Michael remembers the days of growing up in section 8 housing in Los Angeles and living on food stamps. His parents, both immigrants from Vietnam, worked hard to provide for their family of five and teach their children the power of perseverance. As the eldest son, Michael became the first in his family to meet…
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: From Section 8 Housing to First-Time Homeownership
November 28, 2023
Newly Funded
Just Funded: Five Projects with EAH Housing
November 20, 2023
We are excited to share that we recently originated a $3.5 million unsecured revolving line of credit to EAH Housing, which will create more than 400 new affordable homes for our community members in the following counties across the Bay Area: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Monterey County, and Solano County. The funds…
Updates
In The Media
November 8, 2023
“To be able to have that access to the agriculture and have the therapeutic time to go work in the garden, or eat produce from the garden, I think that really adds, just, a vibrancy to a community.” – Julie Mahowald, our CFO and Head of Partnerships and Strategy, on the vision behind the Agrihood…
Updates
2023 Annual Report is Live
October 26, 2023
Our 2023 Housing Trust Silicon Valley Annual Report is hot off the press! It’s been an amazing year, and we are excited to show you what we’ve accomplished together. https://housingtrustsv.org/annualreport/2023/ Take a look and meet the neighbors whose lives have changed as a result of our collective work. People like Issac, who dealt with addiction,…
Updates
Siesta Senior Apartments Grand Opening
October 23, 2023
It’s a celebration! Siesta Senior Apartments, a beautiful new 92-unit development just outside the City of Sonoma had it’s grand opening and we were thrilled to join in the festivities. Housing Trust Silicon Valley‘s Julie Mahowald, CFO and Head of Partnerships and Strategy spoke at the event and celebrated with the community as vibrancy returns…
Success Stories
Isaac’s Story
October 16, 2023
Isaac grew up on the same block as Page Street Studios, Charities Housing’s new affordable housing complex located in the West San Carlos Urban Village area. With a smile, he remembers standing at his grandmother’s doorway and peering down the street with his cousins. “Now I’m standing here looking down that way, and it’s kind…
Updates
Congratulations to Julie Mahowald!
September 29, 2023
Congratulations to Julie Mahowald for being named the Nonprofit CFO of the Year by Larkin Street Youth Services and the San Francisco Business Times. The Housing Trust community benefits from your excellence every day, and we’re so proud of your accomplishments – this is a very well-earned award! Julie was in great company with honorable…
Updates
Read All About it! The latest Housing Trust News is Live!
September 28, 2023
Read all about it! Our September Housing Trust Newsletter is hot off the press: https://conta.cc/3t89rou! We have a developer partner update, media mentions, and other exciting news! #AffordableHousing #CDFI #Community #HousingforAll
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: Lana and Vincent Fulfill Their American Dream
July 25, 2023 When Lana came to the United States from Vietnam four years ago, everything felt new. She had left her beloved homeland and a good job in global shipping to build a life with her husband Vincent, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam with his family as a teen. Vincent and Lana are now…
Press Releases
New Updates to the Empower Homebuyers SCC Down Payment Assistance Program
March 15, 2023
Program offers loan amount of $250,000, up to 30% of the purchase price with no maximum purchase price San Jose, CA – March 15, 2023 – The County of Santa Clara and Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund, announced today new updates to the Empower Homebuyers Santa Clara County (SCC) Down Payment Assistance…
Newly Funded, Updates
Newly Funded: 350 Affordable Homes to be Developed in the Greater Bay Area
February 16, 2023
Hundreds more of our neighbors will soon have housing options. We are excited to share that four Newly Funded loans that closed during the second half of 2022 (July through December) will create 350 new affordable homes for our community members. We are proud to be able to help more mission driven affordable housing developers…
Newly Funded, Updates
Newly Funded! 520+ Affordable Homes to be Developed in the Greater Bay Area + More Amazing News
August 31, 2022
520+ Affordable Homes to be Developed in the Greater Bay Area + More Amazing News Newly Funded Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 Half a billion dollars in loans closed! Housing Trust recently reached this organizational milestone. To date, we have loaned more than $500 million towards the development of affordable homes throughout the greater Bay Area. These investments have…
Updates
Noni Ramos Recognized as a Woman of Influence 2022 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal
July 14, 2022
San Jose, CA – Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), announced today that Noni Ramos has been honored by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a Woman of Influence in 2022. Honorees were unveiled in the June 17, 2022, issue of the Silicon Valley Business Journal and celebrated during a…
