decade of MEDA’s ambitious work as an affordable housing developer, and our bold strategy to reverse displacement.??But before I share more about our housing work, I’m? going to recognize some special people who are with us tonight.??

First, we have Attorney General Rob Bonta who is tonight’s? keynote speaker. ? I am very much looking forward to his remarks.??Earlier today I also saw my friend, Recorder/Assessor, Joaquin Torres.? While he serves all San Franciscans, Latinos are top of mind for him. We also have District 7 Supervisor, a MEDA alumni and our good friend,? Myrna Melgar.???And, with us tonight, we have District 10 Supervisor, Shamann Walton who is the biggest champion for his district.?We also have District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.? A couple of our projects are in his district.?Finally, we have Stephanie Cajina, Board Vice-Chair for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.??

I also want to acknowledge several friends joining us from out of town, including: Arnulfo Manriques, CEO of the MAAC Project who is here from San Diego; Orson Aguilar, CEO of the newly created Latino Prosperity, and prior MEDA Board Chair,? is here from Los Angeles; Johanna Alvarez, Director of HICA’s Loan Fund, is joining us all the way from Alabama.??

Closer to home, I want to welcome my friend, Chris Iglesias, CEO of the Unity Council. Additionally, I want to take a moment to recognize Maurilio Leon, a champion of affordable housing who sadly is no longer with us.? At the very end of his life, I got to know him as a caring friend and a strong leader.?

Lastly, and most importantly, we have my wife Joann, and my daughter Anna.? They hear first hand all that happens at MEDA – the wins and the challenges. ? Regardless, they are always there for me.???

Now, let me share a little bit of MEDA’s history to provide some context for tonight’s remarks.??Did I just see Orson rolling his eyes thinking: Oh no! Here goes Luis again?

So you know that MEDA has evolved to become an asset building powerhouse, serving nearly 20,000 people per year, a backbone organization for the neighborhood. We are also developing policies that are equitable and responsive to the needs of low-income San Franciscans, and we are now sharing our practices across this country.?

But let me take you back to 1973 when MEDA was created to support small businesses.? At around the same time, Mission Housing was created specifically to develop housing.?For nearly 27 years that’s how things worked – we, business; they, housing.?

Then, the dotcom boom in the early 2000s upended that dynamic when displacement of businesses and families was a daily experience in the Mission.?It was then that MEDA’s housing work began not as a developer, but with our homeownership services to help Latinos access the few affordable homeownership opportunities available in San Francisco.???

The next inflection of our housing work occurred in 2012? when MEDA started the Mission Promise Neighborhood – an initiative focused on improving children’s academic achievement.?As we, and our partners, worked to improve students’ academic success, parents were concerned about their poor housing conditions or about being displaced.

How could their children perform well in school when their families were facing? eviction???

So, we approached the City of San Francisco about explicitly including affordable housing as part of? the Mission Promise Neighborhood.??Also, since Mission Housing had paused developing housing in the Mission, no affordable housing had been built in the neighborhood for over a decade.??

So, we stepped up, and fought for MEDA to become an? affordable housing developer.??And just like back in 1973, we were told by a number of people that housing was not for us.??We were encouraged to stay in our lane.?

However,?after sharing data on the disproportionate impact of displacement on Latinos, after the Mission took over City Hall, and?after sponsoring a housing ballot initiative,?it was then that Mayor Ed Lee gave the green light for MEDA to develop housing.??

Our audacity, persistence and endurance finally paid off.??In? 2014, Karoleen Feng created MEDA’s Community Real Estate Department.??

Since then, we have been very busy with our housing work with three strategies.???

Are you ready for some numbers????First, we renovated and now co-own 5 buildings previously owned by the Housing Authority resulting in our first 439 units.?Then, through the Small Sites Program, we have purchased 41 apartment buildings for a total of 397 units. Also, we have built four new construction buildings totaling 494 units.??And, finally, we have four more new construction buildings in the works totaling an additional 1,190? units.???

