<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2WnyMr_0wFpZS0A00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2WnyMr_0wFpZS0A00" width="876" height="1137" >The Kelsey, a nonprofit that is pioneering disability-forward housing solutions, has opened its first development.Located in San Jose, California, The Kelsey Ayer Station is a deeply affordable, accessible, and inclusive community with 115 units affordable to individuals earning 20% to 80% of the area median income (AMI). Twenty-five percent of the homes are reserved for people with disabilities.The fully accessible design supports diverse physical, sensory, and support access needs. The new building utilizes the organization’s Inclusive Design Standards, which were co-created by advocates, developers, and architects and serve as a resource for public and private housing developers nationwide. “The Kelsey Ayer Station has not only provided homes and community to our residents with and without disabilities but serves as a model for what a truly inclusive housing future can be across our country. Disability-forward housing is both essential and possible—even in some of our most challenging housing markets,” said Micaela Connery, co-founder and CEO of The Kelsey. “This affordable, accessible, inclusive community was co-created by leaders with and without disabilities and made possible with partnership across public, private, and philanthropic sectors. We’re proud of what we have created here and look forward to making it a reality in even more communities in the future.” Among the building’s amenities are a fitness room, a terrace, a sensory garden, a makerspace, a dog run, and on-site “Inclusion Concierge” staff, a program pioneered by The Kelsey to connect residents to formal services and supports as well as build an active, supportive community. The team also selected the site because of its proximity to transit, jobs, arts programs, services, and health care. The Kelsey’s development partners are Sares Regis Group of Northern California and Devine and Gong.The new community took six years of effort and leads a pipeline of new projects to come.The $75 million development was the first project funded from Google’s affordable housing fund, which provided key support during predevelopment, according to officials. Other funders include Capital One and Comerica Bank, which provided construction debt; the city of San Jose; the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Transit-Oriented Development Program; the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Enterprise Community Partners; the California Housing Finance Agency; Housing Trust Silicon Valley; The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; and individual supporters.The Kelsey is national nonprofit organization that co-develops affordable, accessible, inclusive housing, and leads advocacy and field-building efforts to create market conditions so inclusive housing becomes the norm. It is co-developing a second disability-forward community opening in San Francisco in 2025 and is working on another development in Birmingham, Alabama, projected to open in 2027. </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

The Kelsey Celebrates Its Inaugural Community

The Kelsey, a nonprofit that is pioneering disability-forward housing solutions, has opened its first development. Located in San Jose, California, The Kelsey Ayer Station is a deeply affordable, accessible, and inclusive community with 115 units affordable to individuals earning 20% to 80% of the area median income (AMI). Twenty-five percent of the homes are reserved for people with disabilities.