The Bay Area Regional Prosperity Plan is a three-year initiative funded by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). As part of HUD’s Sustainable Communities Partnership Program, it aims to create stronger, more sustainable communities by integrating housing and jobs planning, fostering local innovation and building a clean energy economy.

The Prosperity Plan will build on local and regional planning efforts such as FOCUS and Plan Bay Area to address the needs of people who face barriers to economic opportunities and who are least likely to participate in local and regional planning and decision-making processes.

 The Prosperity Plan will include two key, interconnected areas of work:

1. Economic Prosperity Strategy – Define a regional approach for expanding economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income workers, and provide more than $1 million in sub-grants for pilot projects by late 2013.
2. Housing the Workforce Initiative – Provide tools and resources to improve housing affordability near transit, while stabilizing low income neighborhoods as new investments raise property values, and provide more than $1 million in sub-grants for pilot projects by late 2012.

MTC and ABAG will work with elected officials, local city and county staff, community-based and non-profit partners, business and labor groups, and economic and workforce development organizations that co-sponsored the grant application to implement this program. Underpinning these two areas of work will be an extensive outreach and engagement process to ensure that underrrepresented groups most in need of affordable housing and quality jobs will have a real voice in the development and implementation of the plan. More partners are expected to join.

The agencies have formed the following committees and working groups to implement the Prosperity Plan:

• Steering Committee – Composed of MTC and ABAG members, community-based organizations and co-chairs of the working groups and Equity Collaborative (see below). The committee will provide project oversight, make recommendations on sub-grants and pilot projects and oversee community engagement.
• Economic Prosperity Working Group – Composed of non-profit and community-based organizations, labor and business groups, and economic development and workforce training agencies. The working group will provide oversight on the economic prosperity work plan, help direct technical research and analysis, conduct additional outreach and develop guidelines for pilot projects. It will have three rotating co-chairs each year.
• Housing Working Group – Composed of non-profit and community-based organizations, housing authority staff, and tenants’ rights groups. This working group will provide oversight on the housing the workforce work plan, advise staff and consultants on technical research and analysis, conduct additional outreach and develop guidelines for pilot projects. It will have three rotating co-chairs each year.
• Equity Collaborative – Composed of non-profit and community-based organizations that represent under-represented and disadvantaged communities in the Bay Area. The collaborative will coordinate outreach, engagement and capacity-building activities that complement activities of the working groups. It will focus on engaging underrepresented communities and disadvantaged groups that are likely to benefit most from increased availability of affordable housing and quality jobs. The collaborative will have two rotating co-chairs each year.
• Joint Projects Team – Composed of MTC and ABAG staff, and co-chairs of the working groups and Equity Collaborative. The team will support the Steering Committee and working groups in their activities, comply with the HUD grant requirements, develop request for proposals and call for projects, screen proposals and present recommendations to the Steering Committee, and oversee the Fair Housing and Equity Assessment.