Grand Opening Marks Completion of Brooklyn Basin Affordable Housing (Video)

A new affordable housing complex has opened in Oakland! Foon Lok East, a six-story building, is the fourth and final affordable housing development in Oakland's new master-planned Brooklyn Basin neighborhood. Now officially open and operational, Foon Lok East adds 124 new homes to the area.

A project of nonprofit MidPen Housing, in partnership with the City of Oakland and the Oakland Housing Authority, Foon Lok East was awarded almost $12 million in funding from HCD's No Place Like Home (NPLH) program in June 2020. However, the long-term impacts of the pandemic-such as supply chain disruptions and labor shortages-drove up anticipated costs, creating a funding gap and placing the project in jeopardy.

Fortunately, HCD's California Housing Accelerator (Accelerator) program was created to fill funding gaps for shovel-ready affordable housing projects to keep them on track to house Californians in need. In 2021, the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) and HCD stood on the site of Foon Lok to announce the launch of Accelerator. Foon Lok East was awarded over $57 million in Accelerator funding, allowing MidPen Housing to begin construction in 2022.

Today, Foon Lok East provides housing for low- and extremely low-income working families, with 38 units reserved for NPLH-qualified households and individuals experiencing homelessness. The development includes a community room, computer lab, learning center, playground and barbeque area, and on-site support services including health and wellness programs and after-school programs. With this fourth and final addition, the Brooklyn Basin neighborhood now offers 465 affordable homes to Oakland residents.

Watch the video below to hear from resident Donna.