In 2019, Google committed $1 billion to help address the housing shortage in the Bay Area. Over the past four years, they have worked with the public sector and local organizations to make progress in areas such as land entitlements, financial investment, and pro bono support.

One of their main goals is to support the creation or preservation of 20,000 homes. As of now, they have put the necessary resources and investments in place to achieve over 80% of that goal. They have allocated more than $133 million from their $250 million affordable housing investment fund for over 3,800 units across 29 affordable housing projects. This includes almost 2,000 units currently under construction and over 100 units already in operation. Additionally, Google has already begun or completed more than 2,000 modular homes.

Furthermore, Google has worked with local elected officials and residents to rezone their land. This has paved the way for the construction of up to 12,900 units in Mountain View and San José as part of their mixed-use development plans. Within their North Bayshore Master Plan, up to 7,000 units have been entitled, receiving unanimous approval from the City of Mountain View earlier this month.

A significant development in their effort is the launch of the Bay Area Housing Authority’s Doorway Housing Portal. This online portal serves as a hub for easily finding affordable housing in the community. The portal was developed with the pro bono support of Google.org Fellows, a team consisting of Google researchers, designers, product managers, and software engineers. Google.org is providing a $2.5 million grant to fund the continued management of the portal and offer in-kind services for future outreach initiatives. These contributions from Google.org have now reached over $36 million towards their $50 million commitment to supporting Bay Area organizations focused on homelessness. This funding has had a positive impact, providing services to over 106,000 people, housing 11,600 individuals, and launching cash transfer pilot programs.

Google acknowledges that there have been challenges along the way and expects future periods of slowdown and acceleration. However, they remain steadfast in their commitment to working with local governments and organizations to address the increasing need for housing in the community.

To learn more about their efforts, visit g.co/housingcommitment.