New Beginnings Housing will be a small affordable multi-housing residential “village” located in the heart of North Central, a historically redlined district and the least resourced neighborhood in the City of San Mateo.

Consisting of five 264 sq. ft. units, this safe affordable housing village will be reserved for 5 young adults aging out of the foster care system, one of the highest risk groups for potential homelessness.

The vision for New Beginnings Project began in the heart of Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey, pastor of the St. James AME Zion Church of San Mateo.  St. James is a historically African American Church, intentional about becoming a multicultural, multi-ethnic ministry.  Before becoming a pastor, Rev. Bussey was a high school counselor for 25 years and worked with many students who were either emancipated or wards of the court in the foster care system.  She saw firsthand that the foster care system does not ensure that young adults who age out are given a safe affordable place to live.  As a result, they end up in unsafe conditions, often homeless and on the street, doing whatever is necessary to survive.  Their childhood was taken from them, and the least they deserve is to have an opportunity to have a fresh start as they enter the turbulent waters of adulthood.  We know that safe, affordable housing is the crucial first step in navigating those waters. 

The project will be located at 831 Monte Diablo on property owned by the church, although the project itself will be managed by the St. James Community Development Corporation.

We are working with a developer, Firm Foundation Community Housing, which specializes in small projects and has a great track record of working with faith communities.  Jake Medcalf, the founder and Senior Project Manager and a former pastor himself, is an expert at working with the faith sector. 

Our goal is for the New Beginnings Project to be a successful model of how the faith community, the city, the government, and philanthropy can collaborate to help ease the current housing crisis that exists in the Bay Area, one of the most expensive economies in the country.  If every faith community had an opportunity to dedicate owned, unused, or under-utilized land for the purpose of affordable housing, it would be a game changer.  While ours is a small project, we want to pilot it as a scalable model for the vast amount of land owned by faith institutions in San Mateo County. 

Contact us to learn more about how to support our mission in San Mateo, California using the form below, or by email.

Rev. Dr. Marlyn Bussey, Director – stjamesamezchurch@gmail.com

Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon, Project Manager – revgpn@gmail.com

Learn more about foster youth and homelessness:
https://jbay.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/08/Too-Big-to-Ignore-Youth-Homelessness-inCalifornia.pdf