Stories from Eden Housing

Diego majored in Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State, where a professor told him about an internship opportunity at the Non-Profit Housing Association (NPH). That led to an internship with Eden, who manages properties in the neighborhood where Diego grew up. Now Diego is learning the ropes and providing valuable assistance in the development of affordable apartment homes …

Carol Galante was Eden Housing’s second Executive Director in the early 1980s. She also worked in the Obama Administration. Today she teaches about housing policy and affordable housing development, and runs the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. In this episode of Stories from Eden Housing, Carol shares about her time at Eden and her experiences since.

Everyone has a story, but few compare to that of Dawnna Rieves,Assistant Manager at Eden Housing’s Washington Creek Apartments and Corona Ranch Apartments in Petaluma. In this week’s story, Dawnna shares her path to affordable housing management and her passion to give back to her community.

Cath Merschel, a community activist from San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, became Eden’s third Executive Director in 1987. Her tenure at Eden is marked by her leadership in launching social services programs, hiring trained social workers, and providing support and referrals to Eden’s residents. In this podcast, Cath fondly remembers her years at Eden Housing as the pinnacle of her career.

Rick Holliday joined Eden at a pivotal time, working closely with our founding board to bring much needed affordable housing to Hayward and beyond. Today, he operates Factory OS, building low-cost multifamily modular buildings. In this week’s story, hear from Rick about Eden’s early days. And, stay tuned for our next Affordable Housing Podcast to learn more about Factory OS.

Adis Bajramovic spent his early life in Bosnia, Herzegovina, during the war. Adis and his family moved to the US when he was only 9. Today, his father has been working at Eden Housing for twelve years and Adis has established himself as a property manager for Eden Housing in Martinez. In this episode of Stories from Eden Housing, Adis shares the struggles …

Regina lives at Emerson Arms, a 32 unit family affordable housing development in Martinez, CA operated by Eden Housing. Despite her childhood struggles, Regina’s developmental disability has not been a barrier in pursuing her mission to help improve the lives of others as an advocate. She takes great pride in her work and is truly a model of independence.

Farideh Hiri shares her journey to freedom in this week’s story. After suffering from oppression in Iran, she now enjoys being close to community and family, and the chance to work in the community garden and attend outings to the SF Symphony. This is what makes Warner Creek Apartments in Novato feel like “home” for Farideh.

Malissa Roybal grew up in affordable housing then began working at Eden Housing’s Del Nido apartments in 2013. Since then, she’s been promoted twice and is now a Property Supervisor at nine Eden sites in two counties.

In this episode of Stories from Eden Housing, we meet seniors and children who love living in this apartment complex for a variety of reasons. Comprised of 87 homes for families and 64 homes for seniors, Alta Mira Apartments in Hayward is a thriving community for all ages.