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100+ Units of “Affordable” Housing Coming to Civic Center in 2025

SF’s new “Kelsey Civic Center,” across the street from City Hall, will be 100% “affordable” with monthly rents starting at $485
By - posted 6/8/2023 No Comment

Mayor London Breed Celebrates Groundbreaking Of 112 Unit Affordable Housing Development Across From City Hall

The Kelsey Civic Center will provide affordable homes and supportive services for San Franciscans of diverse abilities, incomes, and backgrounds

San Francisco, CA — On June 8, 2023, Mayor London N. Breed and representatives from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) joined local leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of The Kelsey Civic Center, a new 100% affordable housing development located at 240 Van Ness Ave., across the street from San Francisco City Hall.

The project will offer 100+ units of affordable housing. All units will be open to those who qualify at 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of area median income creating a truly mixed-income community.

The Kelsey Civic Center is slated to open in 2025.

The Kelsey Civic Center will provide affordable homes for extremely low-income, very low-income residents, and moderate-income residents. Anchored in inclusion, 28 units will be dedicated to persons with disabilities who use home and community-based services, with 14 units specifically dedicated to people eligible for the HUD Section 811 program, which supports individuals that are exiting institutions or at risk of institutionalization.

Less than 12% of persons with disabilities own or lease their own home and many often live alone without much-needed support and opportunities for interaction. Co-developed by The Kelsey, a nonprofit dedicated to disability-forward housing solutions, and Mercy Housing California, a nonprofit housing development organization, The Kelsey Civic Center will be universally designed, ensuring that the building will be accessible and easier to use for people with different disabilities.

Two full-time Inclusion Concierges will help residents navigate their neighborhood, engage with their city, connect to programs and activities, and build community among residents of all abilities.

About The Kelsey

The Kelsey Civic Center will be a new building with 112 apartments. The Kelsey Civic Center is being created by two organizations: The Kelsey and Mercy Housing. The location of the building is in downtown San Francisco, at the corner of Grove Street and Van Ness Ave. This location is across the street from San Francisco City Hall. The 112 apartments at The Kelsey Civic Center will be for people with and without disabilities. The building will be universally designed, this means that the building will be accessible and easier to use for people with different disabilities, including physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. The building will be close to public transportation. The building is designed to be environmentally friendly and to support people’s health and wellness. 

The Kelsey Civic Center will also have: 

  • Community rooms where people can meet together and do activities 
  • A garden with plants that feel good to one or more of the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.
  • 50 bicycle parking spaces
  • A physical space on the first floor of the building that will be open to the public 
  • Two people working at the building who make sure that the building runs well, known as property managers 
  • Two people working at the building, known as “Inclusion Concierges,” this means that they help people who live at The Kelsey navigate the neighborhood, connect them to services and events, and help create relationships among all residents.

Who will live at The Kelsey Civic Center

The Kelsey Civic Center will have residents, people who live there, with and without disabilities with different incomes or who make different amounts of money. 

Approximately 25% (28) of the apartments will be for people with disabilities who need supportive services to live at home. These supportive services are usually from the Regional Center or In Home Support & Services.  

When and how will people move into The Kelsey Civic Center

The move-in date is estimated to be in early 2025. This process will be run by San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development’s DAHLIA housing portal.

How much will it cost to live at The Kelsey Civic Center

There will be studios and 2 bedroom apartments at The Kelsey Civic Center. The apartments will cost different amounts of money based on the amount of money you make in a year. 

How much money people make is measured by something called: Area Median Income (AMI). Based on the AMI that matches the amount of money that you or everyone who lives with you makes, rent will cost different amounts. Find out which AMI applies to you by going to this website.

For studios with one person living there: 

  • The monthly rent would be $485, if make less than $19,400
  • The monthly rent would be be $728, if you make less than $29,100 
  • The monthly rent would be $1,213, if you make less than  $48,500
  • The monthly rent would be $1,455, if you make less than $58,200
  • The monthly rent would be $1,698, if you make less than $67,900
  • The monthly rent would be $1,940, if you make less than $77,600
  • The monthly rent would be $2,183, if you make less than $92,150

For 2 bedroom apartments with four people living there: 

  • The monthly rent would be $624, if in total you make less than $27,700
  • The monthly rent would be $935, if in total you make less than $41,550
  • The monthly rent would be $1,559, if in total you make less than $69,300
  • The monthly rent would be $1,870,  if in total you make less than $83,150,
  • The monthly rent will be $2,183, if in total you make less than $97,000
  • The monthly rent would be $2,494, if in total you make less than $110,850
  • The monthly rent would be $2,806, if in total you make less than $124,700

Inclusion and Equity

Racial justice and disability inclusion is very important during all of the steps to build and create this community. The Kelsey Civic Center’s team is committed to listening and building relationships with people who may want to live in the building and people who are neighbors, including African American/Black, Latinx, Asian American & Pacific Islander, Indigenous and people of color with and without disabilities. We want to hear from people with different types of disabilities, including people who need supportive services in their homes. It is also important that we focus on hearing from people who live and/or work in the neighborhoods that surround The Kelsey Civic Center: Civic Center, Western Addition, Tenderloin, and South of Market.

Because of COVID19, all activities to get feedback from people will be through online meetings, phone calls, e-mail, regular mail, and The Kelsey Civic Center website. 

We would love to connect with you about ways to get involved in The Kelsey Civic Center.  Please contact hello@thekelsey.org.