JANUARY AT INSIGHT HOUSING

Happy New Year from Insight Housing! We are hitting the ground running in 2026: between our upcoming Community Champions Dinner, engaging with neighbors around the Bay Area, and growing our advocacy voice, this year is off to a strong start.  

We appreciate all of you for being part of our mission of ensuring everyone in our community has a home through supportive and sustainable housing solutions. As always, if there’s something you particularly like in this newsletter or something you want to see more of, you can reach us at philanthropy@insighthousing.org.

Community Organizing at the Hope Center 

James Tracy, Labor and Community Studies professor at City College of San Francisco, visited the Hope Center to host a chat about community organizing and advocacy. Over 35 residents and staff gathered to talk about using the power of their community to organize around issues that matter to them.

A group of Hope Center residents and staff will be participating in Tracy’s class and learning more about how they can activate and advocate for change in Berkeley and the Bay Area. Stay tuned for more news about Insight’s developing advocacy efforts! If you're interested in learning more about Tracy and his community organizing efforts, you can check him and his City College classes out here.

James Tracy, City College of San Francisco professor, with residents of the Hope Center 

Coat Drive Success

When our programs teams told us that their residents needed coats for the winter, we put out the call to our community, and you all delivered. With the help of ThreadUp, Amazon, and our in-kind donors, we were able to collect over 40 coats for our men’s and women’s shelters in Berkeley. 

Thanks to everyone for donating coats and keeping neighbors warm during these cold months! Our programs are always in need of in-kind donations for our residents – click here to learn more about how you can help and give! 

Amazon employees delivering coat donations to our Insight office in Berkeley

Tabling at SF Farmer's Market  

Insight Housing is out and about at our local farmer's markets! This month, the philanthropy team set up shop at the Civic Center Farmer’s Market in San Francisco to connect people with housing resources, spread the word about our volunteer opportunities, and chat with the community about housing and homelessness services. 

We’ll be at the North Berkeley Farmer's Market on Thursday, January 29th at 3:00PM – come by and say hello! 

Elizabeth Potter, Public Policy and External Affairs Manager, tabling at the SF Civic Center Farmer's Market

Save The Date: Community Champions Dinner 2026 

Mark your calendars! Insight’s fourth annual Community Champions Dinner is happening Thursday, April 30th, 5:30 – 8:30 PM at California Memorial Stadium. There will be live music, a seated dinner, Fund-A-Need, and inspirational housing justice speakers. Tickets go live February 3rd. Click here to learn more, and for event sponsorship information, please email Colette at clyman@insighthousing.org.