Affordable Community, Homeless Services Center Open in East Bay
The project represents the single largest infusion of low-income and affordable housing in Berkeley's history.

Berkley Way Apartments and the Hope Center. Image courtesy of Berkeley Food & Housing Project (BHFP) and BRIDGE Housing
Berkley Way Apartments and the Hope Center, an affordable housing and homeless services center project developed by Berkeley Food & Housing Project (BHFP) and BRIDGE Housing, has officially opened its doors in Berkeley, Calif. Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects was the architect and Nibbi Brothers served as general contractor.
The project represents the single largest infusion of low-income and affordable housing in the history of the city. Furthermore, the Hope Center is Berkeley’s largest permanent supportive housing for the homeless people.
A 13-year-old vision
BFHP and the City of Berkeley approved the framework for the Hope Center in 2009. In 2013, the City Council initiated a Request for Proposals to transform the parking lot at 2012 Berkeley Way into affordable housing and selected Berkeley Food & Housing Project and BRIDGE Housing to jointly build the development. Five years later, the Berkeley voters approved Measure O, a $135 million bond for affordable housing, providing important help for the project’s financing. Construction started in 2020 and the first move-ins took place at the end of September 2022.
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BRIDGE’s Berkeley Way features 89 affordable homes and services for residents earning between 50 and 60 percent of the area median income. The LEED Gold-certified property encompasses studios, one- and two-bedroom units. Common-area amenities consist of a playground, a community room and laundry facilities.
BFHP’s Hope Center includes 53 permanent supportive housing apartments, 12 transitional beds for homeless veterans and a 32-bed homeless shelter. The property offers services for substance abuse and mental health, job training and social activities.
The two side-by-side properties are near San Pablo Avenue and Ashby Avenue, on the western side of the University of California campus. Many dining options, retail spaces and entertainment venues can be found in the area. Green areas such as McLaughlin Eastshore State Seashore, Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve and Tilden Regional Park are within a 3-mile radius.
Project financing
According to Yardi Matrix data, the developers received a total of $86.5 million in construction financing from the City of Berkeley, Alameda County, the California Municipal Finance Authority, BRIDGE Housing and Silicon Valley Bank and a $18 million bridge loan from CMFA. The National Equity Fund, Berkeley Housing Authority and the California Tax Credit Allocation Community also contributed, as well as the local community.
Additional funding for Berkeley Way came from Freddie Mac, PGIM and Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. For the Hope Center, Citi Community Development/LISC-NEF’s Bring Them Homes initiative provided supplementary financing.
In September, two bills that incentivize developers to convert commercial buildings into much-needed housing were signed into law, addressing California’s major housing crisis. The new laws are aimed at creating more housing units for low- and middle-income residents.