The Tri-Valley Anti-Poverty Collaborative (TVAPC) works to end poverty in the Tri-Valley, with a particular focus on the cities of Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton. TVAPC functions as a multi-sector collaborative, working with its partners to educate the community on the needs specific to the Tri-Valley. TVAPC focuses its work in four key areas: housing, health, education, and food security.  An estimated 10% of Tri-Valley residents are struggling financially, according to Kristi Miller, Project Manager for TVAPC.

“Often this struggle is hidden within wealthy suburbs, where those in need are increasingly marginalized,” says Miller.

To support nonprofits that provide direct services to families in need, TVAPC works to help organizations share information and promote collaboration.  Most recently TVAPC has used its quarterly meetings as a platform for local organizations to report their responses to Covid-19 and share information about emerging community needs.  TVAPC also provides community education on the need for affordable housing and a robust safety net.

According to the 2019 Tri-Valley Housing Displacement Report created for the cities of Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton, “residential displacement has occurred, is occurring, and is at a high risk of occurring for lower-income households.” The business community and community at large should be concerned about the high cost of living, especially the high cost of housing, as those factors make it more difficult to recruit and retain employees, according to Miller. Those costs also displace workers, pushing them to less expensive regions, such as the Central Valley. That, in turn, creates more traffic, greater air pollution, and a compromised quality of life for workers and their families.

“The downstream impacts on those who are struggling to make ends meet are significant and can lead to the increased reliance on community resources for food, housing assistance, assistance for healthcare, and a variety of economic supports,” notes Miller. “When these supports are not available or are insufficient, individuals must make choices about where to cut their expenses, often resulting in compromised health and living situations.”

Increases in housing options, affordable to all income levels, would assist dramatically in offsetting these issues, according to Miller. “The economic impacts of Covid-19 are just emerging, but preliminary reports show disproportionate economic impacts to workers of color and low-wage workers, particularly those working in the service industry. These individuals were already struggling to afford the high cost of living.”

In 2013, Kaiser Permanente, the East Bay Leadership Council, the East Bay Community Foundation, and Hacienda Helping Hands, Hacienda’s community engagement initiative, came together to start what would become the Tri-Valley Anti-Poverty Collaborative. Since that time, TVAPC has engaged with more than 250 member organizations and individuals working across a variety of sectors including non-profits and safety net services, government, school districts, community, businesses, the faith community, and area residents.

“Hacienda residents and business tenants can support safety net service providers in the Tri-Valley with cash donations or by volunteering,” notes Miller. “Another way to help the Tri-Valley community is to support policy decisions that will assist those in need and promote upstream change creating a stronger community and economy for everyone.”

Upcoming events include a virtual District 1 Candidate Forum on October 7 at 7:00 pm, which TVAPC is co-hosting. On October 8 at 7:00 pm, TVAPC is hosting a virtual event called Toward an Affordable Housing Strategy for the Tri-Valley in collaboration with Innovation Tri-Valley and Genesis of the Tri-Valley.  A quarterly meeting, which is also open to the public, is scheduled for November.

For more information about these events and the Tri-Valley Anti-Poverty Collaborative, please visit www.tvapc.org or see its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TVAPC.

To register for the virtual District 1 Candidate Forum, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/genesis-of-the-tri-valley-alameda-county-district-1-candidate-forum-registration-117303113771.

To join the virtual Toward an Affordable Housing Strategy for the Tri-Valley event, use this link: www.us02web.zoom.us/j/4388493175.