Last Thursday, the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) celebrated the grand reopening of 990 Pacific Ave., a residential building for seniors and people with disabilities that underwent a two-year rehabilitation through the city's Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.
The program aims to preserve the city's public housing by transferring ownership from the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) to nonprofit housing developers like CCDC.
The building, whose residents were relocated while work was underway, is the second public housing property maintained by CCDC to undergo a transformation. The nonprofit reopened its first property under the RAD program, at 227 Bay St. in North Beach, in April.
CCDC provides affordable homes to nearly 4,000 residents in Chinatown and throughout San Francisco. An additional 442 units overseen by the nonprofit are currently undergoing RAD renovations in Chinatown; they're located at the Ping Yuen complexes at 655, 711, 795, and 895 Pacific Avenue.
CCDC executive director, Norman Fong, said that the rehabbed units will help ensure that the "elderly and people with disabilities can stay in their homes and have access to health and social community resources," including 990 Pacific's new on-site exercise room.
On Thursday, Mayor London Breed stopped by to visit with residents Sing Young and Wai Oi Tam, who had just moved back into their apartment of 13 years.
“I am glad that the city of San Francisco is able to provide this newly renovated apartment for Mr. Young and Mrs. Tam, and for all the residents living in the building,” said Breed.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, resident Xiao Ying Zhao Lin spoke about the importance of remaining in Chinatown. "I've never been out of town since coming to America 30 years ago," she said. "I am very happy now that I've moved back to 990 Pacific. I can now walk around Chinatown and do my grocery shopping nearby, and have dim sum with my daughter."
CCDC's Fong notes says the new units at 990 Pacific will help to alleviate some of the city's "increasing displacement of low-income families and seniors in recent years."
"For example, we received over 6,000 applications when we opened the wait list for the 104 units at [SoMa's] International Hotel for Seniors just a month ago," said Fong.
