Affordable Housing Berkeley, Inc.

The BHA Board embarked on a strategic planning process for the long term stability of the agency.   The BHA Board expressed desire in positioning the agency to have the option to partner with developers, or independently develop affordable housing units in Berkeley, in order to add to the long term housing stock. 

The Board indicated an interest in consideration of use of disposition proceeds to develop and/or partner with developers to produce affordable housing that could also provide potential income streams for the agency.  HUD allows Net Proceeds of a disposition deal to be utilized for the provision of low income housing including acquisition/rehab, or new construction; and BHA has incoming Net Proceeds from the disposition of the formerly owned Low Income Public Housing units.

In March 2020, the Berkeley Housing Authority Board authorized the formation of a non-profit corporation, “Affordable Housing Berkeley, Inc.” (AHB), a non-profit entity which will have a goal of increasing development of low income housing in Berkeley, while generating revenue for BHA.

The Board is the same Board as the Berkeley Housing Authority Board and holds regular meetings on the second Thursday of the month at 5 p.m., unless otherwise notified.

Mission and Vision Statement

Affordable Housing Berkeley strives to provide healthy, safe, sustainable, high-quality affordable housing for extremely low, very low and low income people throughout Berkeley. Our vision is that all people, regardless of ability to pay, have the support and opportunity to live a life with dignity in Berkeley.

As Affordable Housing Berkeley, we hold these as our core values:

1. All people deserve long term healthy, safe, sustainable, and quality housing as a human right, regardless of ability to pay.
2. All people should have the support and opportunity to live a life with dignity, including people with physical and emotional disabilities, people in the LGBTQ community, people who are unhoused/homeless, low-income people, and people of color.
3. Low-income people deserve to live in all neighborhoods and areas of Berkeley.
4. The injustices done to communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), particularly those who’ve been displaced, must be addressed.
5. Public resources must be used efficiently, including adherence to HUD-defined uses of Disposition proceeds.
6. We value deep collaboration with community, including provision of permanent and enriched supportive services.
7. Diversity in our organization and communities we serve is fundamental to our work.

AHB goals:

1. Provide, create, and/or preserve hundreds of deeply affordable units in Berkeley for those who lack the financial resources to pay market rate rents, while also ensuring supportive social services for those who need them
2. Provide opportunity for affordable housing in all areas of Berkeley, not just West and South.
3. Expand housing opportunities for people of color who have been displaced out of Berkeley.
4. Create unencumbered positive cash flow for both AHB and BHA, while protecting BHA cash assets, in support of maintaining a housing authority in Berkeley in perpetuity.
5. Develop and maintain a staff and board that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
6. Meet or exceed minimum HUD Housing Quality Standards and local, state, and federal energy efficiency requirements.