HOUSING ELEMENT
2022 UPDATE
How You Can Participate
Surveys
The City has posted links to online surveys designed to solicit input on housing needs and goals. The first online survey took place in February/March and the second survey in September. Survey results will be posted in the Resources section.
Community Meetings
Webinars and Virtual Meetings were utilized in place of in person outreach in accordance with CDC guidelines for in-person meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Website
Regular updates, informative written materials and videos, meeting notices and drafts of the Housing Element document have been posted on this website, which is the central hub for information sharing.
Email Updates
An email update has been created and sent on a regular basis to the Housing Element contact list. The email updates inform recipients about community meetings, document progress, and Planning Commission and City Council meetings.
Social Media
Followers on the City on Facebook and Instagram pages receive regular updates on progress and reminders about opportunities to participate, along with findings from research and public meetings.
Housing issues affect the entire community — residents, employers, and the public and private sectors. Your participation is an opportunity to engage the City in a dialogue — defining problems and creating solutions.
The inclusion of community members in the housing element public participation process helps ensure appropriate housing strategies are more efficiently and effectively evaluated, developed, and implemented.
Our Public Outreach Principles
Information on the Housing Element update will be made available on a variety of platforms and will be written in easy to understand language.
Accessible
Information
All sectors of the community will be encouraged to participate, with special efforts made to ensure that seniors, individuals with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income households have access to the online resources being used to gather input.
Equitable
Engagement
The dates for meetings and opportunities for online engagement and education will be clear and easy to find on the Housing Element website and the City’s social media accounts.
Transparent
Communication
The Housing Element update activities will be carried out in the spirit of positive and constructive engagement between the City and its residents, in order to develop effective solutions to address the community’s housing needs.
Constructive
Outreach
The Housing Element Will Engage:
Housing Equity
Ambassadors
Who They Are: Community leaders representing underserved groups and communities.
Their Role: Contribute meaningful input, perspective and opinions on behalf of community members whose housing needs are not typically met by the private market.
Housing Development Representatives
Who They Are: For-profit and non-profit housing developers, consultants, real estate professionals, technical experts, architects, mortgage lenders and banks.
Their Role: Lend a real world understanding of the constraints to housing development and the identification of appropriate strategies to address and mitigate those constraints.
Residents & Community Members
Who They Are: Chico residents, community members, neighborhood organizations, community serving organizations, and homeowner groups.
Their Role: Share their perspective on housing needs and the highest priority goals for the City to pursue, and inform the development of policies to support equitable and affordable housing environment for all Chico citizens.
Business Organizations & Educational Institutions
Who They Are: Chamber of Commerce, local business associations, hospital representatives, local schools and colleges.
Their Role: Provide input on how housing availability and cost impacts the local economy and educational systems.
Housing and Services Groups
Who They Are: Property management companies, property managers, local government and nonprofit agencies that provide housing and/or housing support services, tenant advocacy groups, homelessness and social service providers.
Their Role: Provide input on meeting the housing needs of those they represent and serve, with a focus on the development of meaningful policy actions.
Government Officials
Who They Are: City council, local officials, Housing Authority of the County of Butte and Planning Commission members.
Their Role: Participate in community conversations, hold public hearings on the Housing Element, make policy decisions and adopt the Housing Element.
How Will COVID-19 affect the Chico Housing Element 2022?
The community meetings designed to solicit input on needs and goals that would usually be held in person are being moved to online virtual sessions using the Zoom webinar and meeting platform, as well as online surveys. Every effort will be made to provide a positive and accessible online experience that allows for community members to learn, engage with others and provide input on the important topics needed to develop a Housing Element that addresses the needs of our community.