Everyone should have a safe place to call home.
That belief drives Aubra Levine's work. With 20 years of experience in community development, she knows the obstacles are great — especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she works. In just a decade, homelessness in Oakland has doubled, in large part due to skyrocketing housing costs resulting from local economic growth.
For the past six years, Levine has sought solutions to this issue as vice president of real estate development at Unity Council, a community development organization based in Oakland, California’s Fruitvale neighborhood. The organization’s mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant, affordable communities — and according to reports, they’re succeeding.
Economic Development without Displacement
“One of the most important elements of development is patient capital,” said Levine. Patient capital enables projects to be completed on a reasonable timeline, and it opens a space for long-term growth and higher risk tolerance. “Lenders such as Enterprise have been a great partner despite unforeseen twists and turns … Being so mission aligned with your funding partners is a really wonderful thing, to talk the same language.”
That capital has helped Unity Council take a holistic approach to community development. The organization not only develops affordable housing and spaces for local businesses; it also services early childhood education centers, supports middle and high school Latino Men and Boys Clubs and achievement programs, provides career development for youth and adults, provides senior services, manages properties, and offers resident services and community support.
With projects like 2000 36th Avenue (featured in Enterprise’s 2023 Social Return on Investment Report), a 55-unit affordable apartment community, and Fruitvale Transit Village, a transit-oriented community hub, Unity Council has earned considerable recognition for leading the neighborhood in economic development without displacement of existing residents, according to a study from UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Initiative. Fruitvale Transit Village offers 47 housing units (10 of which are affordable), locally relevant businesses including Mexican and Indigenous restaurants, a charter high school, a community center where residents can access legal services, a public library, and a medical clinic that offers culturally relevant health access. Together, these features have given both the local economy and long-time residents a boost.
“Due to the programs and assistance of Unity Council, we didn’t see a dip in incomes during the economic recession [of the early 2010s] because of the economic stability within our zip codes,” Levine said, adding that the neighborhood didn’t see as many foreclosures for Latino/Hispanic homeowners. “This was only possible through the buffer we provide to the community,” Levine said.
Brian Diaz Del Cid has lived in a closely knit community in Oakland, Calif. for the past 15 years.
'Community Cohesion' Central to Development Strategy
Unity Council doesn’t just serve that community — they are the community. Many of its employees are local and were positively impacted by the organization before joining it. They love and know Fruitvale, Levine said, which is how they’ve been able to pursue projects that best meet local needs.
With “community cohesion” central to the organization’s development strategy, the team is 70% Latino and speaks English, Spanish, Hmong, and Arabic, helping them connect with Fruitvale’s 11,000-plus residents and improve quality of life through culturally aware programming like their annual Dia de los Muertos celebration—the second biggest in the state of California, Levine said.
“We pride ourselves on being as nimble and responsive to the community as possible,” Levine said. “It’s how we’ve developed, helping people thrive as a community.”
