San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and community leaders today celebrated the grand reopening of 203 affordable homes at Rosa Parks Apartments, a former public housing property originally built in 1962. The building at 1251 Turk Street in the Western Addition is one of 28 developments previously owned by the San Francisco Housing Authority that were renovated under the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. The RAD program, created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, allows for a voluntary, permanent conversion of public housing to privately owned, permanently affordable housing.

“These 203 rehabilitated, safe, high-quality, and affordable homes for seniors and adults with disabilities will allow people to stay in the community that has been their home for years,” said Mayor Breed. “I want to thank Bethel AME Church and the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation for creating these beautiful homes and including people who live in the Western Addition neighborhood throughout the process.”

Rosa Parks Apartments is a 203-unit building that provides affordable housing for seniors and adults with disabilities with incomes up to 50% of Area Median Income. This project is part of the City’s commitment to preserving and revitalizing nearly 3,500 distressed public housing units across San Francisco. To date, nearly 3,300 apartments have been converted and renovated under the RAD program. The remaining 200 units will be completed this year.

The Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), a non-profit affordable housing developer, and Bethel AME Church worked together to complete the $102 million comprehensive rehabilitation. The rehabilitation was funded with tax credit equity, a Bank of America permanent loan, and City funds. Bethel AME is a local congregation located in the Western Addition just a few blocks from Rosa Parks Apartments.

“The renovation of Rosa Parks Apartments embodies precisely what RAD was meant to accomplish when it was established—the transformation of public housing into safe, secure communities where our residents can flourish,” said Dan Adams, Acting Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development. “Thank you TNDC and Bethel AME Church for your partnership, which has brought us one step closer to completing our RAD program. We look forward to celebrating the culmination of our public housing transformation efforts in the coming months.”

The rehabilitation of Rosa Parks Apartments focused on life safety and accessibility improvements, including upgraded mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, improved fire protections, and new mobility and enhanced communication units for the visually and hearing impaired. The building also features new kitchen and bath cabinets as well as new countertops in residential units. The common area has also been significantly improved, and the office spaces for property management and on-site support services have been reconfigured to better support residents in need.

Rosa Parks Apartments includes a landscaped outdoor area and a community garden with robust seasonal programming. Residents have access to a community room, fitness rooms, and indoor and outdoor common areas. A senior center is located on site, which serves Rosa Parks Apartments residents and the wider community. The senior center is currently leased and operated by Bayview Senior Services, which operates successful senior programs in the Western Addition and Bayview Hunters Point.

“At TNDC we believe that when people have a place to call home, they have the foundation for better lives,” said Don Falk, CEO of TNDC. “The rehabilitation of Rosa Parks Apartments created 203 newly-renovated homes with beautiful indoor and outdoor community spaces for seniors and people with disabilities. Together with Bethel AME Church, the San Francisco Housing Authority, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and other key partners, this project represents the realization of a community’s vision for revitalizing public housing.”

“Rosa Parks Apartments is one of a number of buildings in the Western Addition of San Francisco that is a reminder of how San Francisco has changed,” said Robert Shaw, Senior Pastor at Bethel AME Church. “Without this property under the control of TNDC and Bethel AME Church, it may have very well gone to the open market rental inventory. Bethel AME Church is blessed to be a part of providing affordable housing to persons who have been long standing residents and who may otherwise be left out.”

“It is so exciting to witness the transformation of an aging, 11-story public housing structure into this beautiful community for our lower-income seniors in the Western Addition. Bank of America’s $2.2 billion in financing as part of San Francisco’s RAD program helped ensure that these residents—many of whom have called San Francisco ‘home’ for decades—can continue to live in safe, quality housing in our great City,” said Gioia McCarthy, San Francisco – East Bay Market President, Bank of America. “The incredible leadership of TNDC with Bethel AME Church, and the San Francisco Housing Authority is to be applauded.”

“Since the renovation, I love my space. I’m in a bigger apartment now, and I’m loving it!” said Stephanie Hughes, a Rosa Parks Apartments resident. “I love the fact that I can see people coming and going from the courtyard and say ‘hey, where are you going?’ What this space is to me is more than just about the cabinets and the courtyards. It’s about safety. My safety and the safety of my boys—my four males of color who can visit their mom and I know they will be safe. They can come here and visit their mom anytime in safety. For this I’m forever grateful.”

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