The Kelsey

08/25/2026

Disability-forward housing is about community. That’s why we’re launching a new Instagram Live series: The Kelsey and Friends!

We’re excited to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our community, and learn from the incredible people – from all backgrounds and places – who make it so vibrant.

For our very first episode, Brittney Harris (Real Estate Project Manager at The Kelsey) will chat with Jay Manuel and Pamela Chavez-Manuel – stars of TLC's GLAAD-nominated reality show “Jay and Pamela.”

Jay and Pamela are joining us to talk about:

• Their connection to The Kelsey,
• What it means for people with disabilities to thrive in their homes, and
• What it’s been like building a home together.

Tune in Live:

Date: Thursday, September 3rd, 2026

Time: 6:00 PM EST / 3:00 PM PST

Where: on Instagram Live

Make sure you’re following on Instagram and click the reminder in our bio to get notified when we go live!

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Image description: Event graphic for an Instagram Live session titled "The Kelsey and Friends: With Jay and Pamela." At the top, blue and black text reads "Join Us! The Kelsey and Friends: With Jay and Pamela, Thursday, September 3, 6 pm EST/3 pm PST, Instagram Live via .” A red "Live" badge is in the upper right corner. Below the text is a promotional image featuring Jay and Pamela facing each other in motorized wheelchairs on the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge during sunset. Pamela has long brown hair and is wearing a pink dress. Jay is wearing a purple button-down shirt and glasses. The TLC logo and "Jay & Pamela" are stylized in white script text across the sky above them.

08/21/2026

It’s an honor to be named a semifinalist in the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge! Huge thanks to Enterprise Community Partners and Wells Fargo for recognizing the critical need for disability-forward housing, and congratulations to all our fellow semifinalists!

From 871 applications to 39 semifinalists, the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge is entering its next phase.

Through a partnership between Wells Fargo and Enterprise, the Breakthrough Challenge is identifying and accelerating bold solutions that increase housing access, choice, and affordability in communities nationwide. The challenge is administered by Enterprise.

Congratulations to the semifinalists and everyone who brought forward innovative ideas to transform the housing ecosystem. See who’s advancing to Round 2 in the competition for five $2 million grants: https://bit.ly/3Xknz8g

08/20/2026

Get Discounted Tickets for the Disability-Forward Housing Futures Summit! There are only a few more days to get 20% off in-person and virtual tickets, or to apply for a scholarship and have your ticket and/or travel costs covered.

Discounted tickets are available until 8/31/26, and the deadline to apply for a scholarship is 8/30/26.

Last year, our summit brought together people from around the world to work together and make sure no one has to choose between an affordable home and an accessible one. This year, we’re building off of this momentum – sharing new tools, lessons, and examples of disability-forward communities making a difference.

Grab your tickets or apply for a scholarship today. Already got your tickets? Share this with a friend!

Purchase tickets or apply for a scholarship at https://bit.ly/4wceAql

08/18/2026

We had an incredible time hosting the Women’s Development Collaborative (WDC) for a tour of The Kelsey Civic Center alongside our co-developer, Mercy Housing!

Members got an inside look at the building’s disability-forward design, the development process that brought this community to life, as well as an overview of our Resident Services program from one of our Inclusion Concierge team members.

Sharing learnings from the field and connecting with fellow developers is how we drive real change. Events like this remind us of the power of collaboration and how working together creates communities where everyone can thrive.

Thank you, WDC, for stopping by!

Learn more about The Kelsey Civic Center: https://thekelsey.org/projects/civic-center/
Image description: Members of the Women’s Development Collaborative pose on the roof of The Kelsey Civic Center with the dome of San Francisco City Hall in clear view behind them. They wear casual clothing, name tags, and some have sunglasses on. On the rooftop, they are surrounded by garden beds with various small green plants.

Image Description: Members of the Women’s Development Collaborative standing on the balcony walkways of The Kelsey Civic Center, a modern, multi-story apartment building. On the middle floor, several members talk near a bright blue balcony while a woman further down waves at the camera. The building has bright yellow, blue, and dark green painted balconies, with green plants hanging over the balcony railings.

08/07/2026

Housing should work for everyone.

This week, the Visitable Inclusive Tax Credits for Accessible Living (VITAL) Act was reintroduced by Senator Klobuchar. The VITAL Act would update our nation’s main affordable housing program, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), to ensure more accessible homes are built.

Here’s how the bill would make a difference:
• Sets clear goals: Requires states to ensure at least 40% of newly built affordable homes are accessible or can be made accessible over a three-year period.
• Encourages walkable and rollable communities: Accessible homes built in walkable and rollable neighborhoods count twice toward the state’s goal.
• Offers financial incentives for more accessible units: Projects where at least half of the units are accessible, and projects located in rollable communities, receive additional funding.
• Supports independence, community living, and aging in place: An estimated 516,000 affordable, accessible, inclusive homes would be built over the next 10 years.

The VITAL Act benefits disabled and nondisabled people, giving them more access to disability-forward housing and the opportunity to age in place without having to make costly home modifications.

Take a minute to send a letter urging your members of Congress to support the bill: https://bit.ly/vitalact

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Image Description: A graphic with white text on a blue background that reads: “Advocacy Alert: The VITAL Act has been reintroduced!” A graphic of a white bullhorn is in the lower left corner. The Kelsey’s white, sun-shaped logo is in the lower right corner.

08/05/2026

At the 2025 Disability-Forward Housing Futures Summit, we broke down what it takes to build a future where no one has to choose between an affordable home and an accessible one.

