Ruben Mendoza is the Housing Associate with Uplift San Bernardino, a collective impact initiative dedicated to cultivating the next generation of successful adults committed to growing roots in the City of San Bernardino. In my role, I am responsible for identifying policies and initiatives that will increase the production of affordable housing, primarily with local coalitions within the Inland SoCal region.
Since graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2021, Mr Mendoza has spent the majority of his early career in the housing and homelessness space to reimagine community and economic development by adopting a reparative spatial justice framework. Ruben is working on his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning to develop cities in a holistic manner, with an emphasis on social cohesion and mutual aid, to develop a sense of belonging and increase upward mobility for all residents.