Housing
Mayor Breed and Community Members Celebrate Groundbreaking of New Affordable Housing
Two new 100% affordable housing developments will create 178 units for families and seniors
Mayor London N. Breed, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, and community leaders Tuesday celebrated the joint groundbreakings of 88 Broadway and 735 Davis near The Embarcadero. Together, the buildings will provide 178 new permanently affordable homes for families, seniors, and formerly homeless seniors. The buildings are expected to be completed in mid-2021.
Eighty-eight Broadway is currently a surface parking lot owned by the Port of San Francisco on a parcel remaining from the former Embarcadero Freeway. The second parcel at 735 Davis is a former San Francisco Public Works parking lot that was transferred to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development through the city’s surplus land ordinance to make developable sites available for affordable housing on public lands.
“Eighty-eight Broadway and 735 Davis are a model for taking underutilized land and turning it into what we need most in this city—100% affordable housing,” said Breed on Tuesday. “The $600 million Affordable Housing Bond, which will go in front of the Board of Supervisors this afternoon, will allow us to provide housing for our most vulnerable residents, including seniors, formerly homeless individuals, veterans, educators and low-income families.”
With a particular focus on meeting the housing needs of the immediate neighborhood, 88 Broadway and 735 Davis’s units will be available to future tenants—including formerly homeless seniors— with incomes ranging from 0% to 120% of Area Median Income. This vibrant mixed-income community will also feature a childcare center operated by the YMCA, a restaurant space, and a public walkway connecting the two sites.
In October 2018, Breed announced a $1.5 million investment to make 88 Broadway and 735 Davis affordable to very low-income seniors. The funding cuts rents in half for 13 units of senior housing, lowering the monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment from $1,421 to $710.
In 2018, Assemblymember David Chiu authored Assembly Bill (AB) 1423 to permit the City to build an affordable housing development at 88 Broadway. AB 1423 also clarified that the project could include a childcare facility and a restaurant.
“This is exactly the type of project San Francisco desperately needs, and I am grateful to have a small role in making it happen,” said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “A bill I authored and passed last year, Assembly Bill 1423, ensured 88 Broadway would include housing for both low-income and middle-income San Franciscans and create an affordable, vibrant community for San Francisco families.”
“I have been advocating for affordable housing on this site for over 20 years,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin. “The process of getting input from the neighborhood- -everyone from the Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association to Chinatown seniors- -was critical to making this project better, and ultimately more deeply affordable. With 88 Broadway/735 Davis in mind, President Yee and I have created the first ever Senior Operating Subsidies (SOS) Fund in this year’s budget, to ensure that the majority of seniors who don’t qualify for affordable housing because of their fixed incomes have a chance to live and thrive in District 3. I’m thrilled to see this project finally break ground in a waterfront neighborhood where we have a long history of community-led affordable housing victories.”
BRIDGE Housing Corporation and The John Stewart Company are partners on this multi-building development, and they have enlisted local architecture firm Leddy Maytum Stacy and Cahill Contractors to bring this project to completion.
“Another unique feature of this hybrid development is the combination of some formerly homeless residents plus a cohort known as the ‘missing middle,’ such as nurses, teachers and first responders,” said John Stewart, Chairman of The John Stewart Company.
Both affordable housing developments have been made possible by financing from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, Bank of America, and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. Barings Multifamily Capital LLC contributed to 88 Broadway and the Federal Home Loan
Bay Area
Mayor London Breed: State Awards San Francisco Over $37M for Affordable Housing
On April 30, Mayor London N. Breed announced San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million in funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the State’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP). The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.
By Oakland Post Staff
On April 30, Mayor London N. Breed announced San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million in funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the State’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP).
The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.
The new development at 1515 South Van Ness Ave. will provide 168 affordable homes to low-income families, formerly homeless families, and persons living with HIV earning between 25-80% of the San Francisco Area Median Income (AMI).
In addition, the project is anticipated to provide family-friendly amenities and ground floor community-serving commercial spaces that preserve the prevailing neighborhood character of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.
“This funding unlocks our ability to move on building affordable housing units for families in San Francisco at a crucial time. We understand the level of need for more housing that is accessible, and like the state, the city continues to face a challenging budget cycle,” said Breed. “1515 South Van Ness is a good example of what can be achieved in San Francisco when you have strong community partnerships and an unwavering commitment to deliver on critical needs for our residents.”
“From the beginning of my term as Supervisor, I have fought to bring affordable housing to 1515 South Van Ness” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “In the interim, the site has been utilized for homeless services and shelter, and I am thrilled that HCD has recognized the value of this development, and we are finally ready to break ground and bring 168 affordable homes to low income and formerly homeless families in the Mission.”
Owned and occupied by McMillan Electric Company until 2015, the City and County of San Francisco purchased 1515 South Van Ness Avenue in June 2019 with the intent of developing new affordable housing.
In November 2020, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) released a Multi-site Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified developers to build affordable housing on the site, and subsequently selected Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in May 2021 to develop the site.
The project is expected to begin construction in winter 2025.
“A strong, long-term push by Mission advocates to make this site 100% affordable is now paying off, with 168 family units that include services and childcare. People of color communities know what they need, and we are excited to be in partnership with a team, consisting of MEDA, CCDC, and MOHCD, that listens,” said Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director at CCDC.
“We are excited to be in partnership with CCDC, yet again, and for the opportunity to develop intergenerational affordable housing in the City’s Mission District,” said Luis Granados, executive director at MEDA.
