The League urges the Council to work with developers and non-profit organizations to meet Fremont's ABAG goals for affordable housing, especially in the low income and extremely low income categories. The need for affordable housing is apparent when the 60 unit Oroysom Village has 864 families on its waiting list.

The type of the affordable housing that Fremont needs to continue to produce can be found at 159 Washington, at Irvington Terrace, and at the Maple Street complex. They are places where people are proud to live, and are housing stock that Fremont can be proud to have. 

The public needs clear information about what affordable housing actually is. They need to know that affordable housing means well-planned new construction or refurbishing of older units, all of which are under the management of non-profits whose job it is to see that the complexes are well run and in good condition. The current perception is that old run-down apartments owned by absentee landlords constitutes affordable housing. While the rents are low in these units, the livability and maintenance are lacking. They are a blight on some neighborhoods and give low rent housing a face that neighbors do not want near them – and rightly so. They need to be cleaned up and brought up to code. We believe that with proper refurbishing and management, housing for low and extremely low income people will actually help blighted areas recover and become assets for Fremont.

Providing affordable housing and senior housing will help make Fremont a well-rounded community. It will allow our children, our elders and the people who work hard in the service industries to find a place in our community. 

Please use your creativity to find ways to work with other agencies to plan and build Fremont's fair share of affordable housing in every category so every resident of Fremont no matter their income level has the opportunity to find the stability of a home in our city.