Apply for affordable housing by February 12

Low-income households or individuals can apply starting January 29 to a housing lottery for the 87-unit Maudelle Miller Shirek Community — an innovative, fully affordable housing complex created, funded, and coordinated through City efforts. 

The lottery will reserve units for different income levels, based on household size. For example, some of the two-bedroom units can go to a two-person household earning less than $71,040 annually or a four-person household earning less than $88,740. Other units have lower thresholds. Units comprised of full-time students generally do not qualify, with certain exceptions.

Households who have lost or are at risk of losing housing in Berkeley can get priority in this and other affordable housing lotteries in the city. Attend a January 31 online info session to learn more about the City’s affordable housing preferences.

Apply on the Alameda County Housing Portal starting January 29 and submit by February 12, 2024 at 5:00 pm. Learn more about the Maudelle Miller Shirek Community, including available units, rent, and income limits.

Affordable housing preferences 

Those who qualify for the lottery by income can get additional priority in the Maudelle Miller Shirek and other affordable housing lotteries if a household member is eligible for one of these preferences:

• Displaced due to BART construction: You, your parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent lost their home due to construction of BART in the 1960s-1970s in Berkeley.
• Displaced due to foreclosure: You or a member of your household was displaced due to foreclosure in Berkeley since 2005.
• Displaced due to eviction: You or a member of your household was displaced due to a no-fault or non-payment eviction in Berkeley within the past seven years.
• Families with children: Your household has at least one child aged 17 or under.
• Homeless or at-risk of homelessness:
  • You are homeless in Berkeley, or homeless with a previous address in Berkeley, and are not already being prioritized for Permanent Supportive Housing (housing with supportive services to help homeless and disabled households achieve stability).
  • You are at risk of homelessness in Berkeley (for example, you’re staying with friends or family, at a motel or hospital, or you’ve received an eviction notice or will imminently lose your housing).
• Current or former resident of redlined neighborhood: You are a current or former resident of a formerly redlined neighborhood in Berkeley.
• Parent or grandparent lived in redlined neighborhood: Your parent or grandparent lives or lived in a formerly redlined neighborhood in Berkeley.

Check if you’re eligible for affordable housing preferences. Most preferences are verified during the housing application process. If you qualify for the BART displacement or foreclosure preferences, you should apply for a certificate to verify your eligibility as soon as possible.

Qualifying for a preference does not guarantee you an affordable housing unit. After you apply for affordable housing, the property manager will use a random lottery to order applicants on a waitlist. For units with preferences, they will then sort the list by preference ranking. Applicants with a BART Displacement Preference Certificate will receive first priority. Other applicants will be sorted by their total number of preference points.

Schedule appointment to get help applying for BART Construction or Foreclosure Displacement certificates

Households who qualify for affordable housing preference because of displacement by BART construction or foreclosure must apply for a certificate to get priority in this and other affordable housing lotteries.

If you need extra assistance with applying for your certificate, book a 30-minute, in-person, one-on-one appointment.  

You may also email questions about housing preferences to HousingPreferences@berkeleyca.gov.

City strategies to support affordable housing 

These 87 affordable units are one piece of a multifaceted effort to expand affordable housing options in Berkeley. The City supported development of the Maudelle Miller Shirek Community with $17 million in loans through the Housing Trust Fund using Measure O bond funds, general funds generated through Measure U1, and other local sources.

Nonprofit housing developer Resources for Community Development (RCD) built the Maudelle Miller Shirek Community leveraging additional funding from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and Bank of America.

City coordination of this effort was led by the City's Housing and Community Services Division, a part of the Department of Health, Housing, and Community Services. While the City does not own or operate any housing, the Housing and Community Services Division expands affordable housing opportunities through the Housing Trust Fund Program and strategies such as: 

• implementing inclusionary requirements for new market rate ownership and rental projects 
• connecting affordable housing providers to grant funding 
• creating new leases of City land 
• providing low-cost loans 

• executing legal agreements and assisting with other essential steps to provide high-quality, affordable housing for the community
• guiding people to affordable housing resources

Attend the City’s online workshop about housing preferences on January 31 and apply for units in the Maudelle Miller Shirek building on the Alameda County Housing Portal by 5 pm on February 12. 

Links  

• Apply on the Alameda County Housing Portal
• Maudelle Miller Shirek Community (Resources for Community Development)
• City of Berkeley Housing Preference Policy
  • January 31 Housing Preference Policy Info Session
  • Book an appointment for Housing Preferences Certificate Application Assistance
• Affordable Housing in Berkeley
  • Apply for Affordable Housing Preferences
  • Affordable Housing Resources
  • Email alerts for affordable housing in Berkeley