Teacher Housing Program

Mayor Gonzales' Innovative Teacher Housing Program Gains Unanimous Support From City Council

San José, CA March 17, 1999 - Mayor Ron Gonzales' plan to help San José teachers purchase their first home drew praise from teachers, community members, and his council colleagues at last night's San José City Council meeting. The Teacher Housing Program is the second proposal initiated by Mayor Gonzales to help reach his goal of making San José the most teacher friendly city in California.

The Silicon Valley's housing is among the nation's most expensive, making it very difficult for teachers to afford to live in the area. Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, applauded the plan and reminded those present, "that teachers are among the most influential people in children's lives. We need to make it easier to be a teacher in San José." Several teachers provided personal testimony to the difficulty they have saving enough to afford a home in the area.

The greatest obstacle to homeownership is the ability to gather a down payment. The Teacher Housing Program offers down payment assistance to first time home buyers who are San José teachers. In teacher focus groups conducted by the Mayor Gonzales' staff, teachers expressed a desire to live closer to their schools. "We all benefit when teachers live in the same communities where they teach," said Mayor Gonzales.

Mayor Gonzales has made recruitment and retention of a quality teacher workforce for San José a high priority. San José competes with other cities for the best teachers. This Teacher Housing Program will further the commitment to recruitment efforts of San José school districts and also show dedication to retention of good teachers. The San José City Council demonstrated its commitment to education through the approval last month of Mayor Gonzales' Future Teachers Scholarship Program.

The Teacher Housing Program will be funded with $2 million from redevelopment funds that are dedicated to moderate income housing.