A Few Minutes with Stephen Russell

Stephen Russell, Executive Director, San Diego Housing Federation

When it comes to talking about San Diego’s current affordable housing crisis, Stephen Russell doesn’t mince words. He’d prefer to voice what he believes to be the truth, that the issue of housing – ranging from the increasing shortage of low- and middle-class housing to outright homelessness – likely won’t be solved any time soon.

As he freely states, the situation is “going to get worse before it gets better,” which makes his day-to-day role even more challenging. That’s because now that he’s in his third year of leading the San Diego Housing Federation, a non-profit coalition of private and public entities, his overriding task is to make things better.

Trained as an architect, with a degree from San Diego’s New School of Architecture, Russell’s name has been more prominent in recent months as the city’s elected leaders deal with a rising tide of housing-related issues.

A 25-year resident of City Heights who grew up in Scripps Ranch, he serves on numerous housing-related boards and commissions, while also teaching a project-based planning course in City Heights for USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.

In his relaxed and thoughtful yet equally energized manner, Russell recently talked about his role:

What is your main mission at San Diego Housing Federation?
I view myself as the “voice” of our collective mission as “The Voice of Affordable Housing.” In that role, as an advocate, I try to get the word out about what we do and why it’s so important to produce more affordable housing.

What makes you such an advocate for affordable housing?
Looking back some 20 years ago, I worked on a transformative housing project located at 39^th and University. I saw how the neighborhood began to change from the outside in. I saw how it created this beautiful setting in what had been a pretty harsh urban setting. I saw residents who went from feeling really distressed about their future to having peace of mind about where they called home.

Looking back, what gave you empathy for how housing impacts people’s lives?
Even as a child, I was raised with a sense of “you work to make the world better.” That’s the gift my parents gave me. Growing up, I was always acutely aware of being “outside” and of being aware of bullies in the world. As I’ve grown older, of course, I understand that there are all kinds of bullies – the kind that give you anxiety, distress and make you feel vulnerable. A bully can be a person, or a bully can be a rent bill or even a way of thinking. It can be all the things that try to knock us down. Throughout my life, I’m certain those experiences gave me a greater sense of empathy for others and a need to stand up to the bullies.

What does the future hold for affordable housing in San Diego?
It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Not so long ago, the need for affordable housing was a fairly small sector of the population that required support. The truth is, more people find it increasingly difficult to “make it” on their own, without some sort of a hand up.  What we’ll see it that the mission of affordable housing will extend into what we now call middle-class affordable housing. That’s our next challenge.

What is the fundamental flaw in the current system?
Right now, it’s that the unregulated market is not serving the housing needs of the people who need it most. If we’re going to treat housing as a basic human right, we can’t lose sight of the housing needs of the least amongst us – literally, people on the streets. Those are our constituents and they are growing in number.

Stephen Russell
San Diego Housing Federation
3939 Iowa Street, Suite 1
San Diego, CA 92104
619-239-6693