Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation

Employee Voices: Joan Edelman, Chief Financial Officer Wakeland’s Chief Financial Officer Joan Edelman has been with us almost from the beginning. Starting as a consulting bookkeeper in 2002, she later served on our Board of Directors before joining the staff as our Finance Manager in 2005. Joan’s journey led her to advance from Manager to Controller and finally CFO, and she credits our founding CEO Ken Sauder for giving her the tools to strike out on that path. “Ken gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. He allowed me to grow the department and take on more and more responsibility. He always had confidence in my abilities, even when I didn’t. I have learned a lot about affordable housing to keep up with the demands of my position at Wakeland as well as the demands on Wakeland from a changing industry.” For Joan, our work is about the people. “I feel so fortunate to work for a company that strives to change lives and give people stability and opportunities. Our work culture is great, and I know in my heart that Rebecca Louie really cares about each and every one of us. She always says she has our backs, and I believe it wholeheartedly. Every grand opening is so meaningful to me. It’s my chance to see the completed project and feel so proud knowing how much time and effort Wakeland’s project managers and staff put into every aspect of the project to get the building built and ready for lease-up. Of course, seeing the happy tenants is also extremely rewarding.” Joan’s dedication to Wakeland and our work is remarkable, and she was rewarded for it last year when the San Diego Business Journal named her CFO of the Year in the Nonprofits category. And her love for Wakeland runs deep. Joan says, “I have been wanting a tattoo for a long time. And I finally got it. My tattoo is a house. It represents my family and Wakeland. It represents my home and also the homes that we build for others, and I will cherish what it means forever.” Stay tuned for more from our amazing staff. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Employee Voices: Isabel Villas, Resident Services Coordinator, Los Vecinos "Working at Wakeland has been a truly life-changing experience, and it’s no surprise that we’ve reached this incredible 25-year milestone. Since I joined in 2009, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand just how powerful and transformative our work can be for our residents. From the moment I started, I dove into building relationships and helping residents create positive change in their lives. Whether serving as an admissions counselor, life coach, or career mentor, I’ve had the honor of being part of many incredible journeys. I’ve watched the kids in my After-School Program (ASP) grow into young adults who have gone on to achieve amazing things. Seeing their growth and success has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Though I left in 2017 to explore other opportunities, I always missed my Wakeland family and the deep connections I had built. Now that I’m back, I’m excited for the chance to make an even greater impact and build new relationships with our residents. This picture of my ASP kids before I left holds a special place in my heart—it reminds me of the impact they had on me, just as I had on them. I am so excited at the opportunity to get to do this work again.” Here’s to building memories, connections, and a brighter future for our residents. Stay with us for more stories from our Wakeland staff. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

“Hire the best people you can find and let them do their thing and you will succeed.” Those are the humble yet wise words of Wakeland’s first President and CEO, Ken Sauder, whose 23 years at Wakeland provided the blueprint for our success by establishing a flexible, pro-employee culture. Ken is truly one of the nicest people you will ever meet and his gentle leadership allowed Wakeland’s staff to grow and thrive over his many years at the organization. He remembers: “Wakeland was created at a time in San Diego when there was a lot of opportunity for affordable housing developers, especially nonprofits. There was a real need, and there was funding available. We started looking for deals, got more than we could handle, and we just kept hiring. We also knew what our mission was – providing quality affordable housing and resident services. And that has been a big part of our success.” From the earliest days of Wakeland, Ken laid the foundation for a workplace that respected employee’s home lives along with their work. He says, “I had employees who wanted to go to their kids’ games or school events. So, I said, ‘Good. Do what you need to do, as long as the work gets done.’” Ken’s philosophy is one of the reasons that Wakeland has over a dozen employees who have worked here for more than a decade – and a few who have been here since day one! Thank you Ken, for your steady leadership, respect and support! You have made Wakeland what it is today – an inclusive organization with people who are passionate about creating affordable homes and helping the residents we serve. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Today, we’re looking back at Home Front at Camp Anza, a truly unique development Wakeland built for veterans on the site of a WWII U.S. Army training camp in Riverside, California. During the war, hundreds of thousands of soldiers passed through Camp Anza for basic training. Today, 30 veterans and their families live there in newly-constructed bungalow apartments and enjoy community events and services inside the Camp’s former Officers’ Club, which was renovated and restored to its original glory – including a history exhibit with photos and artifacts from Camp Anza. When it opened in 2016, Home Front at Camp Anza received multiple awards for its creative reuse of a historic site to help veterans, including the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award and the National Housing and Rehabilitation Association Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation. But perhaps more importantly, today it serves as a place of respite and stability for veterans and their families, where they are welcomed into a warm community after their years of service. The slogan for Home Front at Camp Anza is “Honoring the Past and Preserving the Future.” Wakeland is so proud to be a part of this effort. Stay with us as we continue to celebrate! #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Building sustainable communities has always been an important part of Wakeland’s mission. And in 2010, we won the State of California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor for our groundbreaking, green-designed community, Los Vecinos. Then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger presented the Governors’ Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) to Wakeland’s founding President and CEO Ken Sauder to recognize our exceptional leadership and notable contributions in conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing our environment through affordable housing. The LEED-Platinum certified Los Vecinos set a new standard not only for affordable housing, but for green design at large, serving as a case study for energy-neutral and environmentally-sustainable housing. Most importantly, it brought low-income families across the renewable energy economic divide by allowing them to participate in the green design revolution that to this day continues to change how we build and live in our homes. Los Vecinos still stands as a model for green building standards in affordable housing, and we celebrate that! Stay tuned for more ways Wakeland has impacted our environment and communities over the past 25 years. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Recognition by our peers is an important measure of Wakeland’s success in the affordable housing sector. Over the past 25 years we have earned dozens of industry awards and commendations for our projects and our people. Today we’re putting a spotlight on the San Diego Housing Federation’s Ruby Awards, which recognize the best and brightest affordable housing accomplishments in our backyard of San Diego County. Wakeland has been honored with the Ruby Award for Housing Project of the Year three times, including this year for our City Heights Place/Plaza del Sol family housing built in collaboration with Price Philanthropies Foundation. And since 2018, five of our communities that serve formerly homeless residents have won Ruby Awards for supportive housing. Even more special, several of Wakeland’s staff have been recognized for their contributions to our residents, our region and industry, including: 🏆 Wakeland’s very first employee Doreen Kartes, whose many years of hard work, dedication to her co-workers and kindness earned her a Hearthstone Award 🏆 Director of Resident Services Tracey Johnson won for her compassion, resourcefulness and persistence in making sure our residents have the resources they need to accomplish their personal and professional goals 🏆 And our President and CEO, Rebecca Louie, won an Innovations Award for her many contributions to the affordable housing industry We honor these recognitions today and every day! Stay tuned for more! #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Since Wakeland started in 1999, providing quality affordable housing for working families has been at the core of our mission. Our 38 housing communities for low-income households provide a platform for stability and success across the generations, breaking cycles of poverty and reversing years of economic disadvantages for countless families. Year after year, we see amazing changes for the families who live in our communities, ranging from parents who increase their income with higher-paying jobs after working on their resumes with our Resident Services staff to kids in our After School Program who improve their reading levels and achieve their goals of attending college. And the affordable homes that Wakeland creates are where all of that starts. As our President and CEO, Rebecca Louie says, “We know that affordable housing is the key to a healthy community. We know that kids do better in school when they’re in affordable housing. We know that people are healthier in affordable housing. We know it’s better for the environment too. So, we really believe in what we’re doing, because we see the impact with every community we build.” Stay with us on this 25-year journey of building communities where families thrive. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

