The Phoenix Rises in Oakland

The East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) and Abode Housing Development were thrilled to join community partners recently to celebrate the grand opening of The Phoenix, a new supportive housing development in West Oakland. The Phoenix is a 4-story building located at 801 Pine St. in the city’s Prescott neighborhood. The development adds 100 units of affordable homes for low-income residents, bolstering Alameda County’s affordable housing supply.

Janelle Chan, CEO of EBALDC, served as the Nov. 20 grand opening’s emcee.

“EBALDC was honored to meet the vision of the Prescott Neighborhood Council who championed this space to be used for housing,” said Chan. “We are excited for future residents to be in the community in Prescott and for the ability to be connected across West Oakland, Jack London, and even Oakland’s waterfront.”

Other featured speakers included Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee.

“The Phoenix opens doors to opportunity, stability, and belonging for 100 Oakland families,” Lee said. “Housing is a basic human right, and these new homes prove that affordable housing is about justice, ensuring the people who make this city vibrant can actually afford to live here. To the families who will call The Phoenix home – you belong here, and we fought to keep it that way. This is what we're building in Oakland: a city where working families, seniors, young people just starting out, and everyone in between can find their place.”

This is the second new affordable housing site on which EBALDC and Abode Housing Development have partnered this year in West Oakland. The nonprofit organizations also partnered on Margaret Gordon West Port, a 58-unit site that opened in June – about two miles from The Phoenix. The development replicates a model of supportive housing that Abode Housing Development has implemented with success in other Bay Area communities. Abode CEO Vivian Wan also spoke at the ceremony.

“The Phoenix will add much-needed affordable housing in Oakland, providing homes to those in need and strengthening the East Bay community,” Wan said. “The solution to homelessness is a home – which is one of many reasons why we’re thrilled to celebrate this new housing site with EBALDC and our other community partners.”

The Phoenix is the Bay Area’s first 100-percent affordable housing development to use modular technology. The site’s unit sizes range from studios to three-bedroom apartments.

“We are deeply excited to support this brand-new, 100% affordable housing development in West Oakland,” said Emily Weinstein, Director of the City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department. “Not only does the Phoenix offer homes for people exiting homelessness, but it also helps stabilize the larger community through deep affordability. We thank all the project partners for bringing this vision to life!”

In addition, the affordable housing development features three murals completed by Bay Area Mural Program (BAMP) artists to honor the site’s history. The artwork includes a mural in homage to Captain William T. Shorey, a renowned and skilled whaler who was the only African American ship captain on the West Coast in the late 19th century. Another prominent mural features the Pullman Railroad Porters and Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first African American labor union to be affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL).