How The Kelsey Civic Center translates inclusive design and mission-aligned capital into stable housing and community
When Gladis moved into The Kelsey Civic Center in downtown San Francisco, it marked the end of a five-year search for housing that could truly support her family. As a single mother, her needs extended beyond herself to her two daughters – including one who requires disability-related accommodations that many housing options could not provide. At The Kelsey Civic Center, Gladis found a home designed with her whole family in mind.
“This is the first place where we didn’t have to make compromises just to feel safe and included.”
Opened in April 2025 next to San Francisco’s City Hall, The Kelsey Civic Center is a 112-unit, disability-forward affordable housing development intentionally designed to center inclusion from the start. It was part of the first housing lottery in San Francisco to prioritize people with disabilities who use Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), with one quarter of its 112 homes reserved for HCBS users.
The need for housing like this remains especially urgent in San Francisco. Approximately 90,000 adults and seniors with disabilities lived in San Francisco as of 2023, many of whom continue to face significant barriers to finding affordable, accessible housing.¹ As this population is projected to grow, the supply of homes designed to support accessibility and long-term stability has not kept pace with demand, even as new developments come online.
Income disparities further deepen the challenge. Adults with disabilities in San Francisco earn substantially less than the citywide median income, limiting housing options in an already high-cost market.2 At the same time, many affordable housing developments still lack basic accessibility features, creating additional barriers for households that require them. For families like Gladis’s, this often turns the housing search into an exhausting cycle of barriers rather than opportunities.
The Kelsey Civic Center responds to that reality by rethinking how housing is designed. While the community is open to anyone who qualifies for affordable housing, its homes and shared spaces were designed first for people with disabilities – creating environments that are accessible, flexible, and welcoming for everyone.
In late 2022, as rising interest rates and construction cost volatility threatened to delay the project, Housing Trust partnered with The Kelsey to help keep The Kelsey Civic Center moving forward on schedule. Through the Apple Affordable Housing Fund (AAHF), an initiative designed to accelerate housing production and support projects that might otherwise stall, Housing Trust provided a $5 million construction loan. The development was financed outside the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) system, instead combining funding from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), the State’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program, and the State Housing Accelerator, with AAHF capital helping close remaining funding gaps. By maintaining momentum during this period, The Kelsey was able to deliver the project without delay, providing stable, inclusive housing for residents. The AAHF loan was priced at a rate more than three times lower than conventional construction financing, generating meaningful cost savings amid a volatile market.
By maintaining momentum during this period, The Kelsey was able to deliver the project without delay, providing stable, inclusive housing for residents.
The impact of The Kelsey Civic Center is felt most clearly in daily life. Community gathering spaces and resident events have made it easier to form relationships with neighbors – something that was often missing in Gladis’s past housing experiences. Those connections have been especially meaningful for her daughter with a disability, who now has opportunities to build friendships with peers.
“Living here has changed everything for our family. My daughter finally has a community where she feels like she belongs.”
That sense of belonging is what makes The Kelsey Civic Center different. It is not just a place to live, but a model for what disability-forward, community-centered housing can be – and an example of how innovative, flexible lending partnerships can help bring inclusive developments to life.
Learn more about how you can support Housing Trust’s work and connect with us at https://housingtrustsv.org/invest/.
Sources
- City and County of San Francisco. Aging & Disability Affordable Housing Overview (2023).
San Francisco Human Services Agency – Department of Disability and Aging Services. - City and County of San Francisco. Aging & Disability Affordable Housing Implementation Plan (2025). San Francisco Planning Department and partner agencies.
- California Housing Partnership. San Francisco County Housing Need Report (2024).