Oakland, CA – The City of Oakland has received $5.6 million of Homekey funding to rehabilitate the Kingdom Builders Transitional Housing program.
Acquired in 2021, Kingdom Builders Transitional Housing currently provides 34 units of transitional housing and wrap-around services for adults and youth who are formerly incarcerated and experiencing homelessness. Homekey funding will enable the project to make accessibility and other improvements to the building to ensure the facility remains available to serve our most vulnerable neighbors.
“Homekey funding is one of the most critical tools in Oakland’s multi-faceted approach to end homelessness in our streets and across in our region,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said. “I’m grateful for Gov. Newsom’s partnership and leadership at the state level, as we all work together to end the humanitarian crisis that is modern homelessness in America.”
Oakland Mayor Schaaf, State Senator Nancy Skinner, Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, a representative of Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Shola Olatoye, Oakland’s Housing & Community Development Director, and Pastor LJ Jennings of Kingdom Builders announced the funding award at Kingdom Builders this morning.
Homekey is California’s renowned program that began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the purchase and/or rehabilitation of hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, manufactured homes, and other properties, and convert them into homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“Project Homekey is specifically and explicitly to help those who are unhoused have a roof over their head permanently. Here in Oakland 500 units have been funded through Project Homekey and a good amount of it for those who are formerly incarcerated. So many of our formerly incarcerated are unhoused. That’s why programs like this are so essential,” said State Senator Nancy Skinner.
"As our City's housing affordability crisis persists, projects like Kingdom Builders' Program will help us support our most vulnerable Oaklanders — chronically homeless and formerly incarcerated residents and homeless youth," said District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. "I'm grateful for Homekey's investment in this project with our City. This transitional housing program with supportive services will help deliver the stability and assistance Oaklanders deserve to chart a path towards job placement and permanent housing."
This project is part of the City’s determined approach to address homelessness by innovatively leveraging City dollars to maximize State and Federal investment to create more deeply affordable units with supportive services. With this latest award, the City of Oakland has secured a total of $55.5 million of State Homekey funds since 2020 to house Oaklanders experiencing homelessness. The City’s six Homekey projects will provide a total of 276 deeply affordable units for the unhoused (222 permanent and 54 transitional).
“We are excited to partner with community leaders like Pastor Jennings and the Kingdom Builders to bring much needed housing and services to Oakland residents,” said Shola Olatoye, Housing & Community Development Director for the City.
The development team, Kingdom Builders Transitional Housing program, brings deep experience in service-enriched affordable and transitional housing.
“We are honored to be part of this important program that addresses the critical housing needs of our residents,” said Pastor LJ Jennings of Kingdom Builders.
The site is centrally located on International Boulevard in Oakland’s San Antonio district and is accessible to transit, grocery, and other service amenities.
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