Increasing housing affordable to lower-income and vulnerable residents is a key priority in the City’s Housing Element which calls for additional funding for affordable housing production and preservation, as well as Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Executive Directive that sets out the steps the City will take to meet the bold goal of allowing for 82,000 new homes to be built over the next eight years.
Tuesday’s funding announcement emphasizes the importance of regional and state collaboration in order to reach our housing and climate goals.
“We are thrilled—not just to bring a project of this size to a community with great need — but to do so with community-based developers and their partners who understand the neighborhood and sensitivities around cultural preservation,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez.
City Government
Court Throws Out Law That Allowed Californians to Build Duplexes, Triplexes and RDUs on Their Properties
Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.
Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional.
Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.
A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the cities, pointing out that SB 9 discredited charter cities that were granted jurisdiction to create new governance systems and enact policy reforms. The court ruling affects 121 charter cities that have local constitutions.
Attorney Pam Lee represented five Southern California cities in the lawsuit against the state and Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“This is a monumental victory for all charter cities in California,” Lee said.
However, general law cities are excluded from the court ruling as state housing laws still apply in residential areas.
Attorney General Bonta and his team are working to review the decision and consider all options that will protect SB 9 as a state law. Bonta said the law has helped provide affordable housing for residents in California.
“Our statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis requires collaboration, innovation, and a good faith effort by local governments to increase the housing supply,” Bonta said.
“SB9 is an important tool in this effort, and we’re going to make sure homeowners have the opportunity to utilize it,” he said.
Charter cities remain adamant that the state should refrain from making land-use decisions on their behalf. In the lawsuit, city representatives argued that SB 9 eliminates local authority to create single-family zoning districts and approve housing developments.
Alameda County
An Oakland Homeless Shelter Is Showing How a Housing and Healthcare First Approach Can Work: Part 1
Hundreds of tents and abandoned vehicles now dot major streets and neighborhoods of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, this problem is expected to worsen as the housing market skyrockets and the cost of living becomes unattainable for most Americans.
By Magaly Muñoz
Hundreds of tents and abandoned vehicles now dot major streets and neighborhoods of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, this problem is expected to worsen as the housing market skyrockets and the cost of living becomes unattainable for most Americans.
As one of California’s biggest public policy challenges, over the past four years, the state has allocated nearly $20 billion to housing and homelessness initiatives. Despite this substantial investment, the issue does not seem to be easing. Instead, the number of people without stable housing is surging.
A 2022 Point In Time (PIT) Count showed that there were 9,747 homeless individuals living on the streets in Alameda County, an almost 22% increase from the 2019 count of 8,022 homeless individuals. Many reports estimate that this number will rise once the 2024 data is released.
Amongst the many initiatives to end homelessness, the 2016 Senate Bill 1380 established California as a “housing first” state that would provide assistance, programs and funding to those experiencing homelessness. The bill recognized that the evidence-based model of prioritizing housing could end all types of homelessness and is the most effective approach to ending chronic homelessness.
In the years following the passage of the law, doctors, county officials and a community organization came together to create a first of its kind shelter to combat homelessness with housing and healthcare: the Oak Days shelter. Located in the Hegenberger corridor of Oakland, this facility, once a Days Hotel, now houses 60 individuals, some who are medically fragile.
As local counties navigated how to isolate people during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the state obtained federal funding to begin Project Roomkey, an initiative providing non-congregate shelter options, such as hotels and motels for people experiencing homelessness, to protect life and minimize strain on the healthcare system.
Dr. Alexis Chettiar, a medical director in Alameda County, witnessed firsthand how the coronavirus disease took over the lives of the most vulnerable populations who were too sick to remain stable unless they had hands-on supportive health care and permanent housing.
She also noticed a trend of medically vulnerable individuals with psychiatric illnesses or substance abuse issues being expelled from nursing homes, often ending up in encampments or unsheltered conditions.
This observation would inspire her, along with fellow medical director Catherine Hayes, to start Cardea Health, supported by county funding.
“What we really wanted to do was to be able to layer on the medical services to a permanent supportive housing environment so that people could age in place, they could stay there, no matter how their care needs change over time. They could stay there through the end of their life,” Chettiar said.
Cardea Health provides medical and personal care for almost 60 patients across two sites. One of these sites is an Old Comfort Inn that was also transformed into a shelter for those experiencing homelessness and chronic illnesses. The medical team assists with tasks such as injecting insulin, administering dialysis, helping patients use the restroom or get dressed.
Chettiar shared that she’s seen people as young as 40 years old with health-related issues mimicking that of an 80-year-old. Some individuals had untreated wounds that led to infections or chronic illnesses that went untreated for years, leading to immense suffering before they were able to receive medical attention.
The harsh conditions of living on the streets have exacerbated what could’ve been manageable situations, into a full-blown health crisis that ultimately put them on the priority list for Cardea’s health assistance.
UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative conducted a survey of 3,200 people to study who is experiencing homelessness, how they became homeless, what their experiences are and what is preventing them from exiting homelessness.
Data from those surveys showed that 45% of those experiencing homelessness reported poor or fair health and 60% reported having a chronic illness. Participants also reported that being homeless worsened their physical and mental health.
Of those experiencing health problems, 23% couldn’t access necessary healthcare in the prior six months. Additionally, 38% visited emergency departments without hospitalization and 21% reported a hospitalization for a physical health concern.
Chettiar stated that the work at Cardea is intended to reduce hospital visits for those living on the streets, providing essential care where it’s needed most.
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