The City today announced two new affordable housing projects which will deliver more than 135 new affordable homes designated for educator employees, including teachers, paraeducators, and early childhood education providers that are employees of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and San Francisco Community College District (SFCCD).
“We need more housing across our entire City. San Francisco has been building thousands of new affordable homes and we need to keep pushing for more, including for our educators,” said Mayor London Breed. “Having our educators be a part of our community instead of having to drive long distances makes our whole public education system stronger. Making housing more affordable is at the center of what we are trying to do to make our City more resilient and welcoming for all.”
The new developments will be the second and third affordable educator housing projects undertaken by the City and County of San Francisco. The City’s first affordable educator housing project, Shirley Chisholm Village located at 1360 43rd Avenue in the Outer Sunset, is currently under construction and serves as a model for the successful development of essential affordable housing specifically serving San Francisco’s educators.
“Educator housing is a district priority in SFUSD’s recently adopted Facilities Master Plan, and we support opportunities to create more affordable housing for our teachers.” said Dr. Matt Wayne, Superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District. “Increased housing options for educators help us attract and retain talent in our schools and deepen connections within San Francisco communities. In addition to the units underway at Shirley Chisholm Village, we look forward to the upcoming affordable educator housing opportunities in partnership with the City.”
Earlier this year, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to facilitate, economize, and streamline the process for the development of affordable housing for San Francisco’s educators. The $32 million NOFA is comprised of $20 million in funding from voter-approved 2019 General Obligation Bonds (GO Bonds) and $12 million sourced by the issuance of Certificates of Participation (COPs) through the Controller’s Office of Public Finance.
This funding will support the predevelopment and construction of the selected projects – one offering permanently affordable rental homes, and the other offering below-market-rate homeownership opportunities for educator employees. All homes across both projects will be subject to a tenant preference for SFUSD and SFCCD educators, employees, and their families. Maximum rents and purchase prices will range between 40%-140% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Selected projects include:
- 750 Golden Gate Avenue – 100% affordable rental housing, developed by MidPen Housing Corporation (District 2)
- 2205 Mission Street – 100% below-market-rate homes available for purchase, developed by Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) (District 9)
“The lack of affordable housing in San Francisco remains a critical issue when attempting to recruit and retain public servants, particularly our educators,” said District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani. “I am grateful that the Mayor and MidPen Housing corporation came together to deliver on this necessary accomplishment and excited to see more educators living in the communities they teach.”
“With both a teacher shortage and affordable housing shortage in our City, this NOFA award for 2205 Mission resolves two of the top issues facing San Francisco and I am thrilled that this innovative solution is happening in District 9,” said District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen.
MOHCD will begin working with the development teams to conduct in-depth community outreach and support applications for future funding sources as they are made available. Pending the availability of other needed gap financing, selected projects may start construction as early as 2024, with residents moving in by the end of 2026. Building more affordable housing in all neighborhoods of San Francisco is a key element of Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Plan and helps the city continue to make progress toward its goal of building 82,000 new homes over the next eight years.