Artists, Speak Up! Are Your Housing Needs Being Met?

by Community Leadership Development Manager Lucia Obregon


The community needs your help. Please take 10 minutes now to let the City know of your housing needs by answering the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) survey.

It’s not easy being an artist these days, especially when housing in the Mission and San Francisco is so expensive and out of reach. Let’s face it: artists in San Francisco are making an important contribution to our community. Just look around and open your eyes, ears and hearts and you will see what we mean.  

In the Mission, we are surrounded by many colorful and powerful murals adorning buildings in the neighborhood. These beloved murals comprise one of the largest open-air museums in the country. But what really characterizes the Mission are the neighborhood muralists who use their artistic skills to tell a community’s collective story.  

Like the Latino identity, no mural is alike: There isn’t a single political philosophy, culture or aesthetic. What these powerful murals offer is a sense of shared history and traditions — a perspective that speaks as much about the country at large as it does about San Francisco. Similarly,  dancers, musicians, poets, and actors all help to tell the story of a resilient community so that traditions continue.  

Housing crisis affecting artists
Unfortunately, housing prices in the Mission — and San Francisco overall — have risen beyond the means of most artists. Like many families in the city, artists are being displaced or live in less-than-ideal situations such as doubling up. To better understand the complex forces at play, SFAC is issuing an important 10-minute survey. This effort is to better understand our “local arts ecosystem, ensure equitable distribution of resources and pursue solutions to affordable housing for artists.”

Are your housing needs being met? Here’s your chance to speak out!
Having quality housing that is affordable and stable is one of the most important needs for MEDA’s community. Retaining the arts and culture of the Mission — what MEDA calls “cultural placekeeping” — is a vital part of the keeping the neighborhood vibrant and inclusive.

The community needs your help. So, please take 10 minutes now to let the City know of your housing needs by answering the SFAC survey.

Here’s why this is so vital:

  • Your feedback matters. Help us tell the City what your housing needs and concerns are — and if they are being met or not.
  • Your time matters — it’s easy to complete the online survey in just 10 minutes. You can easily take the survey from your mobile phone, a tablet or a computer.
  • Your privacy is protected. The survey is anonymous.
  • Your participation helps MEDA fight for you every day. We will use the survey results to bring your concerns to those who can make systems change.

Let’s make sure your voice is heard. Tell SFAC what needs to be done to keep San Francisco a city for all — and the Mission a neighborhood of opportunity.

P.S. Let us know — Did you take the survey? Help us get the word out! Please share our Facebook post.

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Are you an artist or cultural worker in need of affordable housing?

Learn more about the below-market-rate (BMR) process — plus Business Development and Workforce Development programs geared toward artists– by  contacting epizano@medasf.org.

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