How to Find Affordable Housing in the Bay Area

Barbary Lane Communities principals David Latina and Randi Gerson have spent the majority of their 40 plus combined years in housing development to help build more than 5,000 units of low income housing in California. They remain committed to advocating for increased housing opportunities for LGBT Seniors of all income levels and will continue to seek creative opportunities to deepen the affordability of its Senior Housing with support services. Barbary Lane Communities will also be creating a Foundation specifically dedicated to increasing housing opportunities for LGBT Seniors.

Meanwhile, rental housing in the Bay Area are still among the highest in the country. While the continued economic downturn has led to rent stabilization in the Bay Area, the supply of affordable housing continues to be extremely limited. One of the goals of this resource is to introduce readers to the “new generation” of affordable housing developed by non-profit organizations that are able to obtain deep public subsidies to make the units affordable to low income households. Unfortunately, the supply of non-profit affordable housing is limited, and many developments’ waiting lists are difficult for people to access. They either require a wait that can be as long as a couple of years, or they are closed to any individuals just beginning their housing search.

Non-Profit Senior Housing Developments That Obtain Public Subsidies

While there is currently no sustainable model for affordable Assisted Living Communities, there are Non-profit housing providers that specifically develop Senior Independent Living Apartment Communities solely for low income households. These developments are high-quality facilities that are well-designed and well- managed. Tenants are carefully screened and asked to meet a standard set of requirements to be accepted as residents. Rents are usually set at 30% of the resident’s income and are often affordable to a range of income levels, including those on a very limited budget.

Many developments are built specifically for seniors, persons with disabilities or families, and they are designed to accommodate the specific needs of their target population. The best way to research non-profit developments is to contact the organizations listed in this resource section and to visit their websites. When you call, ask them about any new developments and the procedure for getting on their waiting list. Their websites often include a list of their developments and contact information for site managers who can also provide you with waiting list information for a specific property.

Non-profit affordable housing developers working in the Bay Area

Affordable Housing Associates (AHA)
1250 Addison Street, Suite G
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 649-8500

Allied Housing
22245 Main Street, Suite 204
Hayward, CA 94541
(510) 881-7310

BRIDGE Housing
One Hawthorne Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 989-1111

Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS)
2065 Kittredge Street, Suite E
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 649-1930

Christian Church Homes of Northern California
303 Hegenberger Road, Suite 201
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 632-6712

Citizens Housing Corporation
26 O’Farrell Street, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 421-8605

Community Development Corporation of Oakland
5636 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 428-9345

Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond
1535 Third Street, #A
Richmond, CA 94801
(510) 412-9290

Dignity Housing West, Inc.
690 15th Street, Suite 400
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 208-7676

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC)
310 8th Street, Suite 200
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 287-5353

East Bay Habitat for Humanity
2619 Broadway, Suite 205
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 251-6304

East Oakland CDC
1406 Seminary Ave.
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 569-8231

EAH
2169 East Francisco Blvd., Suite B
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 258-1800

Eden Housing
409 Jackson Street
Hayward, CA 94544
(510) 582-1460

Family Emergency Shelter Coalition (FESCO)
22245 Main Street, Suite 104
Hayward, CA 94541
(510) 886-5473

Housing Consortium of East Bay
7677 Oakport Street, Suite 300
Oakland, CA 94621
(510) 383-1303

Jubilee Restoration
2144 Byron Street
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 540-8111

Jubilee West
1485 8th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-6776

Mercy Housing California
1360 Mission Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 355-7100

Mid-Peninsula Housing Coalition
658 Bair Island Road, Suite 300
Redwood City, CA 94603
(650) 299-8000

Mt. Diablo Habitat for Humanity
2350 Stanwell Drive
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 288-0112

Northern California Land Trust
3126 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 548-7878

Oakland Community Housing, Inc. (OCHI)
2030 Franklin Street, 6th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 763-7676

Resources for Community Development (RCD)
2730 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 841-4410

Rubicon Programs
2500 Bissell Avenue
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 231-3900

Satellite Housing Inc.
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 647-0700

SHELTER, Inc.
1815 Arnold Dr.
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-0698

Tri-City Homeless Coalition
40849 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 657-7409

Unity Council
1900 Fruitvale Avenue, Suite 2A
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 535-6900

OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLICY INITIATIVES

Proposition 1C: The Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006
Barbary Lane Senior Communities supported the YES on Proposition 1C effort to dedicate $2.85 billion in general obligation bonds to increase housing opportunities for low income households. The passage of Prop 1C means funds will replenish the Prop 46 funds that will run dry in 2007. With Prop 1C, emergency shelters for battered women, affordable homes for seniors and former foster youths, and shelters with social services for homeless families will be created.

Help Create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund
The number of endorsers of the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign now exceeds 5,000. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the rate of expansion of endorsements is accelerating now that H.R. 1102, has been introduced in the House of Representatives. If passed, this legislation will create a trust fund that will support the production of new rental housing units for the lowest income families. The bill would create a dedicated fund to build, rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million units of low-income housing over the next 10 years. Act Now on National Trust Fund.
www.nhtf.org

OTHER STATEWIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES

Affordable Housing by Counties
http://www.hcd.ca.gov/ca/affrdble-housng.html

East Bay Housing Organization
www.EBHO.org         

Eden Information and Referral (510) 537-2552.

Housing California
A statewide affordable housing and homeless advocacy group. Contains updates and alerts on state legislation having to do with affordable housing, community development, welfare reform.
http://www.housingca.org

Housing Helpline: for housing referrals and emergencies - toll free (800) 273-6222.

Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)
The Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. More and more East Bay landlords are finding that this program is a valuable resource that allows competitive rents and offers prompt rental payments. Although Housing Choice Voucher programs are government funded, tenant selection is the landlord’s responsibility, so you should be proactive in seeking out landlords who accept housing choice vouchers. People seeking Section 8 housing often run into landlords who are not aware of how this program can work to their benefit.

Housing Choice Voucher programs are administered by cities and counties through local housing authorities, and each housing authority has different guidelines. Contact your local housing authority for information on how the program is administered in your city or county.

National Center for Homelessness and Poverty
http://www.nlchp.org

Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
www.nonprofithousing.org

Common Barriers to Decent Housing

The Credit Check
Many landlords run credit checks and will not rent to applicants with credit issues. The best way to prepare yourself is to obtain your credit report and make sure there are no credit issues of which you are unaware. If you have problems with your credit that might damage your chances of getting housing, be prepared to tell prospective landlords about the situation and the steps you have taken to address the problem. Some landlords will accept a tenant with poor credit history if they have a secure job and good references. There are landlords who do not customarily run credit checks and rely on other criteria to make a decision.

If you or someone you know has credit issues, Consumer Credit Counseling Services can get a copy of your credit report, explain it to you, and advise you on how to remedy any bad credit issues. If your income allows, another solution may be to offer to pay a higher deposit or provide a co-signer in lieu of a positive credit report.

The Security Deposit
Security deposits are often unaffordable for people with modest or fixed incomes. There are programs that can help you pay move-in costs. Check out the Resources to Help You Find Affordable Housing on the following page of this guidebook. Some landlords are also willing to accept a deposit in installments.

Some Common Sources for Apartment Listings Include:

• Local newspapers
• Online (www.craigslist.org)
• Eden Information and Referral
• Paid services (Yellow Pages under “Apartment Finding & Rental Service”)