San Francisco opens affordable housing complex City Gardens for formerly homeless families
A new affordable housing complex featuring on-site support services for families transitioning from homelessness opened Wednesday in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood.
The City Gardens complex at 333 12th St. adds 200 units to the city's stock of permanent supportive housing, which is housing that includes long-term rental assistance and support services ranging from education and job training to health care. The new complex increases the number of such units in the city for families by more than 20 percent.
The building and its services are funded by $100 million from the city's Our City, Our Home Fund, a tax on businesses making more than $50 million in gross receipts. It was passed by voters as Proposition C in 2018.
The project was bolstered by an additional $56.7 million from the state's Homekey program, which funds a variety of permanent housing options as a component of addressing a housing crisis that was declared in 2019. It marks the first acquisition of permanent supportive housing specifically for families that the city has made with Homekey funds.
"The city's investments across our system in shelter, housing, and prevention are making a difference for people and our neighborhoods every day and we will keep working to bring stability and hope to those in most need," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the project would give families exiting homelessness a place to call home.
"The opening of City Gardens will provide secure housing for families in San Francisco at a time when it's badly needed. It's more than just a building, it's a sign of our commitment to helping our most vulnerable neighbors," Dorsey said.
On-site social services, including case management and mental health counseling, will be provided by the nonprofit organization Abode Services. Other amenities at the building include community space, resident lounges on each floor, a rooftop terrace, offices, and a bike repair shop.
"City Gardens is a wonderful family project that we are excited to be a part of," said Louis Chicoine, CEO of Abode Services. "We are thankful to have been brought on by the City and County of San Francisco to operate such a beautiful and meaningful building that is now home to many San Franciscans."
As part of Proposition C, the city established a tax on businesses' annual gross receipts above $50 million to fund supportive housing and other solutions to the city's homelessness crisis. Legal challenges delayed the implementation of funds for city projects until the 2020-21 fiscal year.