VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Message from our Executive Team
Spreading our wings
To the first settlers of these lands, the hummingbird or colibri is a powerful symbol of strength, endurance and resilience. In other depictions, the colibri is a messenger of joy, flying from flower to flower whispering a message of gratitude and beauty. It can represent love. The colibri is also an arduous protector of its people.
And yet in other places still, the colibri is a symbol of renewal, a representation of healing and the restoration of balance.
Mission Housing Development Corporation welcomes the dawn of a new era and rides the wings of the colibri to carry our renewed mission westward. We ask the colibri to help us spread our message, our new vision of vibrant communities where everyone has secure, affordable, and sustainable housing to the rest of San Francisco.
Despite the flight that lies before us, La Mision keeps us grounded. We were born here. Risen like the phoenix here. We’ve built a legacy here. We are rooted in the Mission and more so than any other time in our history, the rich soil of this neighborhood sustains the more than half-century of marvels we’ve built for the people of our communities. ​
And the one that is to come.
We look forward to sharing with you the impact of your support and how it fueled our work in 2023.
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Visit MissionHousing.org/StrategicPlan for the full report
A New 5-year Strategic Plan
In 2023, Mission Housing underwent the arduous process of self-audit and reflection when we created a new strategic plan that encompasses the years 2024 through 2028. The new plan provides the organization with a new mission statement and new vision statement.
Vision Statement
Mission Housing’s vision is vibrant communities where everyone has secure, affordable, and sustainable housing.
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Mission Statement
Mission Housing’s mission is to strengthen communities and build equity by creating and preserving service-rich affordable housing.
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New Values - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility Principles
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Community: We are a community-based organization. We believe in “people first,” respecting and building relationships with our residents and staff—the Mission Housing family—and supporting them to use their voices for the benefit of the community. We believe that collaboration with our community, city, and state partners is essential to successfully advocating for equitable solutions to affordable housing.
Leadership: We are a leading voice in the development of affordable housing in the Mission District and throughout San Francisco. We are optimistic and seek creative solutions to overcoming challenges. We ground ourselves in our strengths and seek input and partnerships in areas where we can still grow. We believe in taking realistic, purposeful risks and leading the affordable housing and community development fields as pioneers and innovators.
Belonging: We are inclusive of all people, including people of all identities and abilities/disabilities. We believe housing is a human right and that everyone should have a home and community where they feel a sense of belonging. We honor and celebrate all cultures and welcome cultural differences. We are rooted in the Mission District and bring these cultural and community values to each of the diverse neighborhoods we serve throughout San Francisco.
Accountability: We use our mission as our decision-making compass and see our work as part of our legacy. We are intentional in the programmatic, operational, and policy decisions we make. We do what’s right because that’s the right thing to do. We are transparent about how we operate as an organization, and we base our decisions on what is best for our residents, our surrounding communities, and our organization. We approach decisions we make with thoughtfulness. We hold ourselves accountable for the commitments we make to each other and to the communities we serve.
Sustainability: We believe that housing should be designed and maintained to be a sustainable asset for current and future generations. We believe that the process by which we develop housing should reflect our values and provide sustainability for workers and the families and individuals living in our buildings. As such, Mission Housing partners with other professionals that uphold high standards and pay fair wages and benefits to employees and contractors, enabling them to support their families and the local economy.
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Resident Services Highlight
A Dream Come True
Mission Housing prepares SRO tenants to take a big step in their housing independence
For 13 years, Ms. Felecia dreamt of a thing most of us take for granted.
A member of the Hotel Apollo SRO community for over a decade, Ms. Felecia benefited from the stabilizing resources offered by Mission Housing’s Resident Services program.
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But shortly after the pandemic ravaged the San Francisco, Ms. Felecia wanted the one thing living in the SRO couldn’t offer her.
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“I wanted my own bathroom,” she said, smiling.
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After expressing her needs, the Mission Housing’s services teams sprung to action, recommending Ms. Felecia to the Housing Ladder Program and ushering her through the entire process.
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Ms. Felecia represents one of more than a dozen former tenants who Mission Housing has helped transition away from Single Room Occupancy hotels in our portfolio to a more independent state of living and thriving.
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The Housing Ladder Program, in partnership with San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, offers a unique opportunity for residents who live in a permanent supportive housing site, like Mission Housing’s Hotel Apollo, and no longer require intensive case management support services, with an opportunity to transition into a more independent housing setting.