This year, we’re taking the conversation further—diving into real-world examples, examining the current state of housing, and mobilizing our field to make affordable, accessible, inclusive housing the norm. And we want to make sure YOU are part of it.

Whether you’re someone with lived experience of disability or housing insecurity, a builder, a funder, an artist, an activist—or all of the above—your perspective matters. To ensure our community is fully represented, scholarships are available to cover ticket and/or travel costs.

We hope to see you in person or virtually this December.

Apply for a scholarship by August 30, 2026: https://bit.ly/4wceAql
Image description: A picture with a text overlay. White text reads, “Apply for a Summit Scholarship” in the top left corner of an image of a group tour on a rooftop. The tour guide, a person using a wheelchair wearing a gray blazer, dress pants, and glasses, points to something outside of the picture’s frame. A blue sky and city skyline are visible behind the group.

07/31/2026

As we celebrated Disability Pride this month, we also faced continued attacks on our community. It is more urgent than ever that we remind our leaders that people with disabilities belong in the community, and that we need deeply affordable and accessible housing to create a sustainable housing future for disabled and nondisabled people across the country.

As Ari said, this month is about honoring and celebrating our disabled ancestors and the hard-fought wins, while recommitting to “making noise” for a better future.

For one final time this year, Happy Disability Pride Month: July might be coming to a close, but our work continues.


Image Description: A quote graphic on a light beige background featuring a headshot of Ari Katz, Senior Manager of Fundraising and Operations at The Kelsey, in the lower right corner. Ari is a white non-binary person with shoulder-length brown hair. They are smiling and wearing green overalls with a cream-colored turtleneck underneath, orange and blue hoop earrings, and a silver necklace with a butterfly pendant. Blue quotation marks sit above the text, which reads: "Disability Pride Month reminds me to honor the disabled ancestors who fought for the rights we have today, and to keep making noise for a more inclusive future." – Ari Katz, Senior Manager, Fundraising and Operations.

07/28/2026

We’ve loved sharing quotes about what Disability Pride means to our team this month – and we’re not done yet!

Every single day, we see how disability-forward housing builds stronger communities for people with and without disabilities.

Today, Katie, our Housing Resources Manager, reflects on how accessible, inclusive spaces make everyone's lives better:

“I’m celebrating Disability Pride by uplifting and honoring the hard work of the disability justice movement. Centering and celebrating accessibility and inclusion makes for a better, more vibrant world that I benefit from daily."


Image Description: A quote graphic on a light beige background featuring a headshot of Katie McAuley in the lower right corner. Katie is a white woman with long, straight brown hair. Katie is smiling, wearing a black-and-gray striped shirt. Blue quotation marks sit above the text, which reads: “I’m celebrating Disability Pride by uplifting and honoring the hard work of the disability justice movement. Centering and celebrating accessibility and inclusion makes for a better, more vibrant world that I benefit from daily." - Katie McAuley, Manager, Housing Resources.

07/24/2026

This weekend marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Signed into law in 1990, the ADA made it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, transportation, schools, and places that serve the public, like restaurants and hotels. Accessibility features like curb cuts, video captions, and automatic doors – things used every day by people with and without disabilities – became more widely available after the ADA was passed.

The ADA also laid the foundation for wins like the Supreme Court decision in Lois Curtis v. Olmstead, which said that every person with disabilities has the right to receive care in the community rather than in institutions.

As we honor the advocates who fought tirelessly to get the ADA passed, we also know that these very rights are under attack. We must keep advocating and reminding our leaders that people with disabilities belong in our communities. True inclusion requires affordable, accessible housing and the highest levels of funding for programs that support disabled people to live and thrive.

The ADA represents the floor, not the ceiling. The goal isn’t just legal compliance; it’s a culture where people with disabilities are valued, included, and supported. Join us in advocating for this future. Visit thekelsey.org/advocacy

Photo credit: Tom Olin


Image description: Graphic split into two sections. On the left, on an off-white background, black text reads "Disability-Forward Housing Advocacy 101:" followed by bold blue text reading "What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?" The Kelsey’s blue sun-shaped logo is in the bottom left corner. On the right side is a historical black-and-white photograph by Tom Olin showing a group of disability rights activists. In the foreground, a Black woman using a wheelchair wears sunglasses and a shirt with the logo for the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT) group. She holds a hand-painted protest sign in front of her that reads, "Break the Chains of Discrimination.” In the background, other protestors, some in wheelchairs and some not, march and wheel down a street.

07/17/2026

We’re heading into the weekend reflecting on the power of cross-disability solidarity and community. For our Managing Director of Advocacy, Allie, Disability Pride means learning more about their relationship with themselves and with their community:

“Disability pride means nurturing the connections I have with fellow disabled people and my own disabled experience. The older I get the more I understand the nuances and complexities of being disabled and being in community with people with all types of disabilities. I am so grateful and proud to be disabled and to be in the disability community.” -Allie Cannington, Managing Director, Advocacy.


Image Description: A quote graphic on a light beige background featuring a headshot of Allie Cannington, Managing Director of Advocacy at The Kelsey, in the lower right corner. Allie is a white q***r person smiling in their manual wheelchair with short brown hair, round glasses, earrings, and a blazer. Blue quotation marks sit above the text, which reads: “Disability pride means nurturing the connections I have with fellow disabled people and my own disabled experience. The older I get the more I understand the nuances and complexities of being disabled and being in community with people with all types of disabilities. I am so grateful and proud to be disabled and to be in the disability community.” -Allie Cannington, Managing Director, Advocacy.