Mercy Housing
How a leading affordable housing developer used coUrbanize to build community support
Building Support for Affordable Housing for At-Risk Seniors
Few states have a stronger need for affordable housing than California does. This need is even more urgent in Los Angeles county where the average cost of housing tips the scale at nearly six times the national average.
In late 2018, Mercy Housing, one of the nation’s largest affordable housing organizations, unveiled plans to help close this gap for one of the community’s most at-risk populations with Burbank Boulevard Senior Housing, a 54-unit affordable housing development in Sherman Oaks, California for seniors who have experienced homelessness.
Easing the Community’s Concerns with coUrbanize
Plans for affordable housing often raise concerns from worried neighbors. This was true for Mercy Housing’s Burbank proposal. However, Mercy Housing has a proven track record for building and managing affordable housing, designing a careful vetting process for resident selection and providing on-site management and programming to give residents the resources needed to be successful, happy and safe.
Mercy Housing leveraged coUrbanize to proactively engage the community, calm neighbors’ fears and showcase their expertise in not only building but managing successful affordable housing development.
“Our project site on coUrbanize gave the community a one-stop-shop for all information relating to the Burbank Boulevard Senior Housing project. Neighbors could express their concerns — and get a fast reply from our team, often citing how we successfully navigated similar challenges in other communities. This built trust and understanding with the development’s future neighbors.”
Amy Bayley
Vice President of Community Planning
Mercy Housing
From Plan to Approval in Six Months
119
Comments
72%
positive
sentiment
1,386
Visitors
6
Months from community engagement to Planning Commission approval
100%
Approval and support from the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council
“Homelessness is the crisis of our time. Projects like these will save lives, they will give people a brighter future, and they will help address homelessness in Sherman Oaks.”
David Ryu
City Councilmember
Los Angeles
With coUrbanize, Mercy Housing team built community support by dispelling false assumptions and reassuring the community that residents are set up for long-term success.
