Mayor London N. Breed, Supervisor Matt Haney, and community leaders today celebrated the grand opening of 626 Family Housing, a 143-unit affordable housing development located at 626 Mission Bay Boulevard North. The development includes 29 apartments for formerly homeless families referred by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s Coordinated Entry System.
“These new affordable homes will keep 143 low-income families and formerly homeless individuals housed in San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. “This type of project is exactly what we need more of in the City. That is why we’ve proposed a $600 million Affordable Housing Bond and why I’ve introduced a charter amendment to streamline the creation of 100% affordable and teacher housing so we can get more housing built faster.”
Last month, Mayor Breed and Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee introduced a $600 million Affordable Housing Bond to provide additional funding to build more housing in San Francisco. The Affordable Housing Bond will go to voters for approval on the November ballot. If approved, the General Obligation Bond will provide funding for the City to begin construction on more projects like 626 Family Housing to provide additional housing for low-income residents.
“This is exactly the type of housing we need the most: housing that works for our families and children that is truly affordable, including for those who have experienced housing instability and homelessness,” said Supervisor Haney. “I hope this sends a message to our families that this City is committed to you. I look forward to more grand openings like this one.”
The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) oversaw the development of the project, which is the third 100% affordable project to be completed in the Mission Bay South Redevelopment Project Area. Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) is the non-profit developer and property manager for 626 Family Housing. The 172,000 square foot mixed-use building includes 53 one-bedroom, 47 two-bedroom, and 43 three-bedroom homes. There is also a large community room and gathering space for teens. Multiple play areas and common spaces encourage households to interact and build community with each other.
“At TNDC we believe that opportunity knocks only if you have a door. With this building we are providing 143 families with low incomes or who were once homeless with the elemental foundation for their futures: affordable housing. It is an honor to support them, to help the City address its housing crisis and to contribute to the Mission Bay neighborhood,” said Don Falk, CEO of Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation.
826 Valencia, a national non-profit organization based in San Francisco, is located on the ground floor of 626 Family Housing to provide services for school-age children. They work with students ages six to 18 on their writing skills and aid teachers in finding creative ways to get their students excited about writing. 826 Valencia was founded in 2002 by local author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari.
“I am excited to celebrate the completion of 626 Family Housing as it brings us one step closer to fulfilling OCII’s goal of creating 1,916 affordable homes in Mission Bay,” said Nadia Sesay, Executive Director of the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure. “By housing families, formerly homeless families and Certificate of Preference holders, we are continuing our dedicated efforts to provide safe, high-quality, affordable housing throughout San Francisco.”
Once complete, the Mission Bay North and South Redevelopment Project Areas will account for 1,916 permanently affordable homes. To date, 1,191 affordable units have been constructed.
Financial partners for the development include OCII, Wells Fargo Community Lending and Investment, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Community Reinvestment Corporation, Affordable Housing Program, and the State of California Housing and Community Development Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities fund. The Architects are Mithun Solomon and Studio Vara, and the general contractor is Nibbi Brothers.