Chico Chamber & Chico Builders Have the Wrong Answer
Regarding the Chico ER’s story, “Chico business community focusing on building; pandemic increases homeless concerns”, 2/2/2021
The Chico Chamber of Commerce and Chico Builders Association have their priorities in the wrong order. The Chico Chamber of Commerce released a special report last week featuring a goal of increasing higher-end single-family housing, despite Butte County’s dire need for affordable housing.
In the February 2nd Chico Enterprise Record article “Chico business community focusing on building; pandemic increases homeless concerns”, Chamber of Commerce President Katy Thoma doubles down on this objective. She states that there is a need for “higher-level housing” for people migrating from “urban areas that are from higher income areas” because “they’re coming with cash, and they’re ready to go.” This is ironic considering that a dominating argument from the business community against providing services for unhoused people is that “they’re not from here” (although the Point-In-Time Survey shows that most unhoused folks were last housed in Butte County).
Chico Builders Association Executive Director Kate Leyden is on the same page. Her focus is on “workforce housing”, but instead of prioritizing housing for our existing struggling workforce, she plans to entice higher-income workers to move to Chico from out of the area.
What use is it to develop our economy if none of us can afford to live here any longer? Who will build these houses if construction workers can’t afford their own home? Our neighbors in the Bay Area are welcome here of course, but before we build specifically to suit folks who are thinking of relocating to our community, we need to build homes for Butte County residents. Especially survivors of the Camp Fire and Bear Fire.
We agree with Leyden’s statement that “We need all kinds of housing. We can’t focus on just one kind of housing,” and that “a healthy economy requires all kinds of housing,” and we encourage the Chico Builders Association to create housing at all income levels rather than just the highest bidder.
Finally, Thoma acknowledges how significant of an issue homelessness is. However, her concern about the issues seems confined to unhoused people being unsightly, inconvenient, and scary. “Every single day, we were having to step over people to get into our office in the day,” she said, adding that it was “very traumatizing” when an unsheltered person was found dead in the foyer of an adjacent suite.
The Chamber of Commerce and local developers have a very powerful influence on our community’s economy and politics, as seen in the recent election. So, why don’t they use their power to become a part of the solution?
