On Monday, a group of state and local dignitaries gathered in Hayward on a patch of dirt wedged between a taqueria, a church and a bus stop to celebrate a new affordable housing development for seniors.
But amid the upbeat small talk, table of hors d’oeuvres and soft, beachy licks of a solo guitarist, there was something else—a collective sigh of relief.
“This project could have died,” said Sasha Kergan, the deputy secretary of housing and consumer relations at the Business Consumer Services and Housing Agency. “It’s that bit of hope that we need.”
To Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas, the Mission Paradise project that will be completed by 2025 establishes Hayward as a leader in affordable housing for the region.
“We’re leading the East Bay in providing housing for all income levels,” Salinas said. “I’d put us up against anybody.”
The development will accommodate several underserved communities, with units earmarked for everything from low-income seniors to formerly homeless households to families caring for individuals with severe mental illness.
Besides providing housing for residents with income levels ranging from $30,000 to $125,000 for a family of five, the apartment complex will also connect them to a resource coordinator and provide case management to the formerly houseless.
“There’s some affordable housing being built around the state, but very few housing units dedicated to those that are low-income,” said Clarice Veloso-Lugo, the Director Of Communications for EAH Housing, the housing nonprofit behind the project. “It’s very much needed.”
But according to several of the people behind the project, it almost didn’t happen.
Funding, of course, was a primary challenge. According to Welton Jordan, EAH Housing’s chief real estate development officer, it took money from the city, the county, and the state to get the project off the ground. Hayward contributed the first $6 million, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development later provided another $50 million in funds.
Affordable housing developments also often have a stigma attached to them that leads to community opposition. Mission Paradise’s sleek and modern design is meant to show how outdated those notions can be.
“People have a misconception about affordable housing and what that means,” Veloso-Lugo said. “They think it means public housing of the ’70s, but it’s not.”
EAH Housing already has another affordable housing project in the works that is expected to be funded in the next few months. That development, also in Hayward, will be designated for families.
Hayward’s mayor believes projects like this are vital to the city’s future. Each unit is designed to serve families for generations to come, providing services to many who otherwise may have had nowhere to live at all. By 2050, it’s estimated that 20% of Alameda County residents will be seniors.
“This is what the future is, right here.” Salinas said. “You have to defend these projects.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com