The Chesterfield is the first of four senior supportive housing communities Wakeland has built in Los Angeles since 2022. With 42 affordable homes plus wraparound services tailored to the needs of seniors who have been unhoused, it is a stellar example of the type of housing our neighborhoods desperately need in order to end rising homelessness among older adults. In addition to having a home of their own with an affordable rent, The Chesterfield’s residents are offered social and medical services from St. Joseph Center that promote health, housing stability and individual well-being. We see how well this combination of housing and comprehensive services works all the time at our supportive housing communities in every region. At these properties, residents come to us who have lost their jobs because of illness and were living in their cars or on the street while dealing with diabetes, cancer and other ailments. But their lives completely turn around once they have a safe place of their own to live with the healthcare and services they need to get well again. It completely transforms them. Wakeland is proud to be part of the efforts to end homelessness for seniors in Los Angeles – and it all started here at The Chesterfield! Stay tuned for more of our 25-year journey. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

In recent years, Wakeland has emerged as an innovator in housing that addresses rising homelessness among seniors in our communities. 👴 👵 That journey started in 2017 with Talmadge Gateway, a tight-knit community in San Diego where 59 formerly homeless seniors with chronic health conditions now thrive. For this property, Wakeland developed an innovative model of housing that connects low-income, formerly homeless seniors to health, wellness and community resources through a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Provider St. Paul's PACE takes care of Talmadge Gateway residents’ physical and mental health while providing assistance with daily tasks and a wide range of social and educational activities, helping them lead healthier, more connected and stable lives. 🩺 This combination of housing and services has proved incredibly effective at stabilizing frail, formerly homeless seniors and 96% of residents have remained stably housed. Due to this success, it now serves as a model for all of Wakeland’s senior supportive housing communities. 🏡 Wakeland has been recognized twice for the innovation of this model with the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) Supportive Housing Award given by the San Diego Housing Federation. 🏆 Even more impactful, hundreds of seniors at our properties have experienced first-hand the transformative power of having a stable affordable apartment, healthcare that addresses their underlying conditions and community connections that prevent isolation. 🧡 Stay tuned for more of Wakeland's 25-year impact. #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing

Wakeland’s largest community, Atmosphere, opened doors in 2017 with 205 homes designed for the diverse range of people who need affordable housing. Combining affordable housing for families with supportive housing for individuals who have experienced homelessness, the development revitalized a block-long parcel in downtown San Diego that had been vacant for years. Atmosphere made a significant increase in the amount of high-quality affordable homes available in downtown San Diego, close to jobs, transportation and other resources residents need for daily living, while also providing 51 much-needed supportive housing units with services that promote individual well-being, independence and self-sufficiency for people who have lived unhoused. This combination has brought great stability to the families and individuals who call Atmosphere their home. It has also filled a vital need in the community by providing a stable, safe and empowering place to live, with wrap-around, solutions-oriented resident services offered both on and off-site. As Wakeland celebrates our 25th year, we recognize the milestone of opening Atmosphere! #WakelandHousing #25thAnniversary #25YearsofWakeland #AffordableHousing #SupportiveHousing