Hayward to get first micro-apartments geared to housing homeless residents

Construction has started on Hayward's first affordable micro-apartments, being built to help house homeless residents and those in danger of being on the street.

The 125 300-square-foot apartments are being built by the nonprofit Abode Services of Fremont, whose mission is to end homelessness.

The city put up $6 million from its inclusionary housing trust fund and its housing authority to help cover some of the cost of the $45 million apartment project.

The rest of the money is coming from the state's Multifamily Housing Project funds, county assistance through Measure A1 and a private construction loan. Alameda County voters approved A1, an affordable housing bond, in 2016.

Construction began in November on the Depot Community Apartments at 2595 Depot Road, approved by the city in 2018. In addition to sleeping space, each apartment will have a full kitchen and ADA-accessible bathroom. They are intended for one or two people.

A long-vacant Victorian home on the property, built in 1900 by Hermann Jasper Mohr, was razed to make room for the apartments. The building had fallen into disrepair.

Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2023. There was a bit of an expected delay because of rain late last year, which made underground work challenging, according to Jon White, Abode's chief real estate officer.

The rent from the tenants will help cover operating costs. Rent will be priced at about 30% of the renter's income and will range from $300 to $1,400.

Renters will be able to move in a few weeks after the project is finished. About half will be referred through Alameda County's Coordinated Entry System, which selects tenants based on income, health conditions, disability status and current housing situation. The rest will be chosen by a lottery.

“There's been a lot of people that have slipped into homelessness during COVID, so the need for affordable housing that is designed for people that have been experiencing homelessness, with the appropriate support services needed to make them able to thrive, is needed now more than ever,” White said.

Though the units are not as big as some apartments — by comparison, the average size of a studio apartment is 600 square feet — there will be community areas and storage lockers for tenants. Abode also will provide wrap-around services, including onsite social workers, case management, and classes and workshops for residents.

“The units are a little bit on the small side, but we put a lot of effort into making them very livable and a place that people want to call home,” White said.

Another nonprofit, Horizon Services, sold the 3.07-acre parcel to Abode, and Abode is leasing part of the site back to Horizon. The Hayward nonprofit will continue to run a residential rehabilitation facility, Cronin House, on the property. Cronin House, which serves adult men affected by alcohol, drug abuse and mental health issues, has been open for more than 20 years.

The apartments will be about a mile from Hayward's 2-year-old Housing Navigation Center, which provides temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness. As of December, 153 people have gone through the center run by Bay Area Community Services, with 64% moving directly into permanent housing.

The 2019 Alameda County Point-in-Time count found that there were 372 unsheltered people living in Hayward.