Berkeley

New Affordable Housing Preferences Can Help You Return or Stay in Berkeley

Published

3 years ago

January 20, 2024

New rules will help people who were forced from their homes because of BART construction or foreclosure since 2005. Photo courtesy City of Berkeley.

By Matthai Chakko

Households who lost their homes in Berkeley through foreclosure since 2005 or by the construction of BART in the 1960s-70s can apply to be included among seven groups who will have higher priority in many affordable housing lotteries, which already filter households by income.
Under new rules now in effect in Berkeley, people in those two categories can apply for certification before applying for housing. They would join five other categories for which people would provide further information when applying for housing:

• Current or former residents of formerly redlined neighborhoods, areas devalued by the federal government through discriminatory practices
• Child or grandchild of those who’ve lived in formerly redlined neighborhoods
• People displaced due to a no-fault or non-payment eviction in Berkeley over the past seven years
• People in Berkeley who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, or those who are homeless with a previous address in Berkeley and are not already being prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing
• Households with at least one child aged 17 or younger

These policies will apply to a portion of new affordable housing units created through the City’s Housing Trust Fund and Below Market Rate programs, which cover all new affordable multi-unit construction in Berkeley.
Affordable housing applications in Berkeley will ask questions about all seven criteria to see if you qualify for any of the preference categories. If selected for housing, you will need to provide additional information to verify your eligibility.

For the two preference categories that require a certificate — a BART Displacement Certificate or a Foreclosure Displacement Certificate — apply now to help speed a future application for affordable housing.
Anyone can also sign up to receive email alerts for affordable housing openings in Berkeley or Alameda County.

APPLY FOR BART CONSTRUCTION OR FORECLOSURE PREFERENCES
Households eligible for the BART construction or foreclosure preferences can apply for a certificate at any time for use in affordable housing applications. For all other preferences, households do not need certificates and will indicate their eligibility when applying for housing.
Please allow up to two weeks for your application for either certificate to be processed. The City may reach out to request more information. If approved, you will receive a certificate number by email to then use when applying to eligible affordable housing units.

Displaced due to BART construction
You are eligible for the BART Construction Certificate if you, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent lost their home in Berkeley due to the construction of BART in the 1960s and 1970s. If approved, you will get first preference over other categories in an affordable housing lottery.
To apply, submit the BART Construction Displacement Certificate Application.
The application will ask for:

• Address you or your family was displaced from
• Name and birthdate of the adult(s) who rented or owned the property
• Birth or adoption records linking you to the person who was displaced (if you need time to gather these records, you can still apply and send the records by email afterward)
Displaced due to foreclosure
You are eligible for the Foreclosure Certificate if you or a member of your household was displaced due to foreclosure since 2005 of a property in Berkeley.

To apply, submit the Foreclosure Displacement Certificate Application.
The application will ask for:

• Address of the foreclosed property and year of move-out
• Name of adult(s) who owned the property
• Notice of Trustee Sale (legal notice of foreclosure)
• If your name is not on the Notice of Trustee Sale, you will also need to submit proof that you lived at the property (if you need time to gather these records, you can still apply and send the records by email afterward)

ASSISTANCE FOR BART CONSTRUCTION OR FORECLOSURE DISPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES
Schedule a 30-minute in-person assistance appointment at 2180 Milvia St. to get support in applying for a Berkeley BART Construction Displacement Certificate or Foreclosure Displacement Certificate.

After scheduling, details will be provided in a follow-up email. Visit the affordable housing preferences and certificates page for more information, and email HousingPreferences@berkeleyca.gov with questions.
APPLY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Find affordable housing opportunities on the Alameda County Housing Portal. Sign up to receive email alerts when opportunities in Berkeley become available.

When applying for housing, check the appropriate boxes for any preferences for which you are eligible. If you are selected for a unit, the property manager will reach out to request more information and documentation to verify your eligibility.
Applicants with the BART Construction Displacement Certificate will receive first preference over other categories. Other applicants will be sorted by the total number of preference categories for which they are eligible.

HOUSING PREFERENCE SUPPORTS ANTI-DISPLACEMENT EFFORTS

The City of Berkeley’s Housing Preference Policy helps families stay in or return to Berkeley. The City partnered with two nonprofit organizations — Healthy Black Families and East Bay Community Law Center — to develop the policy through a collaborative, community-driven process.

The policy aims to reduce displacement and address historical injustices such as redlining. Under this practice, the federal government designated redlined neighborhoods as the riskiest places to issue loans during the 1930s-60s. Redlining devalued properties, undermining housing stability and enabling ongoing displacement.

The City of Berkeley is also making historic investments in affordable housing, including the $135 million Measure O bond dedicated to affordable housing, of which $53 million is dedicated to affordable housing at Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations. Measure O is increasing the pace of affordable housing development, with over 1,000 units in development.

If you or your family were displaced or are at risk of displacement from Berkeley, applying for affordable housing preferences offers a path to return to or remain in your community.

Everyone eligible should sign up for notifications and apply to affordable housing listings on the Housing Portal as they become available. Those who were displaced due to BART or foreclosure should apply for their preference certificate now.
Matthai Chakko is the communications director for the City of Berkeley.

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

3 months ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.