Berkeley tenants looking for affordable housing can apply by Wednesday, Feb. 23, for a unit in the city’s largest affordable housing project, set to open downtown this summer.
Applications for the studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments at 2012 Berkeley Way can be submitted online or by paper mail, in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. There is no application fee and documents sent by mail need to be postmarked by 5 p.m. Feb. 23.
There are 88 units available for tenants who qualify as low and very low income, which is 60% or 50% of the area median income and below. For a family of four, that’s $68,500 or $82,200 annually. The building includes laundry facilities, play areas for children and on-site services and amenities, like an edible herb garden.
Priority will be given to tenants who live or work in Alameda County, and tenants will have to qualify under a credit and rental history check. Once Bridge Housing receives all of the applications, the nonprofit will conduct a lottery and tenants will be notified in rank order.
“We’re expecting a high number of applications, but we don’t want people to be discouraged from applying,” said Lyn Hikida, spokesperson for Bridge Housing, explaining that spots will be determined through the lottery process regardless.
The $120 million project is nearly two decades in the making, and will include the Bridge Housing affordable units, as well as supportive housing through Berkeley Food and Housing Project (BFHP).
BFHP’s Hope Center will have 53 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless and disabled men and women, 32 shelter beds for homeless men and 12 transitional housing beds for homeless male veterans. High-needs individuals on the city’s roster are being prioritized for these units and coordinated through referrals from several different service providers.
