Former Black Panther Party Chairwoman Elaine Brown Raises $80M To Open Affordable Housing In Oakland With Free Wi-Fi, Onsite Grocery Store

A new affordable housing project to help combat high rental prices and homelessness in Oakland is now open and accepting applications from prospective tenants.

On July 16, The Black Panther apartment complex held its grand opening ceremony to celebrate its completion, according to NBC Bay Area . The idea and fundraising came from Oakland-based real estate developer and former Black Panther Party Chairman Elaine Brown, who helped obtain the $80 million required to fund the project.

“This street was very well-known. Black people developed and put a lot of energy into this part of Oakland. It’s a disgrace what has happened to it,” the 80-year-old activist shared with Oaklandside back in January.

Tenants will have access to the energy-efficient property’s free WiFi, laundry rooms, fitness center, computer lab, community outdoor garden, and even an onsite grocery store and restaurant, according to the apartment’s website . Those living on the upper levels will enjoy views of San Francisco Bay and Oakland Hills. Additionally, the first floor of the space is for office spaces so that entrepreneurs can have a place to thrive. The five-story development is also just a few blocks from BART station.

“We had to fight for everything, and this I hope will generate one thing: to fight for what we believe we are deserving of,” Brown told NBC Bay Area.

Local developer McCormack Baron Salazar and Oakland & the World Enterprise , a nonprofit Brown is involved in, collaborated on the building’s architecture.

The target audience is low-income households and formerly incarcerated people. To qualify, applicants must earn less than 30% of the city’s median income. So far, nearly 7,500 people have submitted their applications.