Press Releases, Success Stories
Housing Trust, Kingdom Builders, and BACBO Drive Housing Equity with Innovative Loans
June 7, 2022
Addressing the housing crisis in your own hometown may sound like a daunting challenge. Not for Pastor L.J. Jennings. Born, raised, and proudly immersed in the Oakland community he loves as a church leader and non-profit leader, Pastor Jennings is on a mission to help his neighbors and congregation in need by building affordable housing…
Press Releases
Apple, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates Announce Grand Opening of Veterans Square
May 11, 2022
Thirty-Home Development Will Address Housing Availability for Contra Costa County Veterans Pittsburgh, CA – May 11, 2022 – Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund, Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, and Apple today announced the grand opening of Veterans Square, a 30-home affordable housing development in the Old Town neighborhood of Pittsburg. Located at…
Press Releases, Updates
City-Led Affordable Housing Project Pacific Station South Set to Begin Construction
May 10, 2022
Groundbreaking Event to Highlight Three Downtown Affordable Housing Projects SANTA CRUZ, CA – May 16, 2022 – The City of Santa Cruz will celebrate the groundbreaking of its Pacific Station South project on May 19 at 11 a.m. The event will also highlight the groundbreaking of Pacific Union Partners’ Cedar Street Apartments and the in-progress…
Press Releases, Updates
Berkeley church and local affordable housing developer build a community solution to a regional challenge
May 5, 2022
All Souls Episcopal Parish (ASEP) and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) open doors to Jordan Court – 34 new affordable homes for seniors in Berkeley Berkeley, CA – May 5, 2022 – On Thursday, May 5, All Souls Episcopal Parish (ASEP) and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) will mark the grand opening of Jordan Court…
Updates
Christine Pezino Joins Housing Trust as Finance Director
April 7, 2022
Housing Trust Silicon Valley proudly welcomes Christine Pezino, who joins us as Finance Director. Her responsibilities will include financial planning and analysis, as well as support for business decisions, strategy, and risk management. Prior to Housing Trust, Christine handled all aspects of finance for a multi-family property management organization. Her previous experience includes 15 years…
Updates
Mukhtar Barna Joins Housing Trust as Senior Fund Accountant
March 7, 2022
Housing Trust Silicon Valley warmly welcomes Mukhtar Barna, who joins us as Senior Fund Accountant. His responsibilities will include guiding the growth of a fund we are managing on behalf of a large tech company, as well as contributing to Housing Trust’s accounting, analysis, and reporting. Mukhtar speaks six languages. He was the recipient of…
Press Releases
Google and Housing Trust Silicon Valley Announce Loan to Charities Housing for Affordable Units
March 2, 2022
$17.2M in Funding to Purchase Over 2 Acres of Land for 160 Units of Affordable Housing in Santa Clara Count San Jose, CA – March 2, 2022 – Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund, announced today a loan for the acquisition of 2.22 acres at 57 and 67 E. Evelyn Avenue, Mountain…
Updates
Prathit Thaker Joins Housing Trust as Chief Credit Officer
February 2, 2022
Housing Trust Silicon Valley warmly welcomes Prathit Thaker, who joins us as Chief Credit Officer. His responsibilities will include leading the credit, risk management, loan administration, asset management, and compliance functions. Prathit is a seasoned executive with 25+ years of depth and breadth of credit risk management, commercial real estate finance and debt capital markets…
Press Releases
Housing Trust Silicon Valley to Join White House Panel on Addressing Supply Constraints in the Housing Market
February 1, 2022
Virtual Event to Focus on Solutions for Easier Building of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) San Jose, CA – February 1, 2022 – Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund, today announced its CEO, Noni Ramos, will join senior Biden-Harris Administration officials, local government officials, researchers, financial institutions, and practitioners in a virtual White…
Success Stories
Eden Housing’s Auzerais Apartments – aided by TECH Fund – Celebrates Groundbreaking in San Jose
December 8, 2021
In Spring 2019, Housing Trust’s TECH Fund made what was then the second-largest loan in our history – $13.75 million to help Eden Housing buy a site on Auzerais Avenue that checked all the boxes for what strong and affordable housing should be. Today some of our team took part in the groundbreaking celebration to…
Updates
Nazmin Bishop joins Housing Trust as Chief Development & Communications Officer
December 7, 2021
Today, Housing Trust Silicon Valley welcomes Nazmin Bishop, who joins us as Chief Development and Communications Officer. Nazmin is a Bay Area native who has always loved the richness of the cultural diversity and the innovation and forward thinking of the region. She has been in the fields of Business Development, Marketing, and Communications most…
Press Releases
Agrihood Breaks Ground in Santa Clara
