Dear Friends
September 2020

Announcing Charise Fong as EBALDC Interim CEO

Dear Friends, As we reflect on the extraordinary challenges our communities and our staff have faced this year, we are humbled by the impact that we have been able to achieve together.  During this critical time for our organization and our communities, we have spoken at length about the strength, creativity and perseverance of EBALDC’s team at all levels. From our office staff and building maintenance teams, to the Board and the Executive Leadership Team and beyond, it is our people that make this impact possible.  Charise Fong, COO and executive... Read more
Dear Friends
August 2020

It Takes A Village

Dear Friends, This Monday, August 10 is the first day of school for Oakland Unified School District students. For over 6 months now, school administrators, educators, parents, and caregivers have been struggling with how to balance our children’s need for quality education and socialization with the risks of COVID-19. For low-income, immigrant, and other underserved communities, these decisions are further exacerbated by the lack of access to technology, healthcare, food, and other resources, as well as language barriers. At EBALDC, we understand that providing quality affordable housing is just a start. Programs... Read more
Press Releases
June 2020

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation’s CEO Joshua Simon to Step Down from Organization After Nearly 20 Years in Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10, 2020 Press Contacts:  Layla Crater, layla@change-llc.com, 310-804-3107 Jill Kunishima, jkunishima@ebaldc.org, 510-606-1823 OAKLAND, CA — As part of a defined succession plan, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) today announced that Joshua Simon will step down from the position of Chief Executive Officer in October 2020 after spending nearly two decades as a champion for EBALDC’s unique approach to community development. EBALDC’s Board of Directors will launch a selection committee to identify EBALDC’s next CEO. “Joshua Simon’s innovative and bold leadership has propelled EBALDC’s vision of... Read more
Dear Friends
April 2020

We are healthier and stronger together

Dear Friends, Since my last communications with you, much has changed. The shelter-at-home order has been extended to May 3. Schools continue to be closed. Congress passed the historic $2.2 trillion COVID-19 aid package (The CARES Act). Governor Gavin Newsom issued state-wide authority for municipalities to place moratoriums on evictions, and the Oakland City Council passed an Ordinance to implement the moratorium. And amidst all of this, hate crimes against Asian Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to rise. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) The CARES... Read more
Commercial Real Estate
August 2019

Oakland on course to create more new housing units than SF in 2019

From San Francisco Chronicle
Builders in Oakland are on course to create more new housing units than San Francisco this year, a notable role reversal for a city that has long produced far less residential development than its wealthier and more bustling neighbor across the bay. The deluge of apartments is leading — at least temporarily — to a renters’ market in Oakland. From the Broadway Valdez neighborhood to Lake Merritt, developers are jockeying to attract well-paid Millennials not only with amenities such as yoga studios, dog-washing facilities and swimming pools, but also with concessions... View article
Media
April 2019

Why housing is now a health issue for Kaiser Permanente

From San Francisco Business Times
Over the eight years that Brian Hopkins has lived in his East Oakland apartment, he’s seen many of his neighbors wind up on the streets. “You know tent city? That was a lot of the people who lived on this block,” said 35-year-old Hopkins, who currently works staffing events at venues like Levi’s Stadium and the Coliseum. “I know them personally, friends’ moms, aunties.” Kaiser Permanente noticed the bulging homeless population in its hometown, too. It also knows the toll it takes on people’s health, with a recent study in a major medical journal finding... View article
Media
March 2019

In Oakland and elsewhere, health care is investing in affordable housing

From Marketplace
When an apartment building sells in gentrifying parts of Oakland, California, tenants often brace themselves for the worst. Rent hikes, disruptive renovations and evictions can follow. But when one building recently changed hands, city officials and housing activists celebrated. Kensington Gardens, a 41-unit building in the working-class, immigrant neighborhood of San Antonio, was sold last November. “I was feeling somebody was going to get it and they were going to raise the rent,” said Ameria Lipscomb, who lives in a first-floor studio in Kensington. Tenants there generally pay below-market rents. When the building... View article
Media
January 2019

Kaiser Permanente Announces Three Initiatives to Improve Community Health by Tackling Housing Insecurity

From Cision PR Newswire
OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Kaiser Permanente today unveiled several major initiatives that will improve health outcomes by creating stable housing for vulnerable populations. The initiatives — including seeding a real estate investment in Oakland, anchoring a $100 million national loan fund for affordable housing and kicking off a plan to end homelessness for more than 500 Oakland-area residents — are part of a comprehensive strategy to advance the economic, social and environmental conditions for health in the communities that Kaiser Permanente serves. At a press conference with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and several partners, Kaiser Permanente Chairman and... View article
Media
January 2019

Kaiser Permanente to spend $5.2 million on affordable housing in Oakland

From East Bay Times
OAKLAND – Kaiser Permanente announced Tuesday it will spend $5.2 million to purchase a 41-unit apartment building in East Oakland, the health care giant’s first step in its aggressive effort to shelter the homeless and improve health care for the poor. The Oakland-based company also revealed plans to partner with the city and community aid groups to identify, house and provide services for 500 vulnerable homeless people over the age of 50. “Kaiser Permanente believes that in the 21st century there are certain things we should resolve and certain principles we should stand... View article