In 2025, the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) is celebrating 85 years of being committed to its one critical mission—creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income individuals and families in the City of Alameda.
[1]On August 8, 1940, Alameda City Council passed a resolution to create the Housing Authority in order to meet the demand for affordable housing that would arise after the Alameda Naval Air Station opened in November 1940. The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda was officially established the next day, August 9, 1940.
When the Naval Air Station opened, a mass of civilian workers also came to Alameda to support the war effort. The city’s population rose from 35,000 to 90,000, which created a major housing crisis. Nine new temporary war housing complexes were built to accommodate the new residents. After the war ended, Congress voted to demolish temporary wartime housing, but many of the workers wanted to stay in Alameda, so the newly established Alameda Housing Authority agreed to buy five of the existing complexes. Those were eventually demolished and new apartment complexes were built. And as they say, the rest is history.
Watch the video [2] to learn more about the many AHA housing developments, some of which continue to serve the community. AHA’s largest active community development project, North Housing [3] is now under construction, with the first two phases (Estuary I and Linnet Corner) now complete. All phases of North Housing will have access to community rooms, computer rooms, Wi-Fi hotspots, central onsite laundry, water-conscious drought tolerant landscaping, outdoor picnic gathering areas for intimate or communal gatherings, a pet play and relief area, along with a community garden.
As the Housing Authority marches toward its next 85 years, AHA stated in a press release that it would like to “sincerely thank all present and past Commissioners, staff, community partners, residents, community members, and all our housing program participants. Together we carry on the mission of giving everyone the chance to have a safe place to call home.”
The Housing Authority office is located at 701 Atlantic Avenue. For more info about housing authority programs and services, please visit the AHA website [4].