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“It’s just another way to follow through with our mission,” said Marcia Contreras, Deputy Executive Director at Mission Housing. “The Housing Ladder program is a great example of what affordable housing should be. Our purpose is to elevate our tenants and to help them find a way to ultimate independence.”
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Completing important projects
Cutting Ribbons Across San Francisco
In 2023, Mission Housing completed a number of projects across the city —thus, a number of ribbon cuttings highlighted the year. These events are perfect opportunities for tenants, partners and city officials to come together and celebrate community development.
New Map project: Great Highway and Noriega Street
In 2022, the San Francisco Housing Authority and Mission Housing completed an exchange of five buildings to add to the organization’s Scattered Sites portfolio.
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The five sites, spread across San Francisco, underwent successful relocations of tenants while Mission Housing completed rehabilitations of the sites. Two of those sites are located at the Great Highway and Noriega Street and officially re-opened its doors in May of 2023.
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In all, 69 units were added to the Mission Housing portfolio. “I cannot stress enough how incredibly proud we are of the Mission Housing staff,” said Sam Moss, Executive Director at Mission Housing.
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“I’m excited for the tenants,” said Marcia Contreras, Deputy Executive Director at Mission Housing. “They can come home to a unit that they’re proud of. I’m proud of how our staff delivered for these tenants.”
Accessory Dwelling Units project: 3434 18th Street
More than three years after an executive directive from San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Mission Housing completed the conversion of three unoccupied garages into affordable housing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) for San Francisco seniors.
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The transformation is part of the rehabilitation of 3434 18th Street — a three-story, eight-unit building built almost a century ago. The transformation was completed in eight months. Each unit includes new amenities for the tenants as well as a full conversion to an all-electric footprint.
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“Now, more than ever, it is imperative that San Francisco’s affordable housing development community utilizes its properties to their fullest and best potential to provide as many affordable housing units as possible,” said Mission Housing’s Executive team. “By converting these garages to three new low-income units with 100 percent of its own funds, Mission Housing is once again leading the industry by example.”
New Map project: Noe Street
In August of 2023, San Francisco Mayor London Breed joined State Senator Scott Wiener, representatives from the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA), and development partners to celebrate the grand opening of 363 Noe Street, the final of five former public housing sites rehabilitated by Mission Housing as part of the organization’s New Map project.
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363 Noe Street is a three-story development consisting of 21 income-restricted homes serving low-income seniors and people with disabilities making up to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and one manager unit. The building is just one of five sites — representing 69 units in total — that were fully rehabilitated and preserved as permanently affordable housing by Mission Housing.
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Restoring 69 units across five different sites is the kind of common-sense preservation that makes Mission Housing Development Corporation proud to a part of San Francisco’s affordable housing community.
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
One community. One beat. One heart.
Grand Open Heart
Hundreds celebrate with Mission Housing and its partners the Grand Opening of Kapuso at the Upper Yard
District 11 now has a heart to call “home” In September of 2023, Mission Housing, along with Related California and their community partners, celebrated the grand opening of Kapuso at the Upper Yard, the 131-unit affordable housing development in the heart of San Francisco’s District 11.
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Located at 2340 San Jose Avenue on a city-owned lot adjacent to the Balboa Park Rapid Transit Station (BART), Kapuso at the Upper Yard is an affordable, mixed-use, transit-oriented development for low- to moderate-income families. It’s the first-of-its-kind development built in District 11 in over a decade.
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“We feel Kapuso at the Upper Yard sets a new standard for affordable housing in San Francisco. It is a shining example of what community development should be — from its inception as an ideal conceived by community to the planning to its design to its construction,” said Mission Housing’s Executive Team. “From Day 1, the goal was for Kapuso to represent the heartbeat of this diverse community and the grand opening is vindication of what happens when we all come together to accomplish the greatest of all goods — build quality affordable housing.”
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Hundreds of community members joined the development team, city officials and partners on the new BART Plaza to cut the ribbon and partake in the community celebration.
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Resident Services impact across all our sites
Resident Services Outreach
Ribbon Cutting at the Gran Oriente for Steve Arevalo tribute
Technology empowerment with Dev/Mission at La Fenix
Resident Services hub at Kapuso at the Upper Yard.
