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Heritage Park Seniors Say Rent Hikes are Unaffordable, Garner Support from City

City officials have recently supported Heritage residents. During a city council meeting on Nov. 28, council members Cesar Zepeda and Melvin Willis asked staff to approve a letter asking USA Properties not to implement the 5% increase and to reevaluate future increases. The letter stated the increase could force residents “to sacrifice other needs to keep up with their housing cost” and possibly drive them to homelessness. The City Council unanimously agreed to send the letter, although USA Properties still raised the rents.

Published

2 years ago

December 26, 2023

By Zack Haber

Left to right: Dolores Ferrell, Donald Roberts, Samuel Lewis, Elda Fontano, and Timothy Sykes stand in front of a Christmas Tree at Heritage Park at Hilltop Affordable Senior Apartments in Richmond on Dec. 12. Photo by Zack Haber.

By Zack Haber

Some tenants at an affordable senior apartment facility in Richmond called Heritage Park at Hilltop have been speaking out against what they see as excessive rent increases. Low-income tenants like 72-year-old Elda Fontano worry that the 5% increase they received on Dec. 1 could price them out of the facility. The tenants have garnered support from city officials, who are questioning if 5% rent increases are affordable for Richmond seniors.

“This 5% increase is killing me and eventually it’s going to send me right out the door,” said Fontano.

Richmond Councilmember Melvin Wills said that conversations with tenants have shown him that many are already struggling with rent costs and that he thinks the goal for affordable housing facilities should be “stabilizing the community at hand.”

“I know that technically [Heritage] is considered affordable housing for the region,” Willis said. “But if you’re going to be increasing rents knowing that people can’t afford it and it’s just going to open up the space for someone who can, I identify that as a problem even if it is legal.”

Heritage, which opened in the year 2000 and has 192 housing units, is owned and operated by the Roseville based USA Properties Fund, inc. The company receives federal funding for the facility through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and has just over 100 apartment complexes operating or under construction. Most of them are affordable facilities, and about half of them are senior apartment facilities, like Heritage, for those ages 55 and older.

Rents at Heritage fall within what the state legally allows affordable housing providers to charge. The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee calculates and monitors maximum allowable rents for the low-income housing program. According to a spokesperson for USA Properties, the committee has set Heritage’s maximum allowable rent based on income levels of 60% of the area median income. These limits are $1,909 for two-bedroom apartments and $1,601 for one-bedroom apartments. The spokesperson said on average, Heritage tenants are charged $1,523 for two-bedroom apartments and $1,432 for one-bedroom apartments. Other than providing these figures, no one from USA Properties provided further comment or answered questions for this article.

The formula that the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee uses to calculate maximum rent costs at affordable senior facilities poses difficulties for Richmond residents. It’s based largely on area median income at the county level. But census data show that, on average, Richmond residents make less money than the rest of the county. While the average per capita income for all of Contra Costa County between 2018 and 2022 was around $59,000 per year, the average per capita income in Richmond during that time was around $39,500 per year. The formula doesn’t account for fluctuations in income throughout a county, so the committee allows companies to charge Richmond residents as much in rental costs as those living in wealthier towns like Lafayette, whose per capital income is around $111,000 per year.

The comparatively high costs of rent are straining Heritage residents like Fontano and her neighbor, 62-year-old Samuel Lewis. Both are on fixed incomes, can’t work because they have disabilities, and say they have trouble affording basic necessities like food. Fontano spends over half her monthly income on rent. Rent makes up over 70% of Lewis’s expenses.

Complaints about affordability are not new at Heritage. According to a city report, around 30 Heritage tenants expressed concerns to Richmond’s Rent Board and City Council shortly after receiving word that their rent would increase much as 12% in March of 2018. Some tenants said they feared they would be left homeless or “unable to buy medication or enough food.” In response to their concerns, the City Council passed a resolution in June of 2018 that stated it was “in the best interest of the city” to take a stand against the rent increases at the facility. According to Willis, who also is an organizer with the grassroots housing justice group Alliance of Californias for Community Empowerment, tenants organized through that group to push back against the 12% increase. USA Properties agreed to lower the increases to 3%.

In February of 2019, the Richmond Rent Board adopted a resolution capping rent increases at Heritage at no more 5% a year. The resolution also covered all of the approximately 30 other housing facilities in Richmond that receive Low Income Housing Tax Credit funds. USA Properties increased Heritage tenants’ rent by 5% in 2019, then in 2020 and 2021, rent was not increased while Contra Costa County had a moratorium that banned residential rent increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the 5% rent increases started up again in 2022 though, some residents again took their complaints to the city, saying the increases were now at too high a rate to be affordable. In August of that year, Heritage resident Laureen Lober told Richmond’s rent board in a public comment that due to the rent increase, “routine maintenance, utilities, cable, and internet might not be possible because living expenses are a struggle.”

In a Nov. 7 Richmond City Council meeting this year, shortly after receiving word that Heritage rents were again being raised 5%, Fontano submitted a public comment to City Council stating that the rent increase was especially burdensome as living expenses where rising while her and her neighbors incomes were stagnating.

“Please do whatever you can to help us or a lot of seniors in this affordable complex are going to end up homeless,” she wrote.

In their comments, both Lober and Fontano also complained of reductions in services and amenities as the rents were increasing. Lober complained that “dumpsters that residents were paying for have been removed causing an overflow of garbage,” while Fontano mentioned that a holiday event budget at the site was being reduced.

In response to affordability, service and amenity issues, tenants at Heritage formed a tenants association that began meeting last July. According to Lewis, about 30 people have been coming to the weekly meetings, and the association has had success in getting a trash service resumed that had been stopped. When a woman was temporarily displaced due to a habitability issue, the association was also able to inform her that USA Properties owed her a higher living expense stipend than the company had been paying, and she was then able to secure the higher stipend.