I am happy to share that we are developing one of these new projects – the Marvel in the Mission, a 400-unit building – in partnership with Mission Housing. ? We have come full circle in our relationship.? There is no more telenovela to be told here.?

You want more numbers?? I’ll give you more numbers.?

Through our affordable housing work, we have also secured 58 commercial spaces that provide long-term leases to small businesses and non-profit organizations — and now, we house 10 of our community partners.? In total, in 10 years, we have developed a housing portfolio of over 2,500 units — housing over 12,000 people.??

These numbers alone are a reason to celebrate!?

Becoming an affordable housing developer has been a heavy lift that required much vision and teamwork.??We could not have accomplished this without our dedicated board of directors and staff.??Our Board of Directors is made up of a great group of people who take their job very seriously to ensure that MEDA? meets its legal, ethical and financial obligations.???Can our board stand up?? Let's give them a round of applause.?

And, of course, I also? want to thank our incredible MEDA team.??Their dedication, their knowhow and results are second to none. ? They are also good people to work with.?Coming to work with them inspires me to show up ready to roll up my sleeves each and every day. Can our staff stand up? so that people can thank you for all your great work?

I can keep on talking about the various housing triumphs and challenges of the last 10 years, but again, it is all about the people who live in these? units.??Let me share a few examples with you.??

María has lived with her husband and three children for 19 years at one of our apartment buildings. ? Maria and her teenage daughter each faced serious health issues during the pandemic.? As they fell behind on their rent our team helped them access relief funds that allowed them to catch up.? Because they lived in one of our buildings, their housing was secure.??

Then, there is Evelyn who has lived in the same apartment for 40 years.? This is where she raised her children and her grandchildren.? Before MEDA’s acquisition of the apartment building, she and the rest of the tenants were facing eviction.? Now, as a senior, Evelyn and her family have the peace of mind that their housing situation is stable.??

Elena and her family of three were displaced and had to move out of the Mission.? MEDA staff helped them through the housing lottery application process, and now she lives at one of our new construction sites.? She was ecstatic when she found out that she could move into a brand new apartment in the neighborhood where she belongs.?

Don Raul has been a baker at a Mission District bakery for decades, and was about to lose his apartment. ? Luckily, he was able to move into one of our brand new apartment buildings. He is happy to be able to live the remainder of his life in the neighborhood he loves among his friends and family.

Again, these are just a few examples of families, who because of their stable, affordable housing, are able to live humble, dignified lives. These are children who get to be children, and who get to focus on their school work.?These are parents who do not have to work three jobs to pay the rent.?These are families who are able to weather illnesses and other life events without the threat of eviction.?These are senior citizens who get to live in peace and calm. We have over 2,500 of these stories.???

Again, these stories, these families, are something for us to celebrate.?

So, what is next for MEDA? I can tell you that we are not stopping.??We will continue to move forward, and buy more real estate and develop more affordable housing.?As such, we must continue to envision the kind of Mission District we want.??

Envision a Mission where low-income Latinos live in quality, affordable housing without the threat of eviction; parents have quality jobs, build wealth and are able to spend time with their children; people of all ages are civically engaged, and those of age vote; local-serving businesses flourish and strengthen our commercial corridors; community partners thrive and are fully engaged in fulfilling their mission.???

As we achieve our collective vision, the Mission District will continue to serve as a model for other Latino communities throughout this country.

Again, tonight is a celebration of MEDA turning 51 years old, and a decade of our affordable housing work.?And, like I said earlier, it’s the people here who make tonight special and joyous:? our family, our friends, our tenants, our partners.?

But what’s a celebration without a mariachi?? So, at my request, we started the night with Mariachi Nueva Generacion.??Later on you will hear music from Susana y la Orchestra Adelante.? Plus, DJ Mr. Lucky.??

We also have a lot of tasty food and very strong drinks.?

I really hope you enjoy MEDA’s 51st Anniversary celebration.??Que viva MEDA!