Honoring Vision, Partnership, and Home in Redwood City!

May is Affordable Housing Month—a time to reflect on what it truly means for every person to have a safe, stable, and secure place to call home. For St. Francis Center, it’s also a time for gratitude, honoring our history, and renewing our commitment to housing justice in our community, as we have for the past 40 years.

A Vision That Started Decades Ago

Long before the affordable housing crisis reached the urgency it has today, visionary leaders at St. Francis Center were already planning for the future. Beginning in 1986 and continuing through the 1980s and 1990s, Sr. Monica recognized a troubling trend in Redwood City: working families, seniors, and individuals were being priced out of the community they called home.

While many were just beginning to notice the early signs of a housing shortage, she was already taking action—purchasing and preserving properties with the understanding that housing is foundational to human well-being.

In the late 1990s, Sr. Christina continued and expanded this vision, carrying the work forward with the same clarity of purpose: stable housing is essential to a thriving community. Together, their leadership laid the foundation for a lasting commitment to keeping families housed in the heart of Redwood City.

What We Mean by “Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing”

St. Francis Center is deeply committed to preserving Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)—a critical but often misunderstood part of the housing ecosystem.

Unlike subsidized housing or tax credit developments (such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties), NOAH refers to housing that is affordable without direct government subsidy. Typically, these are older apartment buildings or properties that remain affordable due to market conditions, age, or modest amenities.

Importantly, St. Francis Center follows the income guidelines and rent standards established by the San Mateo County Department of Housing. This helps ensure long-term affordability and consistency across our housing portfolio.

Within these guidelines, “low-income” housing is generally defined across three levels:

• Extremely low-income: up to 30% of Area Median Income (AMI)
• Very low-income: up to 50% of AMI
• Low-income: up to 80% of AMI

To put this in perspective: a family of three at 50% of AMI would have an annual income of less than approximately $88,000. Under these guidelines, rent for a one-bedroom apartment would be capped at $1,800 per month, while the market-rate rent for a similar unit in Redwood City typically ranges from $3,000 to $3,800 per month.

The challenge and opportunity is that NOAH can be lost quickly when properties are renovated, repositioned, or sold at market rate—putting longtime residents at risk of displacement.

By preserving NOAH, St. Francis Center helps keep homes affordable for current residents and protects housing stability for families who might otherwise be displaced.

Partnership That Strengthens Community

None of this work happens alone. Our partnership with Prodesse Property Group, under the leadership of Lynn and Michael Pierce, has been essential in ensuring that our housing portfolio is not only professionally managed but grounded in care, accountability, and a deep respect for the residents we serve.

Their leadership sets the tone for a team that shows up every day with consistency, responsiveness, and a strong sense of responsibility to the communities we serve. The day-to-day management of our housing portfolio would not be possible without this level of coordination and commitment.

We also extend our deep appreciation to Board member Sue Mitchell, whose dedication and persistence have been instrumental in identifying and securing key real estate opportunities that expand our ability to preserve affordable housing in Redwood City. Her work reflects a deep and enduring commitment to the mission.

We are especially grateful for our outstanding portfolio management team. Each of them plays a vital role in ensuring that residents are supported, buildings are well cared for, and issues are addressed with both efficiency and compassion.

We also extend deep appreciation to our maintenance technician team. Their work ensures that residents can rely on safe, well-maintained homes every day.

268 Homes, 268 Foundations for Stability

Today, St. Francis Center provides 268 housing units, each representing far more than a number. These homes are safe, stable places where 268 families can build their lives, pursue their goals, and face life’s uncertainties with confidence.

Behind every door is a story: a parent working toward financial stability, a child doing homework at the kitchen table, a senior aging in place with peace of mind and security.

Supporting Our Local Workforce

An essential part of this story is the role our residents play in the broader community. Many of the individuals and families living in our housing are part of the essential workforce that keeps our region running every day.

They are home health aides caring for our elders, childcare providers nurturing the next generation, professional housekeepers maintaining safe and clean environments, cooks and restaurant workers serving meals that bring people together, construction workers building and maintaining our infrastructure, delivery drivers ensuring goods and services arrive on time, and retail employees supporting daily needs across our communities.

These professions are essential, honorable, and deserving of recognition. Our local economy simply would not function without the dedication of people in these roles. And yet, too often, their contributions are overlooked.

Providing housing for this workforce is not only a matter of fairness—it is also a matter of community stability. When workers can live in the communities they serve, everyone benefits.

The Ongoing Need for Housing

The need for affordable housing remains urgent and growing. This past April, when St. Francis Center opened its housing waitlist for just one month, 140 households added their names, underscoring the continued demand for affordable homes in our community.

At the same time, we typically see fewer than 10 vacancies across the entire portfolio in a given year, reflecting both the stability of our housing and the significant gap between supply and need.

As one resident shared:

“Having a stable home here has changed everything for my family. It means I can focus on my work and my children’s future without constantly worrying about where we will live next. This home has given us stability and hope.”

These realities remind us that housing is not just about units; it is about lives, families, and futures.

The Power of Home

A safe, secure place to live is the starting point for stability in every dimension of life. Without it, it is nearly impossible to focus on health, education, employment, or community connection. With it, families can thrive.

None of this work would be possible without the generosity of many local individuals and families who recognize the urgency of the housing crisis and choose to support this mission. Their contributions directly sustain and expand the housing that makes stability possible for so many in our community.

This is the heart of St. Francis Center’s mission: not only to preserve housing, but to preserve opportunity.

As we honor Affordable Housing Month, we celebrate the legacy of Sr. Monica and Sr. Christina, the strength of our partnerships, the dedication of our teams, and most importantly, the resilience of the families we serve.

Together, we continue the work of ensuring that Redwood City remains a place where everyone has a home.