BRIDGE Housing Corporation

We are excited to announce that Walter Zisette has joined the BRIDGE team as a Director of Development for Washington!   Walter brings nearly 25 years of experience in Washington’s affordable housing industry. He will be instrumental in advancing BRIDGE’s growth in that important market, an effort being led by BRIDGE Senior Vice President Mary Jane Jagodzinski. BRIDGE currently has two projects under construction in Greater Seattle and a third set to begin construction later this year. We also maintain an active development pipeline in the region.   Welcome to the team, Walter!

It was an unforgettable day for BRIDGE in Pasadena yesterday, at the Grand Opening of our latest permanent supportive housing community for seniors! The beautiful Heritage Square South community provides 69 affordable apartments for seniors who previously experienced homelessness. This community is already changing the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbors, who are also receiving intensive services from Union Station Homeless Services.    CBS-TV broadcast a wonderful report about the opening, available at this link: https://lnkd.in/giknvPyN   Heritage Square South is the second phase of a two-phase project developed in coordination with the City of Pasadena and other partners, located next to BRIDGE’s Heritage Square community, which opened in 2016.   We were delighted to be joined by many friends and partners yesterday, including US Representative Judy Chu, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, Pasadena Housing Director William Huang, and others. Special thanks to resident Keith Dickson for sharing his moving personal story about the tremendous impact Heritage Square South has had on his life.   None of these milestones can be achieved alone. We are profoundly grateful for the support of our many partners, including City of Pasadena, Wells Fargo, JLL Real Estate Capital, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, KTGY, and R.D. Olson Construction, Inc.

A huge congratulations to the 18 young residents of Jordan Downs who completed the first Building Bridges skilled trades training program, in partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. More than 100 community members gathered at Jordan Downs yesterday to celebrate these dedicated young people, who had the chance to develop in-demand skills in welding, electrical, plumbing, and carpentry.   It was wonderful to hear from the students and community members about their huge enthusiasm for this program, and their excitement for the future. BRIDGE is dedicated to investing in programs like this that help residents expand their possibilities for the future. See more from the event below!   #affordablehousing #communitydevelopment #skilledtrades #housingforall

It may be the middle of summer, but there’s no slowing down at BRIDGE Housing! We are in the midst of an incredibly busy development period, with a total of *$1.2 billion* in construction activity. This includes 17 communities in California, Oregon and Washington that will provide stable, affordable housing for more than 1,700 individuals and families.   Nothing inspires us more than making a lasting positive difference in the communities we serve. We’re excited to continue delivering on our mission in the second half of 2024, and beyond.   Many thanks to our financial partners who make these communities possible: Bank of America, BMO, JPMorganChase, Citi, The Community Preservation Corporation, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., Greystone,JLL, KeyBank, Merritt Community Capital Corporation, National Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT), National Equity Fund, Inc., PGIM, Silicon Valley Bank, Umpqua Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo.   #affordablehousing #redevelopment #communitydevelopment #housingforall

We are pleased to share this insightful conversation with BRIDGE Senior Vice President Natalia Williams who leads our asset management and compliance teams. She is instrumental in ensuring BRIDGE is set up for long-term success. Please enjoy this Q&A! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gCeisbFm #AffordableHousing #Leadership #CommunityDevelopment 

Here’s a look at the first week of the Building Bridges program at Jordan Downs -- a skilled trades training program for young residents! Seventeen students are currently learning valuable, hands-on skills through this paid internship that can open promising new career pathways. We are thrilled to have had 100% student retention and look forward to celebrating our 17 residents on August 6 at their student showcase and celebration. See the flyer to learn more and RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g6HysWfF This program would not have been possible without our incredible partner Harbor Freight Tools for Schools!

Citing BRIDGE Housing’s “extremely strong management” that is forging ahead with a mission-supporting strategic plan, S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed our AA- credit rating. This is the highest credit rating of any nonprofit affordable housing developer.   Read more in our press release: https://lnkd.in/gmCg4SET

This week BRIDGE kicked off a brand new skilled trades training program for high school residents at Jordan Downs in Watts!   A partnership with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, the 2-week Building Bridges Program offers 17 student residents the opportunity to earn money while participating in skilled trades modules in carpentry, electrical, solar, and welding projects. This program exposes young residents to pathways to well-paying careers and supports the development of the local workforce, including jobs redeveloping Jordan Downs.   Read more and see great photos in the new edition of the Los Angeles Sentinel!   https://lnkd.in/g_ZsaWn8   #communitydevelopment #skilledtradeseducation #affordablehousing 

Join BRIDGE Housing President and CEO Ken Lombard tomorrow for insights on navigating the affordable housing financing landscape in a Bisnow virtual conference! Ken will be joined by several national affordable housing leaders from the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors for a wide-ranging discussion. The webinar is this Wednesday, July 24, from 9-10a PT. To register, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gkKR-xac #affordablehousing #LIHTC #housingfinance

It’s been a busy summer of grand openings at BRIDGE Housing!   Recently, BRIDGE team members including our Executive Vice President Sierra Atilano joined The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura to celebrate the grand opening of Westview Village II in Ventura. This incredible new community replaced 10 public housing units with 50 modern one- and two- bedroom affordable apartments along with supportive services, with five units reserved for people who have experienced homelessness.   Located on a 2-acre site, Westview Village will be completely transformed through four phases of redevelopment that will create 320 affordable apartments and for-sale homes for individuals, families, and people who have experienced homelessness.   We are proud to partner with The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura on this phase of the revolutionary redevelopment!   #affordablehousing #redevelopment #communitydevelopment #housingforall