Coffee Hour with our South Park tenants
Volunteer Week with Wells Fargo bank
Community events across all sites (Abel Gonzalez)
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Cross collaboration yielding tremendous results
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40 years of flight
Celebrating four decades of community at Mariposa Gardens
Forty years ago, Mission Housing Development Corporation planted a seed of hope in the middle of San Francisco’s Mission District and Potrero Hill. Mariposa Gardens – an affordable housing family complex on 2445 Mariposa Street offers two- and three-bedroom units to 63 low-income families.
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On Thursday, November 30, 2023 the affordable housing pioneers celebrated amongst community at Mariposa Gardens the impact the building has made on many lives — some of whom have lived there since the initial lease-up.
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The project was supported by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development four decades ago and was recently rehabilitated in an active effort to preserve one of the community’s oldest affordable housing buildings.
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“It’s a true gift and privilege to celebrate with community,” said Mission Housing Executive team. “The tenants here at Mariposa Gardens really are special to us.”
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Cross collaboration yielding tremendous results
A heart with wings
Mission Housing leads the effort to fully lease-up Kapuso at the Upper Yard
Well before the red ribbon was cut to symbolize the opening of Kapuso at the Upper Yard, Mission Housing, along with Related California, was busy with its property management partner Caritas Property Management, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and the San Francisco Housing Authority to put 131 sets of unit keys into deserving hands.
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“As with any project, setting expectations across teams is important,” said Nicole Reams, Mission Housing’s Director of Asset Management. “The biggest challenge was making certain that every organization met all of its internal key deadlines and that communication was shared across these teams when necessary in a collaborative and efficient way.
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“The overall goal was to be 100% leased up by the end of December 2023 and this was met thanks to all of the various teams that were and are committed to housing families in San Francisco.”
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As Mission Housing and Caritas prepared for the Kapuso lease-up, staffing was down at both organizations. Both organizations aggressively and effectively staffed up, working through weekends and holidays, to reach the TCAC regulatory requirement and proforma goals. Everyone was devoted to making the project successful.
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“As always, it was a pleasure partnering with the City. Everyone understood the nature of the HOPE SF program, and the difficult balance of allowing the max time for prioritizing the specified property’s households while allowing the property to lease-up in time,” Reams said. “All parties understood their obligations and aligned with the needs from the beginning.”
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Community bringing two titans together
Flying toward San Francisco’s west ...
In a major triumph for affordable housing, Mission Housing was awarded the 250 Laguna Honda project
In a major victory for affordable housing in San Francisco, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development announced in early 2023 five new affordable housing projects that will deliver more than 550 new affordable homes for San Franciscans.
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Among those awarded was Mission Housing’s development at 250 Laguna Honda in San Francisco’s District 7.
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“We want to thank Mayor London Breed, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and Supervisor Myrna Melgar for their unwavering courage and belief in the power of affordable housing,” said Mission Housing’s Executive team. “Their leadership has ignited a new dawn of housing possibilities for the west side of San Francisco.”
... while rooted in The City’s east
Landmark partnership unites Mission Housing and MEDA to build The Marvel at 1979 Mission Street
We, as Mission Housing and MEDA, are honored to be the chosen primary developers of the 1979 Mission Street site that is expected to provide hundreds of low-income families and formerly unhoused with a new home.
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Sitting vacant for years on the northwest corner of 16th and Mission Streets, this site will be one of the largest 100% affordable housing projects in San Francisco.
Working together for the first time on such an extensive development project shows the incredible impact of community advocacy.
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We are immensely proud of and grateful for members of our Mission community and our respective staffs who fought for years to make this development selection happen.
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As our two development teams work hand-in-hand, the 1979 Mission Street site will now represent an incredible victory in the fight against further displacement in our beloved neighborhood.
Community: you slayed the monster! Now it’s our turn to bring the Marvel to life. Thank you for entrusting us to do so.
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT
The numbers
Financial Snapshot
Thank you to our 2023 donors
CREA • Swinerton Builders • Johnston Family Foundation • Mithun • Riomet • Gould-Adamson Revocable Trust • Meta • City National Bank • Avalon Bay Communities • Wells Fargo Bank • Silicon Valley Bank • Wells Fargo Foundation • Chris & Melody Malachowsky Family • Pacific Automation
VUELA COLIBRI: THE 2023 IMPACT REPORT