There is no housing market in the U.S. where someone who is disabled and living on Supplemental Security Income can afford an apartment without rental assistance. A disability-forward housing nonprofit wants to change that.
The Kelsey is changing how housing developments are built for low and moderate-income households and people with disability needs, with its first project in downtown San Jose welcoming renters in April. The nonprofit intentionally selects locations that are close to public transit.
The Kelsey Ayer Station at 457 N. First St. is a $75 million project funded by a public and private partnership that includes $17 million from San Jose, $26 million in federal low-income housing tax credits and $2 million from philanthropic sources. The nonprofit aims to construct more apartments for people with disabilities across the Bay Area.
“Ours is unique and it’s all encompassing. It’s also been co-led by people with and without disabilities,” Micaela Connery, co-founder of The Kelsey, told San José Spotlight. “We are the first to focus on this cross-disability access and particularly to have this link between both the physical access and the supportive services.”