September 15, 2021
On the morning of September 15th, 2021, we gathered with a lot of friends and partners for the groundbreaking of Agrihood; a development which will provide 361 new homes – including 181 below-market rate homes for seniors and senior veterans. Read the press release here and see the rendering of the Agrihood project. Agrihood was…
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: Fernando and Stephani Find Their Perfect Condo in San Jose
September 3, 2021
When a job offer brought Fernando and Stephani to the South Bay a few years ago, they settled comfortably into the area. The couple appreciated the diversity of the community and the many activities the Bay Area had to offer. Fernando, who grew up in Oregon to a U.S. citizen dad and Peruvian mom, enjoyed…
Success Stories, Updates
Breaking Ground with PATH in San Jose
August 23, 2021
This morning we got to see our friends from PATH and attend the groundbreaking celebration of Villas at Fourth Street in San Jose – a project that will bring 93 affordable homes for chronically homeless seniors age 55 and above. Two key collaborations brought us to today: Google, which first invested in our TECH Fund…
Updates
Welcome Lupita – Housing Trust’s First Human Resources Director
August 18, 2021
Some big news just happened internally: Housing Trust, which has been growing quite a bit in recent years – we only had a staff of three about twelve years ago – just hired our very first Human Resources Director! Please meet Lupita Medina, who has years of experience and leadership in building HR infrastructure, strategic…
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: Ryan and Teresa’s Story
July 14, 2021
When Ryan and Teresa’s landlord told them that the townhome they were renting for seven years was going to be placed on the market, the couple knew it was time to make some big decisions. Their choices were to either move to a new rental and likely pay more for rent, or they could finally…
Success Stories, Updates
Housing Trust Awarded $1.8 million from U.S. Treasury for COVID-19 Relief
June 15, 2021
Today Housing Trust Silicon Valley is proud to announce we are among 863 community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in the U.S. to be awarded funds from the Treasury’s CDFI Rapid Response Program. Our organization secured $1.8 million, which will enable Housing Trust to continue to support affordable housing developments in the greater Bay Area as…
Updates
For All Neighbors: A Short Update on Empower Homebuyers SCC
June 7, 2021
Since Housing Trust started diversity, equity and inclusion work a few years ago, we’ve been trying to do more outward facing efforts for the communities we serve, such as creating fliers in multiple languages for our homeownership/down payment assistance programs, Empower Homebuyers SCC and H.E.L.P. We are proud to take another small step in our…
Press Releases, Success Stories, Updates
Affordable Housing Partnership Announces First Three Developments to Build New Homes in Sonoma County
March 25, 2021
The Sonoma County Housing Fund – a collaborative effort between the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber and nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) Housing Trust Silicon Valley – is proud to announce the first three loans for critically needed affordable homes. The three separate developments – Siesta Senior Apartments in Sonoma, Stony Point Flats and Acme…
Press Releases, Updates
Google, Housing Trust Silicon Valley Initiative Investing Nearly $30 Million for Bay Area Affordable Homes
March 4, 2021
Effort to Aid Short Term and Long-Term Economic Recovery in Region Google and Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund that works to create a strong affordable housing market in the greater Bay Area, are announcing though their Launch Initiative new loans of approximately $30 million for three Bay Area affordable housing developments…
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: Marcela and her Son
February 1, 2021
Sometimes a well penned letter can change things forever. When Marcela and her six year old son first saw the house she would eventually purchase with help from the Empower Homebuyers SCC down payment assistance program, they fell in love. They were also charmed by the neighborhood and the Gilroy community. Marcela made an offer on the…
Press Releases
Bay Area Down Payment Assistance Program Still Active in Pandemic
January 14, 2021
Empower Homebuyers SCC seeks to help up to 50 homebuyers in 2021 SAN JOSE, CALIF – Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community loan fund, is excited to launch the 2021 series of webinars to educate future Bay Area homebuyers about Empower Homebuyers SCC – a down payment assistance program created by the County of Santa…
Updates
Down Payment Assistance News for First-Time Homebuyers
December 22, 2020
On December 16th, the homeownership team gave the last presentation of 2020 for Empower Homebuyers SCC – the down payment assistance program for first-time homebuyers created by the County of Santa Clara. When the first Shelter In Place order was given in mid-March, the team pivoted from in-person workshops to online – making 26 online…
Newly Funded, Press Releases
New, Major Loans from Google’s Launch Initiative Bringing Sustainable Affordable Homes to Bay Area
