We have to be honest — here at Mission Housing, the last two years weren't exactly how we saw ourselves celebrating our 50th Anniversary.
Back when the calendar marked 2020 and the wheels began to turn for how and when we’d like to celebrate a half-century of creating, preserving and stabilizing San Francisco through affordable housing, nowhere in those plans did we factor in a global pandemic. How does that saying go? Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.
And yet, despite the turmoil caused by Covid-19, an argument can be made there was no better way for Mission Housing to celebrate its 50th Anniversary than by taking the last two years to put our mission to the ultimate test. The pandemic forced us to look inward at the fiber and founding principles of Mission Housing, and then take action to yet-again rewrite the playbook in our ongoing redefinition of affordable housing in San Francisco.
And so, with our feet planted firmly beneath us and a post-pandemic outlook that is extremely hopeful, we can take a look back at the last two years with the following conviction: We are "Mission Born, Mission Built and Mission Driven" more than ever before.
Mission Born allows us to pay proper homage to our 50-year history. The Mission District is part of our DNA. We could not be prouder to call these streets our Mother. We carry these five decades of work as a badge of honor and look forward to the other side of this century optimistic our Mission roots will continue to guide us.
Mission Built reflects our growth as the premier affordable housing developer in the Mission. Our housing portfolio has never been stronger — with new buildings onboarded, in construction and in pre-development over the last two years totaling close to 1,000 new units. This is coupled with the ongoing asset management of our housing stock and a strong financial stability that will see us continue the preservation of our existing buildings and new portfolio that further expands Mission Housing’s footprint across San Francisco.
Mission Driven reemphasizes our commitment to the people who call Mission Housing home. For 50 years, our communities are at the core of our decision-making. Our mission to create, preserve and stabilize has always been more about our people than the buildings that house them. With the scars and lessons learnt from the pandemic, our focus to serve our city is at an all-time high.
“Mission Born. Mission Built. Mission Driven.” is our way to look back at two years worth of service knowing full-well that we are just getting started. And for us at Mission Housing, that is not a bad way to begin the much-delayed celebration.
Sam Moss & Marcia Contreras

