What is BLACK HAT?
The Black Housing Advisory Taskforce (Black HAT) is a coalition of over 80 Black-led organizations in California focused on improving housing and economic development for Black communities. They have identified investment priorities in homeownership, neighborhoods, homelessness, development, and reparations. Black HAT aims to shape the future of Black California through coordinated strategies and government support.
Why did BLACK HAT come together?
Black Communities are the hardest hit by California’s housing crisis due to decades of systemic racism and disinvestment.
Black communities in California have long been denied access to wealth, prosperity, and opportunity, including homeownership and affordable housing. Discrimination, redlining, unequal access to wealth and jobs, and systemic issues have disadvantaged Black people in the state's housing market for generations. Additional factors like eminent domain, predatory lending, and state-sanctioned housing discrimination have further contributed to severe disparities in wealth, housing stability, and health.
Disproportionate Homelessness: Impact on Black Californians
No major California ethnic group is as over-represented in the state’s homeless count as Black people, and of the more than 150,000 Californians who experience homelessness on any given night, nearly 30 percent are Black. Read More
Wave of Displacement: Challenges for Black Residents
In the last 30 years, Black residents have faced a tidal wave of displacement. Black people are moving away from their networks, supports, schools, services, jobs, and possibly even families to find affordability. While the places of migration may be more affordable, families may need additional support and navigation than these communities can support for a sustained quality of life.
Black HAT Coalition came together because these statistics, generational health disparities and inequities are scary and disappointing. They came together and created a new solution led by Black-led organizations.
California Statewide Black Housing Fund
We have an unprecedented opportunity to secure the future of Black communities in California through the first-ever statewide Black Housing Fund.
We need to fix housing disparities and prevent Black displacement in California. The California Black Housing Fund aims to make housing more accessible and affordable for Black families, with $300 million per year for five years in the state budget. This historic fund focuses on expanding capital for Black developers and supporting organizations that serve Black communities. It will increase homeownership, reduce rent burden, and enable community planning for future projects. By investing in greater housing options for Black Californians, all Californians benefit. The fund can serve as a model for addressing long-standing inequities and improving Black communities' health and well-being.
We envision a California with thriving, healthy, resilient Black communities—where all Black people have a home.
We aim to create thriving, resilient Black communities in California with secure homes for all. We need elected officials to support us in rebuilding Black commercial districts, recovering from housing losses, and delivering affordable housing. Our vision includes strong neighborhoods with new homes and businesses, rooted in robust institutions. To achieve this, we must address past and ongoing harm from anti-Black policies and practices. With the support of BARHII, we developed a strategy to establish a statewide Black Housing Fund. Our mission is to protect and sustain Black communities, addressing housing needs and creating inter-generational wealth and health. Stable housing will promote workforce development, access to services, and upward mobility.
Black HAT Advisory Board
Nikki Beasley, Executive Director of Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
Carol Burton, Executive Director of Jeweld Legacy
Shomari Carter, Shomari Carter Consulting
Regina Davis, Regina Davis Consulting
Donald Gilmore, Executive Director of Community Housing Development Corporation
Debra Gore-Mann, Executive Director of Greenlining Institute
Arlene Hipp, Community Advisor
Melissa Jones, Executive Director of Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative
Shahidah Lacy, Supervisor Keith Carson’s Office
Monique LeSarre, Executive Director of Rafiki Coalition
Tomiqua Moss, Executive Director of All Home
Lea Murray, Exeutive Director of Collaborising
Rhonda Renfro, Executive Director of Club Stride
Vince Steele, Supervisor Keith Carson’s Office
Regina Williams, Executive Director of SV@Hom