"We're glad to be home; it's beautiful."
This photo essay highlights the experience of residents before, during, and after the conversion of their apartment community under Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), a program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Recapitalization. It includes an honest account of what it’s like to live in a property going through a RAD conversion.
Deborah G. and Herman T. have been residents for 13 years at Holly Courts, which had been the first public housing project built in San Francisco. Located in a culturally dynamic single-family neighborhood, Holly Courts sits adjacent to Junipera Serra Elementary School Center and Holly Park.
Before moving into Holly Courts, they lived in nearby Oakland. Originally from San Antonio, Deborah came to the San Francisco area at the age of three and Herman moved to the area from Mississippi.
Deborah has been on the Resident Council for Holly Courts since 2009, serving as president since 2015. Herman, who Deborah describes as "the Number One Husband," runs a food bank program at Holly Courts and personally delivers food to seniors in the building itself and in the neighborhood.
Before Holly Courts went through the RAD program it had drug problems, mold, mildew, and rodent issues. It took about 90 days to renovate each of the 118 affordable family units. The five-phase renovation project started in November of 2015 and the final phase was completed in May 2017.
Because of phased construction, Deborah and Herman were able to move into another Holly Courts unit while theirs was being renovated. Other families were temporarily relocated to other affordable units within the city.
"As residents, we were concerned about what would happen with our furniture, but it was placed in storage for us."
The anxiety and fears of tenants around the renovation process were eased by relocation specialists who met with each family before moving them to minimize the impact of their temporary relocation. Specialists took into consideration where children went to school, the various places of employment, transportation needs, and the specific needs of senior residents.
Residents were updated on the project through biweekly meetings, which provided the opportunity for developers to get feedback from residents and address issues and concerns before they became problems.
"We were initially nervous about the whole project, but after the work was done, we were very happy."
"Before the renovation, we hated to come back to our unit because it was dark. Now it's light and airy and we love walking into our home."
Some of the greatest changes to come about from the RAD project include the removal of mold and mildew, new floors, new kitchen appliances and cabinets, fresh paint and bathroom upgrades, electrical improvements and increased lighting that has turned the dark units into light and airy spaces, and a new ventilation system.
"RAD is good — a wonderful thing to have."
Completed by two nonprofits, the renovation also resulted in new laundry facilities, increased social services and training programs for residents, and integrated programs for children operated by the YMCA.
The $23 million transaction included new private financing and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
ABOUT RAD: The Rental Assistance Demonstration is administered by the Office of Recapitalization in the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs at HUD. Authorized in 2011, RAD allows public housing agencies and owners of other HUD-assisted properties to convert units from their original sources of funding to long-term project-based Section 8 contracts. These new contracts provide a more reliable source of operating subsidy that enables property owners to leverage private and public capital, such as debt and equity, to finance new construction and/or rehabilitation of rental housing. For residents, RAD offers enhanced protections and rights as they benefit from consultation prior to conversion, have the right to return after any construction, and maintain ongoing rights guaranteeing the affordability of the housing.
Credits:
Created with images by: Steven Sachs - Polaroid photos • mariagraziamontagnari.net - "San Francisco" • Eric Fischer - "San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System Flow Map (1961)" • Eric Fischer - "San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System: San Francisco Geary Line and Former Marin Line (1961)" • Eric Fischer - "Proposed Barriers in San Francisco Bay: Reber Plan (1942)"