November 16, 2020
Google and Housing Trust Silicon Valley – a nonprofit community loan fund that works to create a strong affordable housing market in the greater Bay Area – are announcing the first investments in affordable housing from Launch Initiative, the $50 million fund rolled out in July. This comes just months after the fund was established…
Newly Funded, Press Releases
Satellite Affordable Housing Associates to Bring Homeless Veterans Home in Contra Costa County
November 11, 2020
Support from Apple, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, Chase, and other local players will help create needed affordable rental housing Virtual groundbreaking celebration scheduled on Veteran’s Day PITTSBURG, CA – Satellite Affordable Housing Associates today announces the groundbreaking for Veterans Square, a 30-home affordable housing development in Pittsburg supporting veterans. A virtual groundbreaking celebration will be…
Updates
Housing Trust Presents: #InTheHouseHT
September 8, 2020
Four weeks from today Housing Trust will be hosting our annual fall event, On the House, and we’d love for you to attend. In the meantime, we invite you to join our new social media campaign #InTheHouseHT. It’s very simple: just post a photo on social media featuring anything in your home you are especially thankful for…
Updates
Empower Homebuyers SCC Update
July 29, 2020
Our Homeownership team continues to work remotely while finding ways to keep potential homebuyers engaged. In June and July, we held five Empower Homebuyers SCC Zoom webinars and a Lender Training, with about 320 attendees. To change things up and make the informational presentations even more interesting, the team introduced poll questions, which increased engagement…
Press Releases
Housing Trust and Google Announce Launch Initiative to Create New Affordable Homes
July 23, 2020
Google and Housing Trust Silicon Valley – a nonprofit community loan fund that works to create a strong affordable housing market in the greater Bay Area – are announcing the creation of Launch Initiative, an affordable housing fund aimed to accelerate the start-up and preservation of homes. Launch Initiative, announced a year after Google’s $50…
Updates
Black Lives Matter: Moving to Action
June 4, 2020
Dear Partners, Our entire team is jolted and saddened by the violent and unjust killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement – just as we stand with our black employees, board members, partners, residents, community members – and implore our neighbors to…
Success Stories
Empowered by Home: Justin’s Story
May 8, 2020
An assistant principal at Branham High School and a single dad, Justin Ponzio dreamed of having a home for his kids – ages five and six – to live and grow. When he found the Empower Homebuyers SCC program in 2019, the trio lived in a rental near a busy frontage road that was far…
Updates
Housing Trust’s COVID-19 Response
March 26, 2020
Dear Neighbors and Partners, We believe safe, stable affordable housing opens the door to better lives for everyone. In support of this belief, we carry on our work as a nonprofit lender and our job is to be here for our borrowers and our community – supporting those who require unique and flexible financing to…
Updates
Changing our World, One Corner at a Time
November 8, 2023
Congratulations to Eden Housing – our long-time developer partners and friends – for celebrating 55 years of providing #AffordableHousing across the Bay Area, and beyond! You have changed so many lives for the better, including the family of our Housing Trust Silicon Valley Finance Manager, Jesus A. Magaña, who grew up in an Eden community…
Updates
Project Destined Affordable Housing Bridge Program Visits Housing Trust Silicon Valley
October 31, 2023
We had an action-packed day last week hosting Project Destined fellows from the Affordable Housing Bridge Program as they visited Housing Trust Silicon Valley. The program connects diverse college students to nonprofit and for-profit affordable housing leaders and practitioners nationwide. Meeting the students and exploring their passion for the affordable housing industry was super fun,…
Updates
Another Incredible NPH Conference
October 26, 2023
Looking back at Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California‘s Affordable Housing Conference with full hearts! Thanks to the speakers, fellow attendees, organizers, and sponsors for an incredible event. Our team had a blast! A huge thank you to the @Black Developers Forum for an amazing Jazz Reception – we’re so proud to be part of…
Success Stories
Steve’s Story
October 17, 2023
Meet Steve! Steve is a native to the Bay Area and found professional success in sales for high tech companies. As a member of the LGBTQ community, he experienced a lot of traumas after losing many friends from the AIDS crisis when he lived in San Francisco. After working in several different markets and traveling…
Success Stories
Ms. Patti’s Story
October 17, 2023
Meet Ms. Patti! At 70 years old, Ms. Patti still loves to laugh. She is a mother of two, has two grandchildren, and is now one of the newest residents at PATH Villas at 4th Street in San Jose. Her career as a bakery manager was cut short by health issues, including seizures that left…