South Park Commons and Margaret Gordon West Port

As part of our mission, we continue to partner with community leaders to develop affordable housing. So, we were excited over the summer to celebrate our involvement in two new supportive housing sites.

First, we co-hosted the grand opening of South Park Commons in Santa Rosa. The housing community has added 61 affordable apartments in Sonoma County, the 8th county in which Abode works. Featured speakers at the 60-minute ceremony included Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp, Santa Rosa Councilmember Victoria Fleming, and Sonoma County Supervisor Rebecca Hermosillo. The event was emceed by Robin Zimbler, founder of Freebird Development. The Santa Rosa development is a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units in a housing site where around half of the units are set aside for individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness. The other units are set aside for affordable housing for households not designated for any specific population. This development program replicates a model of integrated housing that Abode Housing Development has implemented with success in other Bay Area communities.

Vivian Wan, CEO of Abode and its family of agencies, also spoke at the grand opening.

“We are excited to celebrate new affordable housing in Santa Rosa, which will help reduce homelessness in Sonoma County,” Wan said. “It takes years of perseverance and dedication to build housing for people who need it the most and we’re proud to have worked with Freebird Development, the City of Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and other partners on South Park Commons, which will add 61 safe and stable homes to this community.”

South Park Commons was developed by a partnership between Freebird and Abode Housing Development. The John Stewart Company serves as property manager and Abode provides on-site services.

The next day, we joined EBALDC at Margaret Gordon West Port – which provides nearly 60 units of much-needed affordable housing in West Oakland. The hour-long grand opening was emceed by EBALDC CEO Janelle Chan and featured comments by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, among other East Bay leaders. A poignant speech was delivered by Rakarra, a Margaret Gordon West Port resident who shared her personal story about experiencing homelessness before finding a permanent home.

The solution to homelessness is a home, and we’re proud to celebrate new housing sites that help those in need gain a home and then keep it.