PROJECT DETAILS
Location: San Jose, Calif.
Developer: First Community Housing
Architect: Rob Wellington Quigley Architects
Builders: Branagh Construction and Guerdon
Opened: May 2019
Number of Units: 135 // Unit Mix: Studios and one-bedrooms
Rents: Monthly rent paid by Section 8 vouchers—$1,939 to $2,403; monthly rental cost to residents—30% of income with $50 minimum
Second Street Studios helps fill the need for permanent supportive housing in San Jose, Calif. Located at the southern gateway to downtown, it’s home to about 150 formerly homeless residents.
The inspiring development comes at a time when Santa Clara County reported more than 9,700 people experiencing homelessness in January 2019, a 31% increase from 2017 and the highest number seen in over a decade. The vast majority of the area’s homeless population is in San Jose.
Developed by First Community Housing, Second Street Studios aims to address this crisis while uplifting its residents by providing a healthy living environment.
The model development hosts a micro-urban farm on-site as well as around-the-clock security and management staff. Several common spaces are designed to accommodate community activities like support groups and classes, and a significant portion of the ground floor is reserved for the property’s large resident services and management staff. There are 13 on-site support staff members with specialties in different areas from harm reduction to employment. There’s also an on-site nurse.
Bernard Andre
First Community Housing acquired the land for its new development during the Great Recession when a planned hotel project no longer penciled out. The nonprofit developer then had to make several moves for its affordable housing deal to be feasible, including revising its plans to build a conventional wood-over-podium structure. Instead, the project utilized new building technology, resulting in four modular, wood-frame floors above the ground-floor commercial space to help lower costs. Terraces and balconies help articulate the façade and provide “eyes on the street.”
Boasting an energy-efficient building envelope and other green features, Second Street Studios is expected to earn LEED Platinum certification. In addition, the site is adjacent to a major transit route, and free transit passes are provided to residents.
The apartments are covered by Section 8 project-based vouchers to serve the extremely low-income residents that are most vulnerable to the region’s high housing costs. As a result, residents pay just 30% of their income toward rent.
Multiple funding sources were assembled to finance the project, including federal low-income housing tax credits and soft debt from the city.