OAKLAND — In a pre-planned visit to Oakland, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said the Ghost Ship fire, which tore through a warehouse in Oakland earlier this month and killed 36 people, brought a laser focus to the affordability crisis gripping not just Oakland, but cities across the nation.

“My heart goes out, and I want to extend my condolences to the families of the individuals who passed away in the 31st Avenue, the Ghost Ship fire,” Castro said. “That incident in a very intense way has highlighted the need to create more affordable housing opportunities here in Oakland, and really, in many places in the United States.”

Castro was is in town for a two-day visit, and on Tuesday met with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, as well as over two dozen nonprofit, private and public sector leaders in a roundtable discussion at the Kapor Center for Social Impact to talk about solutions for creating more affordable housing.

The timing was poignant, Schaaf said, not only as Oakland grapples with the fallout from the Ghost Ship fire, but also as it struggles to maintain housing affordability in the face of a rapidly growing economy that is more eager to produce jobs than housing. Despite the challenges, Schaaf said the city is “determined that Oakland stay Oakland, that in the face of these changing dynamics, we retain and protect our vulnerable residents, (and) we protect what makes this city so great, like its artist community.”

With the final days of the Obama Administration waning, Castro said HUD’s employees, many of whom dedicate their careers to the department, would help ensure continuity between administrations. Although Congress did not fund Obama’s latest initiative to invest $11 billion over the next 10 years for housing choice vouchers or rapid rehousing, Castro said historically, Democratic and Republican administrations alike have committed to continuing the basic programs at HUD.

In the face of a new administration, Schaaf said she was proud of the renter protections and bond money for affordable housing voters passed in November. At the local level, she pointed to the city’s attempts to streamline the process for tenants to access protections from unjust evictions and unlawful rental increases, as well as its commitment to preserve 17,000 units of affordable housing and create 17,000 more units of housing over the next eight years as innovative solutions already underway.

“Going into this new era, where we cannot underestimate the changed relationship we will have, we of course remain hopeful for the best but are prepared for the worst,” Schaaf said.