The Executive Committee of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC) and its Executive Director, Tim Colen, have announced Mr. Colen’s decision to step down after 11 years and following the 2016 November General Election. Established in 1999, the SFHAC has become San Francisco’s preeminent housing policy and advocacy organization that works for the creation of more housing to meet the needs of all San Franciscans, present and future.
The SFHAC Executive Committee Chair Joe Olla (Nibbi Brother Contractors), said in a statement, “The board wants to express its tremendous gratitude to Tim for his years of service, vision, and leadership. During his tenure, SFHAC has grown enormously. His leadership has given the organization long-term fiscal stability and increased its visibility among the San Francisco’s housing and advocacy communities. Tim is an incredibly passionate housing advocate and his commitment to the production of well-designed and well-located housing at all levels of affordability has been an inspiration to all who have had the pleasure of working with him.”
Since he came on board in 2005, SFHAC has had an impressive list of housing achievements, among some of them:
- Grown its membership from 35 to over 300
- Grown from a single person to a staff of four
- Endorsed 47,500 new homes, of which 30% are affordable or BMR
- Passed the Market-Octavia and Eastern Neighborhoods plans
- Passed the Hunters Point Shipyard, Park Merced and Treasure Island projects
- Helped write and pass two student housing ordinances
- Worked to pass Prop C – Mayor Lee’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund
- Helped pass micro-unit legislation as well as local CEQA reform
In a statement, Mr. Colen said, “I have not lost any of my passion for finding solutions to the central challenges of our time – making cities work better and more fairly. The importance of housing production and SFHAC’s role in this will only continue to grow. The SFHAC is an amazing idea and has done important things. This is the right time for a new leader to continue this journey.”
Mr. Colen will continue to lead SFHAC’s advocacy efforts through the November election, and is participating in a thoughtful succession plan that is underway. This includes continuing to assist SFHAC as and advisor and mentor to the new Executive Director and the staff.
SF consulting firm Schaffer&Combs is leading the search process for SFHAC. The Position Description can be found here, and all interested candidates are encouraged to apply.
