When the Hacienda Senior Housing Community in Richmond, CA reopens in 2022 after a major renovation, 150 seniors will enjoy a new home thanks to the partnership between the Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond (CHDC), Mercy Housing California (MHC) and the City of Richmond.

To create successful, service-enriched affordable housing throughout California, MHC counts on the leadership of local partners who understand which developments would most benefit their own communities. CHDC has spent decades disrupting displacement and creating housing opportunities for the East Bay’s long-term residents. The organization saw Hacienda, a run-down former public housing complex just a few blocks from downtown Richmond, as the perfect site to renovate, revitalize, and reopen as affordable senior housing, and pulled in MHC to collaborate on the redevelopment.

“We have an affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area, and CHDC is committed to being a part of the solution,” said Don Gilmore, Executive Director of CHDC. “Over the past 30 years, as a Bay Area community-based housing developer, we have historically been committed to providing this essential foundation for individuals, families, and seniors. Through the partnership with Mercy Housing to revitalize Hacienda, we can continue to focus on the well-being of the Richmond community by ensuring a safe neighborhood with access to services, shopping, and public transit.”

MHC and partners were also motivated by a scarcity of affordable housing for seniors in the Bay Area. Anticipating the oncoming “silver tsunami” of Baby Boomers hitting retirement age, MHC has doubled down on efforts to create quality affordable homes for people over 62.

Financing for this project got a boost from the Betty Poetz Ferguson Foundation, whose visionary $30 million commitment to MHC is helping to close the funding gap for Hacienda and three more Bay Area residences, creating a total of 345 new homes for low-income seniors.

Just like all of MHC’s senior communities, Hacienda will provide a full range of on-site services free of charge, and tailor service plans to residents’ individual needs. Twenty-five homes will be reserved for seniors who have experienced homelessness, all of whom will receive case management from partner organization, Hope Solutions. An additional 15 homes will house medically frail seniors, who will benefit from MHC’s evidenced-based strategies for helping people who might otherwise reside in skilled nursing facilities to live independently. Seniors earning below 50% Area Median Income will reside in the remaining homes, and all residents will enjoy free daily services including health and wellness workshops, skill-building classes, and social functions.

After breaking ground at the old Hacienda site in May, the construction team has been hard at work on structural improvements and changes that will make the building more secure, transit-friendly, and community-oriented. Additionally, local Richmond artists have been hired to create a permanent installation for the building that expresses the essence of Hacienda’s historic Iron Triangle neighborhood.

“Mercy Housing is inspired by Richmond’s commitment to people living with low incomes, and we thank Mayor Tom Butt, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, the City of Richmond, and CHDC for coming together to support the Hacienda community,” said MHC President Doug Shoemaker. “These homes serve those most in need, and thanks to the dedication of our partners, Hacienda will help fill the need for stable, affordable homes.”