While it was stuck in court, Measure W brought in $810 million, which the county held in escrow.<\/p>\n
The 10 projects awarded funds on Tuesday<\/a>, and another Oakland building that got Measure W money in January, aren\u2019t brand new proposals. The projects are what the government calls \u201cshovel-ready\u201d or close \u2014 in a position to apply for state money or tax credits and break ground soon.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what county supervisors approved Tuesday, from the largest award to the smallest:<\/p>\n Berkeley: People\u2019s Park Supportive project (Satellite Affordable Housing Associates) \u2013 $8.1 million<\/p>\n Berkeley: Ephesian Legacy Court (Community Housing Development Corporation and Ephesian Church of God in Christ) \u2013 $7 million<\/p>\n Oakland: Liberation Park project (Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation) \u2013 $6.75 million<\/p>\n Livermore: Downtown Livermore project (Eden Housing) \u2013 $6.1 million<\/p>\n Oakland: 3135 San Pablo (Satellite Affordable Housing Associates) \u2013 $5.63 million<\/p>\n Alameda: 1247 McKay (Mercy Housing and Alameda Point Collaborative) \u2013 $5.5 million<\/p>\n Oakland: Brighter Bancroft Senior project (Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation \u2013 $4.38 million<\/p>\n Oakland: 500 Lake Park (EAH Housing) \u2013 $3.65 million<\/p>\n Oakland: East 12th Circle (Unity Council and Self Help Ventures Fund) \u2013 $2.98 million<\/p>\n Newark: Thornton Avenue project (Satellite Affordable Housing Associates) \u2013 $2.92 million<\/p>\n In January, the board also approved $18.73 million from Measure W for an East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation project on county property.<\/p>\n Altogether, the funding supports 946 new affordable housing units, including 310 for formerly homeless people. Another $3.7 million will go toward administrative costs.<\/p>\n At a press conference Wednesday, elected officials from across Alameda County and people who\u2019ve experienced homelessness all applauded Measure W as an extraordinary boon in a moment of shortfall and uncertainty.<\/p>\n The deep homelessness fund \u201cis a timely resource we have locally to ensure people don\u2019t lose housing that might be funded by federal sources,\u201d said Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, who represents parts of Oakland.<\/p>\n \u201cMeasure W is a lifeline for our town,\u201d said Mayor Barbara Lee.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oakland, at the center of the homelessness crisis, will get the biggest chunk of Measure W Oakland leaders have long called for the city to get its fair share of the funding, seizing all opportunities to remind the county that Oakland is home to an outsized unhoused population. About 22% of all county residents live in Oakland, but 58% of its homeless residents live there. The mayor also pointed out on Wednesday that Oakland has 74% of the Black homeless residents in the county, and said all decisions about funding and services should prioritize racial equity and take that into account.<\/p>\n \u201cOakland is the epicenter of this crisis, and it\u2019s not by coincidence,\u201d Lee said, referencing the city\u2019s history of redlining and disinvestment.<\/p>\n The framework approved by the board distributes Measure W funding based on where the homeless population is concentrated, but also prioritizes spreading it out to different regions of the county. As a result, Oakland projects dominate the list approved this week, while there are also projects located in other cities and districts.<\/p>\n And not all of the Oakland projects are likely to pop up immediately. While the projects were selected for their readiness, \u201csome of the Oakland projects still have funding gaps that will need to be filled in order for them to apply for tax credits,\u201d Oakland\u2019s housing director, Emily Weinstein, told us.<\/p>\n Lee\u2019s new Office of Homelessness Solutions just released a draft plan<\/a> with an ambitious goal of cutting unsheltered homelessness in half in the city, but this strategy relies on significant support from Measure W.\u00a0<\/p>\n Berkeley projects received the two largest awards, including $8.1 million for the supportive housing portion of the controversial People\u2019s Park development<\/a>. UC Berkeley recently selected<\/a> a new developer, Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, after the previous developer pulled out.<\/p>\n Several people who spoke at Wednesday\u2019s press conference explained the difference it makes to move into a stable living situation from the streets or from insecurity.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a very comfortable apartment. Then I woke up one night to fire,\u201d said Jean Toney. When she tried to find a new home after the disaster, \u201cit was a shock to find out how rents had escalated.\u201d<\/p>\n She was able to crash with friends and family, in rooms that were \u201cshelter, but not home.\u201d Eventually, St. Mary\u2019s Senior Center helped Toney find permanent housing.<\/p>\n So far, the county has spent $146 million in homelessness funds from Measure W, according to a county spokesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas speaks at a press conference on Wednesday announcing the award of millions in Measure W funds for affordable housing in Oakland and other cities. Credit: Natalie Orenstein\/The Oaklandside<\/p>\n