Kelsey Flynn O’Connor, cofounder of The Kelsey and Micaela Connery, cofounder and CEO of The Kelsey. Photo courtesy of The Kelsey.
When Micaela Connery was a graduate student at Harvard University, she set out to research the field of housing options for people with disabilities. She was inspired by her cousin Kelsey Flynn O’Connor, who lived with multiple disabilities. As an adult, O’Connor struggled to find suitable affordable housing options that allowed her to be part of a community that included people from all walks of life.
This experience was not unique, as Connery discovered. More than 4 million adults with disabilities rely on limited federal funding as their sole source of income, pricing them out of every housing market in the country. Despite efforts and requirements to integrate people with disabilities into community-based housing, they continued to have few options beyond group homes.
“The plan was for me to figure out who was solving this problem so that I could go work for them after graduation,” Connery said. “But when I discovered no one was solving the problem, I set out to launch The Kelsey.”
Established in 2017, The Kelsey — a grantee — develops fully accessible homes in integrated settings, including studios and two-bedroom units (for those who require a caregiver) in the Bay Area and other locations throughout the country. The Foundation has supported two developments: The Kelsey Ayer Station in San Jose and The Kelsey Civic Center in San Francisco. The Kelsey Ayer Station — featured on PBS — is fully leased with 152 residents (115 apartments), and tenants have just begun moving into The Kelsey Civic Center, which received more than 7,000 applications for its 112 apartments centrally located near San Francisco’s arts and civic district. The building includes a courtyard, rooftop terrace, and gathering space.
The Kelsey Ayer Station. Photo courtesy of The Kelsey.
“The Kelsey builds every aspect of its model around the needs of people with disabilities,” said Amy Kleine, who leads the Foundation’s grantmaking focused on housing. “It uniquely celebrates people of all abilities living and thriving together in the same community.”
While The Kelsey reserves 25% of its units for people with disabilities, it aims to house a variety of individuals and families. It is a mixed-income community, with different levels of affordability based on tenants’ incomes, which range from extremely low to moderate income — or 20% to 80% of the area median income. In the Bay Area’s expensive housing market, the Kelsey also provides “missing middle” housing, Connery said, for people who make too much to qualify for affordable housing but not enough to cover the cost of standard housing.
Residents come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have experienced homelessness and housing instability. One resident had been living with his grandparents for a decade and had essentially given up on ever having a home of his own. He now resides at The Kelsey Ayer Station with his service dog.
Services and opportunities provided
Unique to The Kelsey is an inclusion concierge, a concept that came out of community-based workshops, which involved asking people with disabilities what they needed — and wanted — from their housing.
This on-site staff member connects residents with services they need, one another, and the broader community. Services can include food assistance, mental health support, transportation, job support, and help with medical needs. The concierge also plans social activities such as community outings, game and movie nights, and educational events.
Connery noted that philanthropy played an important role in preserving accessibility elements, such as the inclusion concierge, in the project. For example, in the early stages, some financial partners questioned the necessity of including costs for the position. Connery was able to leverage Weinberg’s support to secure the public funding required to complete the development. “Having the Foundation’s grant was critical in getting the project started and allowed us to maintain the mission of affordability and accessibility,” she said.
The lobby at The Kelsey Ayer Station. Photo courtesy of The Kelsey.
What the future holds
While The Kelsey hopes to expand its housing model to more locations in California and beyond, the nonprofit has also launched an online resource library that includes the Inclusive Design Standards for developing accessible multifamily housing. Already used by more than 2,800 individuals across 47 states, these standards range from incorporating removable cabinets for wheelchair accessibility and dimmable lights for individuals with light sensitivities to having floors coded with numbers, colors, and symbols to help with wayfinding. It also covers elements not often considered in standards, such as involving people with disabilities in the development process or operational and amenity choices. In addition, The Kelsey is working with communities across the country interested in adopting its model.
“We are excited to make these tools even easier to access and more widely available,” Connery said.
The success of The Kelsey, although gratifying for Connery, is bittersweet. Her cousin and cofounder, Kelsey O’Connor, passed away soon after starting the organization and never got to experience one of the communities she inspired.
O’Connor communicated through modified American Sign Language, and her favorite sign was “more,” never hesitating to remind others that more was always possible. Her photo hangs in the lobby of all Kelsey locations as a reminder.
