Christopher Gil
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
(415) 282-3334 ext. 152
cgil@medasf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 30, 2019
Mayor London Breed and Community Leaders Celebrate the Groundbreaking of Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom Affordable Housing in the Mission District
Casa Adelante will provide 127 permanently affordable apartments for low-income residents
San Francisco — Mayor London N. Breed, Supervisor Hillary Ronen and community leaders today celebrated the groundbreaking of Casa Adelante, a nine-story building located at 2060 Folsom Street that will provide 127 permanently affordable apartments for low-income households, including 29 units for homeless transitional age youth and parenting youth.
“We need more projects like Casa Adelante in San Francisco in order to create the affordable housing our residents need,” said Mayor Breed. “Today I announced a ballot measure to streamline affordable housing developments like this one throughout the City, so we can build affordable housing and build it faster. With the addition of a $300 million affordable housing bond, this plan will significantly help our low- and middle-income residents afford to continue to live and work in the City.”
The ground floor of Casa Adelante will feature community-serving uses overlooking the new, adjacent In Chan Kaajal Park. Casa Adelante — 2060 Folsom will offer residents and the public birth-to-career resources ranging from a preschool to after-school programs and activities for youth and young adults. Proposed service providers with on-site offices will include PODER, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center and Mission Graduates, while Larkin Street Youth Services and Chinatown CDC will also provide family-strengthening services. PODER, Mission Graduates and Good Samaritan Resource Center will build out their service spaces, offices and a childcare center at the site, and their programs will be open to residents and the surrounding neighborhood.
“This is such a special day, and I celebrate with my Mission community,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “It took hard work and imagination to turn what was once a city-owned parking lot into what is now the beautiful In Chan Kajaal playground and soon to be affordable homes for families and homeless youth. Viva Casa Adelante!”
The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC) were selected as the joint-venture nonprofit developers of Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom by the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD). In September 2011, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved the jurisdictional transfer and purchase of land that includes the site by MOHCD from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) for the purpose of developing affordable housing. At the same time, the BOS approved the purchase of the adjacent PUC land by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for the purpose of developing In Chan Kaajal Park, which opened in 2017.
“We are thrilled to be breaking ground at 2060 Folsom, one of seven new affordable apartment buildings underway in the Mission,” said Kate Hartley, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. “We are also grateful for the support of our transit agency partners and the State of California for their funding, which allowed the project to move forward in this time of rising construction costs.”
“Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom is the second to close of the five affordable-housing developments in our organization’s pipeline,” said MEDA Director of Community Real Estate Karoleen Feng. “We are upending the narrative in the Mission, as there are solutions and options for affordable housing. MEDA is honored that in conjunction with our valued partner, Chinatown CDC, our families will have affordable and stable housing.”
“I’m excited that some of the units will house transitional-age youth on the verge of adulthood, who are at risk of falling through the cracks into homelessness, and it is wonderful that Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom will be able to include space for child care, and other community organizations on site,” said Reverend Norman Fong, Executive Director of Chinatown CDC.
“Good Samaritan is excited to be part of this wonderful community vision to support low-income families and offer our Dual-Language preschool services at Casa Adelante – 2060 Folsom. The expansion of our quality program will strengthen our goal to assure that every child succeeds in school and in life,” said Martha Elena Martinez, Early Care and Education Director of Good Samaritan Family Resource Center.
“We are excited to create a permanent home for Mission Graduates in the Mission District,” said Eddie Kaufman, Executive Director of Mission Graduates. “By participating in the project at 2060 Folsom, we are committing to serve our neighborhood students and parents; together we are making college the expectation, not the exception, for Mission youth and their families.”
“Casa Adelante — 2060 Folsom is an innovative and inspiring expansion of housing opportunities for formerly homeless transition-age youth. Every expansion of housing for young people is so meaningful because it means they will no longer have to sleep on our streets, but we’re especially excited for this new housing in the Mission which gives young people the opportunity to live in their community of choice,” said Executive Director Sherilyn Adams of Larkin Street Youth Services.
The affordable housing development has been made possible by financing from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, US Bank Community Development Corp, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, California Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Strategic Growth Council.
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About Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA)
Rooted in the Mission and focused on San Francisco, MEDA’s mission is to strengthen low- and moderate-income Latino families by promoting economic equity and social justice through asset building and community development. medasf.org
About Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC)
The mission of the Chinatown Community Development Center is to build community and enhance the quality of life for San Francisco residents. chinatowncdc.org
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