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Housing Development Costs The City will continue to work to offset the costs of housing development by waiving certain City fees for affordable rental and ownership housing units and by providing various types of subsidies through the use of its Lower Income Housing Fund. The example was cited earlier in this report of extensive fee waivers that have been granted in the past to defray development costs and promote affordable housing construction. Community Perceptions of Affordable Housing A continuing impediment to affordable housing development is the sometimes negative perception of affordable housing held by many members of the public. The City of Pleasanton provides locals hinds annually to East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) to implement an ongoing program aimed at improving residents' perceptions and understanding of affordable housing. The goal is to foster greater acceptance of new affordable housing so that negative public sentiment is not an impediment to the City's efforts to create and maintain its affordable housing stock. Pleasanton collaborated with its neighbor cities in the Tri-Valley to hold a tour of affordable housing developments and issues in 2009. The recent Housing Element update process provided an additional forum for discussion of affordable housing issues. Several community workshops were held in 2011 and were widely attended by a broad spectrum of community members. In conjunction with other Tri-Valley cities, the City of Pleasanton will work with EBHO in FY 2012 in activities related to Affordable Housing Week, held annually in May. This will include media presentations, affordable housing tours, and other activities focusing specifically on affordable housing efforts past, present, and future in the Tri-Valley area. As the focus of Affordable Housing Week several years ago, the City worked with other Tri-Valley jurisdictions to highlight the appointment of the first board of directors and the first successful buyer from the Tri-Valley Housing Opportunity Center cited earlier. In May 2012, the cities will sponsor an event entitled "The Benefit of Meeting Employee Housing Needs" at the Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton. The event will be targeted toward promoting interest among the business community in supporting the development of affordable housing. The City has also worked with local housing advocacy groups such as Citizens for a Caring Community (CCC) which has adopted the issue of affordable housing in the Tri-Valley area as the focus of its organizational efforts. In collaboration with EBHO, the groups held a workshop on affordable housing issues in 2005. The event was widely attended by a diverse representation of community residents and leaders. In 2007, City staff participated in an affordable housing forum held at St. Elizabeth Seton church in Pleasanton and will continue to work these groups in FY 2012 to promote the benefits of affordable housing in the community. The 2009 Tri-Valley housing tour highlighted the tangible benefits provided to communities through the state's Work Force Housing program which has provided financial rewards to communities that have been able to produce housing to meet the needs of the state's work force. Action Plan—FY 2012 City of Ple nentan Page 32