Brookfield Senior Gardens is welcoming its first residents ahead of an official grand opening celebration this summer. DignityMoves, the Housing Consortium of the East Bay, and the City of Oakland have partnered to bring this 40-unit supportive housing community to Edes Avenue in East Oakland, purpose-built for chronically homeless older adults. Funded through a $12.2 million Homekey grant from the State of California and support from the City of Oakland, Brookfield Senior Gardens represents a new standard for how communities can respond to senior homelessness with speed, dignity, and intention.
At capacity, Brookfield Senior Gardens will house up to 40 residents on previously empty, city-owned lots on Edes Avenue and Clara Street close to libraries, parks, clinics, and transit.
Each 325 gross sq.ft. studio unit includes a living space with bed, storage space, closet, desk, kitchenette with 2-burner stove top, kitchen sink, refrigerator and area for food prep and storage, as well as an ensuite bathroom within the unit.
The units include a door that locks, a window and a heating/air conditioning unit with individual resident control. High-speed internet is available and there is an elevator to reach the second-floor units. Within the community, 20% of units are accessible to people with mobility disabilities and 12% with hearing or visibility disabilities.
Key Features:
40 permanent housing units
On-site laundry, shared gathering spaces, and trauma-informed design
20% of units ADA-accessible
Residents receive wraparound services from Housing Consortium of the East Bay (HCEB), including housing navigation, behavioral health support, employment assistance, and life skills coaching. These services are designed to help residents stabilize, age in place with dignity, or transition to more permanent housing.
HCEB was founded in 1997 and has fulfilled its mission by providing housing outreach and support services, developing affordable housing, partnering with other nonprofit and for-profit companies to secure set-asides within larger rental communities, and owning and operating permanent support housing.
Sadly, older adults are the fastest-growing population experiencing homelessness in California and the largest share of individuals encountering homelessness for the first time in their lives. While experiencing homelessness at any age is severely destructive to an individual’s well-being, it is not surprising that 72% of older adults experiencing homelessness recently reported a disabling condition, including a physical, mental, or emotional impairment that significantly impeded their ability to live independently, and could be improved with housing.
Ensuring seniors with disabilities have appropriate housing and care is largely achievable through scaling supportive housing that combines housing with wraparound supportive services to meet their medical, physical, and behavioral health needs. We are proud to partner to deliver this community.
If you or someone you know is currently experiencing homelessness in Oakland and would like to be put on the waitlist for housing in our community, please contact the team at HCEB at: (510) 832-1382. DignityMoves does not manage referrals for this community.