BUSD staff, others: Apply for affordable housing by Sept. 11

Berkeley Unified School District employees as well as others with low or moderate incomes have until September 11 to apply for a waitlist lottery for 110 new affordable apartments in Berkeley.

You’ll have to earn at least double the monthly rent, while also not making more than the maximums for the different income levels. The size of your household is also considered when calculating income.

For example, there are units for individuals making at least $21,576 or up to $134,280. For a household of four, the income range for available units goes from $25,896 up to $127,840. Read the application portal to see if your household size and income fits any of the units. 

The lottery gives preferences to certain categories of people. Full- and part-time Berkeley Unified School District employees, especially those experiencing homelessness, receive the highest preferences. Additional lottery preferences prioritize those displaced by BART construction, foreclosure, or eviction. Living in a redlined neighborhood or having a child are other preferences.

Apply for the waitlist lottery by 5:00 p.m. on September 11 by using the application portal – which also includes information about available units, rent, income requirements, and the selection process.

Housing to support BUSD employees

BUSD Workforce Housing is managed by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, a nonprofit affordable housing developer. Available units include:

• 59 one-bedroom units
• 26 two-bedroom units
• 25 three-bedroom units

Units are set aside for households at 30%, 50%, 60%, 80%, and 120% Area Median Income (AMI) levels. Rent ranges from $899-$3,283 per month depending on the unit size and the household AMI.

The housing development is located on San Pablo Ave, near University Ave. It is a 10-minute walk from North Berkeley BART and close to AC Transit lines 72 and 52.

Amenities include:

• Onsite Fitness
• Onsite Laundry
• Outdoor barbeque & dining area
• Raised garden beds
• Children’s play area
• Bike storage
• Garage parking (55 spaces)
• Stainless steel appliances
• Air conditioning
• Smoke free
• Pet friendly

Housing lottery preference for BUSD staff and others

BUSD employees, both teaching and non-teaching staff, receive the highest ranking in the lottery for the BUSD Workforce Housing development. BUSD staff receive preference in the following order:

1. BUSD full-time employee experiencing homelessness
2. BUSD part-time employee experiencing homelessness
3. BUSD full-time employee
4. BUSD part-time employee

Additional lottery preferences apply for:

• Historical BART displacement
• Displacement due to foreclosure
• Displacement due to eviction
• Redlined neighborhoods residents
• Redlined neighborhood descendant
• Households with children

Read more details on the application page. If you qualify for preference because of BART displacement or foreclosure, you should apply for a certificate as soon as possible.

City strategies to support affordable housing

The 110 affordable units being offered at BUSD Workforce Housing are one piece of a multifaceted effort to expand affordable housing options in Berkeley. The City provided $26,500,000 to this project with funds from voter-approved Measure O.

BUSD contributed the land for this housing project in response to staff needs for affordable housing. According to a 2018 staff survey, two-thirds of BUSD staff live outside of Berkeley and over half have considered leaving BUSD due to high housing cost. Affordable housing is one tactic that school districts around the state are taking to attract and retain staff.

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. In addition to managing the City's Housing Trust Fund Program, the Housing and Community Services Division uses several other strategies to expand affordable housing opportunities, such as:

• the below market rate program, which requires developers to reserve affordable units for low-income households in market rate buildings or pay a fee to the City’s Housing Trust Fund (HTF) to fund affordable housing
• connecting affordable housing developers to grant funding
• providing low-cost loans to affordable housing developers
• executing legal agreements and assisting with other essential steps

While the City does not own or operate any housing, you can learn more about affordable housing resources.

If you’re interested in learning about all affordable housing opportunities, sign up for two email lists:

• Doorway Housing Portal email list for opportunities around the Bay Area
• The City of Berkeley’s affordable housing list for Berkeley-specific opportunities

For questions on the application process for these units, please call (877) 461-4902 or email berkeleyworkforcehousing@sahahomes.org, and don’t forget to apply on the Doorway Housing Portal by 5pm on September 11, 2026.

Note: this message was updated on September 8, 2026 to reflect a new application deadline. 

Links

• Apply online (Doorway Housing Portal)
• Affordable Housing in Berkeley
  • Affordable Housing Resources
  • Measure O: Affordable Housing Bond
• Affordable housing email notifications:
  • Bay area-wide Doorway Housing Portal
  • Berkeley affordable housing