As a result of her tenacious efforts and well-developed network, Davis Street CEO Rose Padilla Johnson managed the growth of the San Leandro, California, community center from a small operation into a $10 million organization that serves tens of thousands of clients annually. A visible presence in several community-focused organizations, Rose Padilla Johnson advocates on behalf of the most disadvantaged residents of San Leandro, many of whom arrived in the city within the past decade after skyrocketing home prices pushed them out of the Bay Area.
According to a study conducted by the Urban Displacement Project under the direction of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, rising housing prices in the Bay Area are disproportionately driving out low-income families of color.
Between 2000 and 2015, despite rent prices growing by 30 percent, the number of low-income white households remained relatively stable. Conversely, during this same period, 20 percent of economically disadvantaged families of color relocated to lower-priced areas such as Antioch and San Leandro.
This migration pattern has resulted in neighborhoods that are less racially and economically diverse. The impact is especially profound for low-income African American households, who are far more likely to live in a low-income neighborhood than their white economic peers. Economic segregation results in a litany of social problems, including a lack of accessible job opportunities and increased difficulties securing housing.
