Advocacy in Action: Championing Survivor-Centered Housing Across California

Community Forward leaders with Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, author of AB 1573, and partners from the Downtown Women's Center and San Francisco Safehouse. 

At Community Forward SF, we know that homelessness and violence are deeply connected. Nearly 75% of the women we serve identify as survivors of violence—a reality that has fueled our advocacy for years.

That’s why Community Forward SF  is actively advocating for AB 1573, legislation authored by Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan and Catherine Stefani that would ensure survivors are no longer overlooked in California’s housing planning. Following our advocacy and request, the bill was renamed the Unseen and Unheard Housing Act, highlighting how survivors are too often invisible in housing policy and planning. 

If passed, AB 1573 would require cities and counties to assess the housing needs of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking when updating their Housing Elements—the blueprint that guides future housing development. By recognizing survivors as a population with distinct housing needs, California can better plan for safe, supportive housing that will promote long-term stability.

The need for this change is clear. According to California's Homeless Data Integration System, survivors of domestic violence return to homelessness nearly 50% more frequently than the broader unhoused population. People with a history of homelessness are three times more likely to report a history of sexual violence and four times more likely to report intimate partner violence than those who have never experienced homelessness.

Last month, our Vice President of Reentry & Public Affairs, Rebecca Jackson, testified before the California Senate Housing Committee in support of AB 1573 alongside Assemblymember Bryan. The legislation continues to move through Sacramento with broad support, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to formally support the bill.

"For many of the women we serve, homelessness doesn't happen in isolation—it is deeply connected to experiences of violence. AB 1573 acknowledges that reality and helps ensure future housing investments are designed with survivors in mind."

— Rebecca Jackson, Vice President of Reentry & Public Affairs

At Community Forward SF, we believe every survivor deserves housing that is safe, stable, and responsive to their needs. AB 1573 is an important step toward building a housing system that recognizes survivors, centers dignity, and creates lasting pathways to healing.

Take Action: Help move this legislation forward by submitting a letter of support and sharing AB 1573 with your networks.