“We’re able to decimate information a lot more than in the past,” Lewis said about the association. “It’s a move in the right direction.”

Willis told the Post News Group he wants to continue to support the tenants. He feels the 5% rent increase cap at Heritage and other low-income senior facilities may no longer be sufficient.

“With inflation going up and folks who are on fixed income or in debt because of COVID,” Willis said. “We may need to revisit the 5% cap rent increase and what the impact on residents is going to be.”

By Zack Haber

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

31 minutes ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

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Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

4 days ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.

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First 5 Alameda County Distributes Over $8 Million in First Wave of Critical Relief Funds for Historically Underpaid Caregivers

“Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers are lifelines for so many children and families in Alameda County,” said Kristin Spanos, CEO, First 5 Alameda County. “Yet, they often go unrecognized and undercompensated for their labor and ability to give individualized, culturally connected care. At First 5, we support the conditions that allow families to thrive, and getting this money into the hands of these caregivers and families at a time of heightened financial stress for parents is part of that commitment.”

Published

4 days ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

Costco. Courtesy image.

Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers Can Now Opt Into $4,000 Grants to Help Bolster Economic Stability and Strengthen Early Learning Experiences

By Post Staff

Today, First 5 Alameda County announced the distribution of $4,000 relief grants to more than 2,000 Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers, totaling over $8 million in the first round of funding. Over the full course of the funding initiative, First 5 Alameda County anticipates supporting over 3,000 FFN caregivers, who collectively care for an estimated 5,200 children across Alameda County. These grants are only a portion of the estimated $190 million being invested into expanding our early childcare system through direct caregiver relief to upcoming facilities, shelter, and long-term sustainability investments for providers fromMeasure C in its first year. This investment builds on the early rollout of Measure C and reflects a comprehensive, system-wide strategy to strengthen Alameda County’s early childhood ecosystem so families can rely on sustainable, accessible care,

These important caregivers provide child care in Alameda County to their relatives, friends, and neighbors. While public benefits continue to decrease for families, and inflation and the cost of living continue to rise, these grants provide direct economic support for FFN caregivers, whose wages have historically been very low or nonexistent, and very few of whom receive benefits. As families continue to face growing financial pressures, especially during the winter and holiday season, these grants will help these caregivers with living expenses such as rent, utilities, supplies, and food.

The funding for these relief grants comes from Measure C, a local voter-approved sales tax in Alameda County that invests in young children, their families, communities, providers, and caregivers. Within the first year of First 5’s 5-Year Plan for Measure C, in addition to the relief grants to informal FFN caregivers, other significant investments will benefit licensed child care providers. These investments include over $40 million in Early Care and Education (ECE) Emergency Grants, which have already flowed to nearly 800 center-based and family child care providers. As part of First 5’s 5-Year Plan, preparations are also underway to distribute facilities grants early next year for child care providers who need to make urgent repairs or improvements, and to launch the Emergency Revolving Fund in Spring 2026 to support licensed child care providers in Alameda County who are at risk of closure.

The FFN Relief Grants recognize and support the essential work that an estimated 3,000 FFN caregivers provide to 5,200 children in Alameda County. There is still an opportunity to receive funds for FFN caregivers who have not yet received them.

In partnership with First 5 Alameda County, Child Care Payment Agencies play a critical role in identifying eligible caregivers and leading coordinated outreach efforts to ensure FFN caregivers are informed of and able to access these relief funds.FFN caregivers are eligible for the grant if they receive a child care payment from an Alameda County Child Care Payment Agency, 4Cs of Alameda County, BANANAS, Hively, and Davis Street, and are currently caring for a child 12 years old or younger in Alameda County. Additionally, FFN caregivers who provided care for a child 12 years or younger at any time since April 1, 2025, but are no longer doing so, are also eligible for the funds. Eligible caregivers are being contacted by their Child Care Payment Agency on a rolling basis, beginning with those who provided care between April and July 2025.

“This money is coming to me at a critical time of heightened economic strain,” said Jill Morton, a caregiver in Oakland, California. “Since I am a non-licensed childcare provider, I didn’t think I was eligible for this financial support. I was relieved that this money can help pay my rent, purchase learning materials for the children as well as enhance childcare, buy groceries and take care of grandchildren.”

Eligible FFN caregivers who provided care at any time between April 1, 2025 and July 31, 2025, who haven’t yet opted into the process, are encouraged to check their mail and email for an eligibility letter. Those who have cared for a child after this period should expect to receive communications from their child care payment agency in the coming months. FFN caregivers with questions may also contact the agency they work with to receive child care payments, or the First 5 Alameda help desk, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, at 510-227-6964. The help desk will be closed 12/25/25 – 1/1/26. Additional grant payments will be made on a rolling basis as opt-ins are received by the four child care payment agencies in Alameda County.

Beginning in the second year of Measure C implementation, FFN caregivers who care for a child from birth to age five and receive an Alameda County subsidized voucher will get an additional $500 per month. This amounts to an annual increase of about $6,000 per child receiving a subsidy. Together with more Measure C funding expected to flow back into the community as part of First 5’s 5-Year Plan, investments will continue to become available in the coming year for addressing the needs of childcare providers in Alameda County.

About First 5 Alameda County

First 5 Alameda County builds the local childhood systems and supports needed to ensure our county’s youngest children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school and life.

Our Mission

In partnership with the community, we support a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves the lives of children from birth to age five and their families.

Our Vision

Every child in Alameda County will have optimal health, development, and well-being to reach their greatest potential.

Learn more at www.first5alameda.org.