On September 19th, John Burton was honored by the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center with a lifetime achievement award at their annual gala at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.
According to Executive Director Shakirah Simley, “Senator John Burton received the Booker T. Washington Lifetime Service Award in recognition of his significant contributions through John Burton Advocates for Youth. His advocacy improves the quality of life for youth in our state who have faced foster care or homelessness. By championing better laws, training communities, and conducting research, he has informed critical policy solutions. We honor Senator Burton for his dedication to deep community work, including his partnership with Booker T. in establishing the John Burton Advocates for Youth Housing Complex, providing essential supportive housing for vulnerable populations.”
John Burton’s connection to the organization goes back to 2015 when the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center was developing a 50-unit affordable housing project on the site of its long-time home in the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco. The project faced a funding gap and John stepped in, providing a grant from John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) to help the project stay on track.
This act of generosity led to the building being named after him and today the John Burton Advocates for Youth Housing Complex provides safe, affordable housing to 25 transition-age youth.
Since the Booker T. Washington project, JBAY has continued its work to expand access to safe, affordable housing in California for youth facing homelessness. In 2021, JBAY successfully advocated for a requirement that 8% of the state’s multi-billion dollar Homekey program be used to serve homeless youth. Prior to this requirement, homeless youth were rarely included in affordable housing projects. Since the requirement was established, communities have received over $263.4 million in new funding to develop new housing for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness in California.
In addition to advocating for more state funding, JBAY has provided hands-on technical assistance to youth-serving organizations, to help them submit successful project applications. To date, JBAY has helped eight projects secure Homekey funding, resulting in 230 units of safe, affordable housing for homeless youth.
New funding recently approved by California voters in March 2024 (Proposition 1) includes the same requirement that 8% of funding be used to address youth homelessness. This will direct over $300 million statewide to reduce youth homelessness in California.
Simone Tureck Lee directs JBAY’s housing work and describes the organization’s strategy as multifaceted, “The housing crisis isn’t letting up any time soon, so we are working on every front to reduce youth homelessness. This includes transitional housing, permanent affordable housing and the utilization of federal housing choice vouchers.”
John Burton was honored to receive the award and recognizes that JBAY’s work to establish permanent affordable housing for youth started with the Booker T. Washington project. “This project was the first one and I am proud of it. I’m also proud of what JBAY has accomplished since, making a safe place to live for hundreds of young people across California.”