In San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood, a long-vacant lot has been transformed into a seven-story building that addresses an urgent community need: affordable housing and supportive services for low-income individuals and transition-age youth.

In the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, a section of the former Central Freeway in San Francisco was demolished. For decades, the space sat vacant in a city where every square foot comes at a premium. Now, the lot known as 78 Haight Street provides a home for extremely low- and very low-income transition-aged youth. Made possible by Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation’s (TNDC) vision and supported a $945,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from FHLBank San Francisco, delivered in partnership with member CA Community Reinvestment Corporation (CCRC), this seven-story building - constructed at the site of the once demolished freeway - provides 63 units of affordable housing, with half reserved for formerly unhoused transition-age youth.

After moving in, one resident, Kadayjha, said her new home is providing her stability and opportunity to build a more promising future.

“It just feels different,” Kadayjha shared about living at 78 Haight St.

After moving out of her mother's home, she spent years moving between the homes of her sisters and friends, often relocating every few weeks in search of a stable place to stay. "Now they're able to come see me thriving in my own place."

“A lot of them have been on the street,” said Nakisha McDowell, property manager at 78 Haight Street. “Some of them like to say, ‘Maybe I should be on the street.’ My job is to prepare them and help them just be the adult that they have to be in this world."

According to the Transitional Age Youth Initiative, up to 9,000 transition-age youth living in San Francisco need supportive services. 78 Haight Street has become a safe place to access those services. It also represents the initiative being taken to reduce youth homelessness in the Bay Area.

Through partnerships with Larkin Street Youth Services and TNDC, 78 Haight Street connects transition-age youth with job opportunities, therapy, anger management and stress-relief classes, and case management services. These resources are designed to aid young people in the transition out of the foster care system or being unhoused, giving each young adult an opportunity for a better future.

“Stable, affordable housing gives people a foundation to grow and succeed, while a central location connects them to jobs, education, transportation, healthcare, and community resources,” said Jennifer Quevedo, senior vice president of Loan Originations at CCRC. “Developments like 78 Haight Street help create not just homes, but stronger, more inclusive communities where residents can thrive.”

According to a UCSF statewide study, approximately 13% of the unhoused population are transition-age youth and without the programs and resources that 78 Haight Street provides, these at-risk young adults face higher risk of substance abuse, domestic violence, and long-term homelessness. Major cities around the Bay Area have sought to end youth homelessness and aid transition-age youth in their journey from youth to adulthood by expanding beyond traditional shelters to more long-term transitional housing that offer mental health services, job coaching, and education.

That is why 78 Haight Street, and the partnerships that make it possible, serve as a vital resource to communities in and around San Francisco.

As the property manager of 78 Haight Street, McDowell has become a trusted presence for many of the transition-age youth who live there. Alongside case managers, therapists, and other service providers, McDowell — whom many residents call “Auntie” — helps create the kind of steady support system many residents did not have before moving into 78 Haight Street.

“Affordable housing projects like this one give them opportunity,” said McDowell. “Living here gives them hope. It gives them stabilization. It gives them a chance to be on their feet and start from the beginning. This opportunity is a big help.”

Bringing 78 Haight Street to fruition required significant community partnerships and collaboration. FHLBank San Francisco partnered with their member CCRC to deliver a $945,000 AHP grant to help finance the new development and foster hope for transition-age youth in the Bay Area.

“78 Haight Street represents what's possible when we combine mission, partnerships, and community to come together with a single focus on housing and providing every Californian with a home,” said Jennifer Dolin, CEO of TNDC, during a grand opening ceremony to commemorate the opening of the affordable housing development. “Thank you to everyone involved in this wonderful project: First Citizens, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, CCRC, Larkin Street Youth Services, and the Weinberg Foundation.”

78 Haight Street is a significant step on the path to ending youth homelessness and expanding affordable housing opportunities across the Bay Area.