Development is Home to Older, Frail Veterans

Colma Veterans Village brings together affordable housing and health services to formerly homeless veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The 66-unit property serves as the foundation for not only housing but the care that the residents need. Many of the residents are older, medically complex veterans who might not otherwise be able to live independently without the support of on-site services. One 76-year-old resident lived on the streets of San Francisco for more than 30 years. Several other veterans moved in directly from a hospital or nursing facility.

To serve the frail population, developer Mercy Housing California has partnered with the area Veterans Affairs health care system and Brilliant Corners to provide tailored services, including medical treatment and case management on-site. By placing primary care, mental health, and social work services on-site, the team has been able to provide more hands-on care and oversight.

This has been especially critical this year because it’s meant that residents are receiving care in their building and not traveling to a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Michael Kaplan, senior project developer. It also lessens the strain on the health care system.

Located in Colma in San Mateo County, the development is the first all-veterans community built by Mercy Housing in the Bay Area.

Thirty-one units serve residents earning no more than 30% of the area median income (AMI), 34 serve those at 50% of the AMI, and one is a manager’s unit. Fifty-eight homes are covered by the Veterans Affairs-Department of Housing and Urban Development Supportive Housing vouchers, and seven have project-based vouchers.

The $39.9 million is financed with low-income housing tax credits and tax-exempt bonds.