As almost any Bay Area resident might agree, we are “overpaying” for housing and “over-commuting” to work.

BART has proposed a transit-oriented housing development policy conceived by BART board member Nick Josefowitz. The BART board should vote to make this project a legislative priority and then begin the hard work in Sacramento to bring it to life.

This proposal, however, is just one effort among many needed to address San Francisco’s, the region’s and the state’s most pressing problem — lack of affordable and accessible housing. Among them:

BART’s plan to create 20,000 homes, nearly half of them designated affordable, on 26 BART-owned properties across the region. This would reduce housing costs for families and lower-income residents and make commutes easier.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development, in a report released last month, offered a series of recommendations, including reforming land-use policies to increase housing affordability, addressing housing needs for vulnerable populations, such as seniors, and investing in affordable housing developments. These should be a priority for our elected officials.

The state’s analysis confirmed what tens of thousands experience daily — high travel costs and long commutes are disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income Bay Area residents. Nurses, construction workers — even tech workers — are being priced out of San Francisco.

The Transbay Terminal, scheduled to open this year, won’t have any trains running through the new “Grand Central Station of the West” unless the San Francisco Planning Department secures funding to complete a study. Without a sense of urgency behind completing this study, we could be left waiting another 20 years for trains to reach the station.

In order to extend Caltrain from its location at Fourth and King streets to the new terminal at Second and Howard streets, transportation planners need to determine the best route for the train tracks. Without the study, the potential to build thousands of new homes at the Fourth and King rail yard will not be realized.

While there is no silver bullet when it comes to our housing and transportation issues, these recommendations represent small steps that could have huge positive effects. There are a number of other local efforts that our leaders should make a priority in 2017.

That is why I’ve joined with other housing advocates, labor leaders, community activists and local organizations to form a new coalition called Rise SF to drive forward these efforts. We are a diverse group of San Franciscans all working toward commonsense solutions to San Francisco’s biggest problems.

Join us to start making strides this year to create a place to live that is more affordable and accessible for all, one step at a time. Ask the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to find the funding for the Transbay train study.

Tim Colen is a resident of the Forest Hill area of San Francisco, the former executive director of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition and a member of the steering committee of Rise SF.

Contact your representative

You can email the board at board.of.supervisors@sfgov.org or find your supervisor’s email at http://sfbos.org/roster-members. Call on the BART board to pass the transit-oriented housing development policy. Email the BART board at boardofdirectors@bart.gov.

About the series

The Open Forum focuses on affordable housing Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. To read past installments, go to http://bit.ly/2jRlkZQ and http://bit.ly/2kozfaI.