Measure Q is a 1% sales tax that has been sponsored by the Davis City Council for the November ballot and is expected to provide approximately $11,000,000 annually for general government use. The council cannot commit to using the funds for any specific purpose. However, the council has shared that these funds could be directed to infrastructure, emergency response, climate resilience, addressing homelessness and affordable housing among other things.
Interfaith Housing Justice Davis (IHJD) is an alliance of Christian, Jewish, Universalist/Unitarian and Muslim faith groups in Davis. While our faith traditions vary, we all share a deep conviction that God calls us to care for our neighbor, We understand that safe and secure housing is foundational to healthy families and a healthy community. Therefore we advocate for providing shelter to the unhoused, affordable rental housing for low and moderate incomes and offering for-purchase opportunities for 1st time home buyers especially those previously marginalized by redlining in the past. We envision a Housing Trust fund (HTF) that can help our city address these housing imperatives.
IHJD understands that passing Measure Q will not solve the affordable housing crisis in Davis but is the first step to developing a funding stream for the Housing Trust Fund. IHJD and the greater Davis community must then press our council to fund the HTF in an ongoing and significant fashion. If well-funded, our HTF could be the vehicle by which we provide programs that assist our fellow Davisites to stay housed, provide down payment assistance programs to get young families into Davis and to provide the gap funding needed by nonprofit affordable housing builders to build more affordable units.
Please join IHJD in supporting Measure Q and use your voice to advocate for funding the HTF.
Ellen Kolarik co-chair Interfaith Housing Justice Davis
