Fresno Develops Anti-Displacement Plan to Protect Residents in Transform Fresno Project Area

The City of Fresno has developed a Displacement Avoidance Plan (DAP) as part of the Transform Fresno initiative, a requirement of its Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant. The plan aims to prevent displacement of residents in the project area through policy recommendations addressing tenant protections and housing stability.

The city received technical assistance funding from the TCC program to hire Thrivance Group, a consultant specializing in anti-displacement and community engagement. The consultant worked with community stakeholders, government officials, and the city’s Anti-Displacement Task Force to develop policy recommendations.

According to Dr. Kathryn Forbes, a California State University, Fresno professor who serves on the Anti-Displacement Task Force, the process led the city to begin considering anti-eviction and tenant protection policies for the Transform Fresno project area. The engagement work included interviews with community stakeholders and government officials, as well as an oral history project focused on historically marginalized groups in the area.

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Thrivance Group delivered its recommendations in a 2021 report titled “Here to Stay: Policy-Based Blueprint for Displacement Avoidance in Fresno.” The report outlines anti-displacement policies designed to reflect community needs and address past institutional harms.

The Breakdown

• The Displacement Avoidance Plan is a requirement of Fresno’s Transformative Climate Communities implementation grant
• The City of Fresno used TCC technical assistance funding to hire Thrivance Group as the anti-displacement consultant
• The planning process involved community engagement activities including stakeholder interviews and an oral history project
• A city Anti-Displacement Task Force helped identify areas of displacement and determine metrics to track
• The consultant delivered policy recommendations in a 2021 report called “Here to Stay”
• The city began considering anti-eviction and tenant protection policies as a result of community advocacy during the process

What This Means for You

If you live in the Transform Fresno project area, the city has begun considering anti-eviction and tenant protection policies following community advocacy around housing issues in the area.