Mayor’s Office Unveils Public Housing Renovation

City officials, Tabernacle, Related and community members attended the grand reopening (credit: Nikki Ritcher).

SAN FRANCISCO—Westside Courts was built in 1943 as a three-story 136-unit public housing development located at 2501 Sutter St. Located in the Western Addition on approximately 2.6 acres, it is the only public housing development which was exclusively reserved for African-American residents at the time of its construction.

In 2012, Congress enacted legislation that created the Rental Assistance Demonstration program.  This new program directed private funds into public housing designated to help the country’s most needy residents through private partnerships, and Westside Courts was part of the $1.69 billion transformation plan for San Francisco’s public housing system. Related California and Tabernacle Community Development Corporation were selected by the mayor’s office of housing and community development to complete a comprehensive $95 million renovation and rehabilitation of the property, which included updated interiors for all 136 apartments, reroofing of all six buildings, and new landscaping and community spaces.