San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed joined City officials and community leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the Jazzie Collins Apartments, located at 53 Colton Street. The 96-unit, 100% permanent supportive housing development is part of a larger mixed-use development at 1629 Market Street, also known as the Plumbers Union project. The new supportive housing units, along with the construction of an additional 499 units as part of the Plumbers Union project, are a key part of the revitalization of the greater “Hub” neighborhood surrounding the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue.

The 96 homes are part of the City’s broader efforts to create new housing opportunities for adults exiting homelessness and builds on the Mayor’s Homelessness Recovery Plan. Twenty-five units in the building are reserved for permanent residents from the Civic Center Hotel Navigation Center, which is slated for renovation later this year. The remaining 71 units are reserved for adults exiting homelessness. Income restrictions for these homes range from 20-60% Area Median Income (AMI), and tenants will pay no more than 30% of their income for rent.

“We are continuing to create more opportunities for people to transition off our streets into stable housing, but we know there is more work ahead of us in order to meet the needs of those struggling in San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. “By expanding housing and having the supportive services to keep people stable, we are getting people on a path that ultimately leads to a safer, healthier life. Jazzie Collins Apartments will change lives and the entire Plumbers Union project is helping our city bounce back from this pandemic by creating jobs and housing to support our economic recovery."

Dedicated in April 2022 to Jazzie Collins, a Black trans activist who for decades drove positive social change in San Francisco, the Jazzie Collins Apartments is a six-story, fully electric building featuring 96 units of permanent supportive housing for single adults exiting homelessness. All units are pre-furnished micro-studios with private bathrooms and kitchenettes. Residents have access to a community room and kitchen, outdoor courtyard, full-time property management and on-site resident services.

“The opening of the Jazzie Collins Apartments is a major milestone for San Francisco,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the South of Market, Mission Bay and Treasure Island neighborhoods. “We must continue to build affordable homes across the City that help keep our residents off the streets and provide services for some of our most vulnerable populations.”

Jazzie Collins Apartments represents a joint venture partnership between HomeRise and Strada Investment Group who co-managed the project’s entitlements and development process and co-secured the project’s financing. Strada provided funding and managed construction for the project, while HomeRise is managing all lease-up and operational start-up activities. HomeRise is also the owner, property manager, and service provider of Jazzie Collins Apartments.

“HomeRise’s mission is to create a permanent home for people who have experienced homelessness, and help them become self-sufficient,” said Rich Aubry, CEO at HomeRise. “
“Completing the 96 new units of permanent supportive housing at the Jazzie Collins Apartments less than 10 years after Jazzie’s Place opened in 2015, as the first homeless shelter in the United States for the adult LGBT community, reflects Jazzie Collins’ lasting vision to ensure the homeless LGBT community has a full, sustaining housing continuum to self-sufficiency.” 

“Jazzie Collins Apartments is the product of a true partnership among Strada, HomeRise, UA Local 38, the City of San Francisco, and the State of California to deliver much needed, deeply affordable housing in the heart of the city,” said Michael Cohen, Co-founder & Principal, Strada Investment Group. “As part of Strada’s larger 1629 Market Street development, this project is also a model for leveraging private funds to build cost-efficient housing for those who need it most.”

All 96 units are supported through a City-funded Local Operating Subsidy Program (LOSP) contract, and homeless applicants will be referred through the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Coordinated Entry System.

“The solution to homelessness starts with housing,” said Shireen McSpadden, San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Director. “We continue to invest and expand solutions that connect people experiencing homelessness with housing and critical support services that provide a permanent pathway out of homelessness.”

Construction on Jazzie Collins Apartments began in March 2021 and was completed in June 2022, two months ahead of schedule. The project created a total of 425 construction jobs. The overall Plumbers Union project is estimated to create 1,200 construction jobs and 10 net-new permanent on-site jobs, with a focus on hiring economically disadvantaged San Francisco residents for at least half of available entry-level positions.

“Local 38 is extremely proud to be a part of this development to help formerly homeless move into permanent brand-new housing,” said Larry Mazzola Jr., President, Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local 38. “We are even more proud that these units were built 100% Union. It proves that these types of developments can be built union, with a skilled and trained workforce, in traditional fashion, and come in under budget and be done earlier than expected.”

Crucial permanent financing for Jazzie Collins Apartments was provided by a $4 million investment from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development that enabled the $52.5 million project to move forward, as well as state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and a State of California Department of Housing and Community Development – Multifamily Housing Program Loan. Local firms David Baker Architects, Suffolk Construction, CMG Landscape Architecture, The Concord Group, and Gubb & Barshay were enlisted by HomeRise and Strada on the project.

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