Monarch Homes

Monarch Homes was a unique opportunity to increase the City of Oakland’s supply of much needed affordable housing for low-income senior households. SAHA developed the property with a new rental housing community consisting of 51 apartments affordable to low and extremely low-income seniors aged 62+. Thirteen units will be set aside for extremely low-income seniors at risk of homelessness and an additional 13 units will be reserved for low-income senior veterans.

Residents enjoy beautifully designed common spaces and a robust selection of on‐site services to support wellness, independent living, and aging-in-place. The residential site is a new five-story building comprised of wood frame structure over a concrete podium parking garage. Ground level spaces include an entry lobby, a large community room with a full kitchen, offices for supportive services and property management, a large outdoor open space, and an enclosed garage with 13 parking spaces. Upper floors feature a mix of 13 studio and 38 one-bedroom residential units, as well as a fourth-floor fitness room that opens up to a landscaped community terrace.

SAHA enlisted New World Mosaics (NWM), an Oakland-based mosaic artist, to design and install an exterior mosaic artwork on the south wall of the property. To ensure that the final design is source of joy and pride for the surrounding neighborhood, SAHA conducted two workshops with community members to inspire the subject matter of the piece and explore various design options before the piece was finalized with the City, of Oakland — a mosaic of monarch butterflies flying up and away.