Mission First Housing Group had a busy year in 2022. We completed four major affordable housing projects creating and preserving a total of more than 300 apartments to ensure our neighbors had a place to call home.

In spring, the renovation of Park Place Apartments in Elizabethtown, PA was complete. Park Place consists of 32 apartments and is one of the few affordable housing resources in Elizabethtown, housing some of the most vulnerable residents in the community. Mission First acquired Park Place Apartments as part of a multi-property portfolio in York and Lancaster Counties in 2018. The renovations to the individual apartments, common areas and exterior provide existing residents with upgraded apartment amenities, and energy efficient upgrades creating a more sustainable living environment.

We also welcomed our first residents to The Lewis Apartments – a brand-new 137-apartment senior community in Suitland, MD – in spring. In partnership, Mission First, The Henson Development Company and the L.A. Bolden Company responded to the Prince George’s County Redevelopment Authority (RDA) RFP in August of 2016 and were selected to develop the building. This six-story building is part of a vibrant pedestrian-oriented neighborhood created through the Towne Square at Suitland Federal Center redevelopment, an initiative of the RDA that includes townhouses, retail and residential development. Our new residents are settling in nicely and happy for the opportunity to live in high-quality, affordable and accessible housing.

This past fall, Mission First completed the historic preservation and renovation of the Parkside Neighborhood Preservation (Parkside) project consisting of 82 affordable apartments in 16 buildings located along Parkside Avenue, a highly visible corridor in West Philadelphia directly across from Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. Parkside provides housing to some of Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents including individuals who are formerly homeless, living with serious mental illness or physically disabled. Reinvesting in Parkside is critical so that the property can continue to play its role in the City of Philadelphia’s Continuum of Care homeless assistance system providing permanent housing integrated into the community. The property was out of the 15-year tax credit compliance period, and the buildings needed a refresh, having first been built in the late 1800s and last renovated in 2001-2003. A key component of Mission First’s work is the preservation of affordable housing assets, and we are glad to be able to continue to offer safe, affordable and sustainable housing at Parkside.

Rounding out the end of the year, the renovation of the apartments at Monument Village was complete in December. Mission First, with its development and supportive service partner Methodist Home for Children, renovated this 60-apartment affordable housing development in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood of West Philadelphia. The preservation and renovation of this property was a priority for Mission First to ensure its long-term affordability. All apartments have Project-Based Section 8 subsidies from the Philadelphia Housing Authority and are occupied by formerly homeless individuals and families. Today, Monument Village is a thriving community, serving individuals and families with comprehensive social services which foster independence and self-sufficiency in a caring community setting.

2022 was a great year for Mission First and its residents. We are proud to be a mission-driven affordable housing developer that can offer opportunities to those in need.

Mission First has over 400 affordable apartments under construction that will be open by the end of the year, as well as over 1,000 apartments set for new construction/preservation in our pipeline across our Mid-Atlantic footprint. We are excited to add to our portfolio, providing more homes to individuals and families in 2023.

This spring, Mission First will complete its work on the Chester County Preservation Initiative (CCPI). Mission First, along with partner HDC MidAtlantic, were selected by the Housing Authority of Chester County to recapitalize three of their existing affordable housing properties. CCPI consists of three properties – Hannum Gardens in West Chester, PA serving families, and Washington House Apartments and Ash Park Terrace in Coatesville, PA serving seniors and disabled populations. The recapitalization of CCPI will preserve critical housing assets in Chester County and renovations will improve energy efficiency and enhance the quality of life for residents. Two of the three properties are complete and the final development will be completed in the next month.

Coming this summer, Phase 2 and 3 of our work on the Perkins Somerset Oldtown (PSO) Transformation Plan will open. Development of the PSO is taking place in six phases, across two primary locations. Mission First and partner The Henson Development Company are co-leading development efforts on the Somerset Baltimore section of the project, which will include 396 affordable and 161 market rate apartments. 1234 McElderry, a 104 mixed-income apartment community, opened in 2021. This summer, The Ella at Somerset and The Ruby at Somerset will welcome residents. The Ella, located at the corner of Somerset and Aisquith Streets will have 192 apartments, and The Ruby, also on Aisquith Street, will have 72 apartments. The new Somerset community welcomes back neighbors who lived in the Somerset Homes community - the former public housing development that existed at the site - and new residents to this hub of open space, retail, commercial, apartments and schools, so residents can live, work, shop, go to school and play within their neighborhood.

In partnership with St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Mission First is developing Cain Commons (formerly known as St. Anne’s Senior Apartments), a 76-apartment, four-story senior housing community located in Damascus, Montgomery County, Maryland. The site is adjacent to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church and provides a mix of 66 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom apartments for seniors earning 30%-70% of Area Median Income. The development is intended to support aging-in-place and boasts common areas such as community and sitting room, fitness room and library/meeting room. Cain Commons will open this fall.

We are excited about preserving existing affordable housing and bringing new housing assets to these communities in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Stay tuned for more information about Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting events coming this year.