Berkeley eyes $80M ask for People's Park, BART housing
If the Homekey+ applications succeed, construction could start in 2027.
Berkeley is poised to seek a major cash infusion from the state for two high-profile supportive housing projects, at North Berkeley BART and People's Park.
The requests are on the consent calendar for Tuesday's City Council meeting.
A yes vote would let staff submit grant applications to the Homekey+ program in the state's Housing and Community Development department.
At North Berkeley BART, the city hopes to secure up to $45 million for 85 studio and 1-bedroom apartments for homeless individuals and veterans.
Berkeley has already set aside more than $9 million for the project, and developer Insight Housing (formerly Formerly Berkeley Food & Housing Project) has other funding lined up, including more than $2 million in vouchers for veterans, staff wrote.
The other application would fund housing at People's Park for formerly homeless and low-income residents who earn 10% to 50% area median income.
The plan there is to partner with Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) to build 110 affordable housing units.
The city is seeking $35 million for that project, at 2556 Haste St., and has set aside more than $14 million for its construction and operation, in addition to substantial grant and loan funding, according to the staff report.
SAHA has secured $8 million for People's Park as well, from Alameda County's Measure W, the city wrote.
Supportive housing is just one piece of much larger projects at both sites: At North Berkeley BART, the full plan features 743 units across five buildings; at People's Park, there will also be apartments for 1,100 students, according to UC Berkeley.
If the Homekey+ applications succeed, construction could start in 2027.
Under state rules, the projects must remain affordable for at least 55 years.
In both cases, Berkeley is just the pass-through entity, with the developer (or a designee) owning and operating the supportive housing projects.
What other Homekey projects does Berkeley have?
Berkeley has funded three other permanent supportive housing projects through Homekey+ or its predecessor, Homekey.
Golden Bear Homes at 1620 San Pablo Ave., serves chronically homeless households in a 44-unit former motel.
University Homes, formerly the Rodeway Inn at 1461 University Ave., will have 43 rooms for formerly homeless residents. It's undergoing renovations, and is set to be done this month (behind schedule).
MLK House at 2942-44 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, another Insight Housing partnership, is set to serve 11 formerly unhoused veterans after "rehab work" this summer.
In 2024, a man was killed on the MLK property, when it was a halfway house; his suspected shooter later died in jail.
What is California's Homekey+ grant program?
Homekey+ is a $2.2 billion allocation aimed at making more permanent supportive housing options available to "veterans and non-veterans facing homelessness with behavioral health challenges."
The effort is funded through Proposition 1, the mental health bond passed by California voters in 2024.
The program allows cities, counties, housing authorities, tribal entities and housing developers to purchase and rehabilitate existing sites like motels or build new ones.
The emphasis is on sites "that can be quickly converted or constructed for permanent affordable housing, generally within 12 months."
According to a project factsheet, Homekey has funded 250 projects and more than 15,300 affordable homes, although not all of them are done.
A recent CalMatters investigation found the program hampered by a lack of oversight and transparency — with many projects late or over budget, and a quarter still incomplete — but also emphasized that, when it worked, "those involved stress that it really worked."
Next: Read the full CalMatters report on Homekey
CalMatters
