Bay Area

Heritage Point, an Affordable Housing Complex, Opens in North Richmond

CHDC provides a broad range of affordable housing opportunities and engages communities we serve to ensure that the whole neighborhood benefits from the housing and services we provide. The main offices are in Richmond, and it serves Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties.

Published

5 years ago

July 17, 2021

Isabelle Price

Heritage Point - Photo courtesy of Ashley

Community Housing Development Corporation, along with Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors District 1Supervisor John Gioia are celebrating the completion of Heritage Point, an affordable housing community.

Located in North Richmond, Heritage Point features 12, one-bedroom units, 17 two-bedroom units and 13 three-bedroom units. All units are available to households earning at or below 30% to 45% of the median income in Contra Costa County and will be supported by project-based Section 8 vouchers

The $27 million project is a four-story affordable housing complex built in the 1500 block of Fred Jackson Way, across from the Community Heritage Senior Apartments and the Contra Costa Health Services’ North Richmond Center for Health. It is also a quick 15-minute AC Transit bus ride directly from the site to the Richmond BART Station, approximately 2 miles away.

“Heritage Point was a long-awaited project that was over 10 years in the making and we’re proud to have brought it to completion. We have been excited to create quality affordable housing in North Richmond and create a safe neighborhood for our residents to thrive.” said Donald Gilmore, executive director of CHDC. “Last year, because of COVID-19, we shifted our priorities and resources to helping the community, and now it’s time to celebrate this successful project that is bringing vitality back to the North Richmond community. We’re hoping the community will join us for the virtual celebration,” Gilmore said.

Housing is considered affordable when a household spends no more than approximately 30% of its income on housing.

However, in some of the largest and more expensive cities across the country, the cost of housing outpaces the cost of living raises annually, which has continually happened in the Bay Area where the cost of housing has risen to a point where households that bring in six figures can now be considered low income.

In 2018, CHDC had an official groundbreaking ceremony on May 3. During the official groundbreaking for Heritage Point Gioia said he hoped the development would be a catalyst for more investment in the area.

“This is momentum to continue revitalization of North Richmond and this development will have a big impact on Fred Jackson Way,” Gioia said. CHDC is working diligently with community partners to ensure more services will follow, such as a business resource center and grocery store.

“Supervisor Gioia is proactive in sharing CHDC’s mission, work and community impact and will be joining CHDC to celebrate the Open House of Heritage Point,” said Gilmore.

For more information on the Heritage Point , go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/161130713301

To learn more about CHDC, please visit www.communityhdc.org

Janine Shaheed is the senior resident service coordinator of the Community Property Management Corp.

Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.