Hearth Homes Community Building
25 Kearny Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94108
Telephone: 415•397•1210; Fax: 415•733•0991
E-mail: info@hearthhomes.org

Our Projects

University Neighborhood Apartments

University Neighborhood Apartments (UNA), opened in July 2005, is the nation's first affordable housing built with Universal Design Principles. It's the first model of Hearth Homes vision of community-building housing: intergenerational, families and singles, people with and without disabilities living together. The Universal Design principles built into this 27-unit development allow everyone living in UNA to enjoy visiting each other and using all community facilities.

Our half-acre site is located at 1719-1725 University Avenue (between Grant Street and McGee Street) in Berkeley, California. This in-fill structure is an example of smart growth replacing deteriorating structures. It is within walking and wheelchair riding distance to the downtown Berkeley BART station, and the University Avenue bus line.

Our partners in the development and ongoing management of UNA are Affordable Housing Associates (AHA) of Berkeley, and Toolworks. AHA, a nonprofit organization formed in 1993, has acquired or built nearly 300 units on twelve separate properties in the East Bay. AHA is the builder and the property manager for UNA. Hearth Homes organizes all services and provides staff for community-building activities. Toolworks, a Bay Area nonprofit vocational training and education center serving adults with disabilities, provides supportive services to UNA residents with disabilities who choose those services.

Habitat for Humanity (San Francisco)

In May, 2003, Hearth Homes Community Building signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Habitat for Humanity SF. Through the consulting services provided by Hearth Homes' architect Jane Cee, three Habitat homes in Daly City near the Bart Station will be built to the high standards of Universal Design, a user friendly form of architecture, which makes homes available for use by all people, regardless of their physical abilities.

Future Projects

Hearth Homes is currently engaged in developing additional unique projects that can serve as models for developers to incorporate the principles of Universal Design into all future housing developments. Watch for news of upcoming projects!