Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA), a nonprofit organization with six decades of experience in affordable housing, will develop and operate a new supportive and affordable housing building at People’s Park, according to an announcement from UC Berkeley officials.
The new development is expected to provide around 100 apartments for formerly unhoused and low-income individuals. It will also include on-site support services and case management aimed at helping residents maintain stability. SAHA will collaborate with the project’s architectural team to finalize plans, with the possibility of adding more units as design and funding are further detailed.
Chancellor Rich Lyons stated, “We’re proud to welcome SAHA as a new partner in the People’s Park housing project. Our provision of this land for this project underscores the university’s deep commitment to advance the greater good by expanding the supply of urgently needed housing for our community’s most vulnerable residents. We look forward to continuing our extraordinary partnership with the city of Berkeley that has been so essential for this project.”
Funding for the construction comes from multiple sources. The city of Berkeley allocated $14.5 million from Measure O, an affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2018, while the state contributed $16.6 million through its No Place Like Home program. Together, these funds cover about half of projected construction costs. SAHA and UC Berkeley plan to seek additional funding in coming months.
When completed, the building will join Alameda County’s coordinated housing system, using existing referral processes and waiting lists for future residents.
Susan Friedland, CEO of SAHA, commented on their involvement: “Satellite Affordable Housing Associates is honored to have been selected by UC Berkeley to develop and operate supportive and affordable housing as a key component of the People’s Park housing project. We are proud to bring six decades of affordable housing development and operating experience to our local community here in Berkeley.”
The site will be located next to Judith E. Heumann House, an 11-story student apartment complex expected to house over 1,100 undergraduates when it opens for the fall semester in 2027.
Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii described Thursday’s announcement as part of an “innovative partnership” between local government and UC Berkeley that aims to address homelessness. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with UC Berkeley and supporting SAHA as they bring this much-needed housing to completion,” Ishii said.
UC Berkeley has undertaken other initiatives related to homelessness support over recent years. Prior efforts included partnering with First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley on Sacred Rest—a daytime drop-in center providing services for people experiencing homelessness—and employing a full-time social worker focused on assisting unhoused individuals since 2017.
Construction crews recently reached a milestone by placing steel beams at Judith E. Heumann House during summer 2025. In January 2026, work is set to begin on another campus residential project: Bancroft-Fulton Student Housing. When both projects are finished by 2028, UC Berkeley expects its student housing capacity will have increased by more than half compared with levels before launching its student housing initiative in 2018.
