CEO of affordable housing nonprofit cherishes beating the odds

EAH Housing CEO Mary Murtagh

In an industry in which five out of every six projects never get off the ground, Mary Murtagh still loves her job and can laugh about it.

“Affordable housing is Murphy’s Law incarnate,” says Ms. Murtagh, who has been with the affordable housing organization EAH Housing for over twenty five years. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Mary Murtagh on the balcony of one of EAH’s affordable apartments.

 

As its president and CEO, Ms. Murtagh is the force behind EAH, which has built or renovated nearly 1,400 units of housing in the North Bay, and over 5,000 total in 12 counties and two states- California and Hawaii during her tenure with the San Rafael-based nonprofit. The agency is Marin County’s largest affordable builder, and second-largest in the North Bay to Burbank Housing.

The nonprofit EAH used to be known as Ecumenical Association for Housing, owing to its faith-based roots. The company employs about 350 people, the majority of whom work in Marin County.

Ms. Murtagh grew up in rural New Hampshire, near Dartmouth College. She’s a self-described former hippie, who now loves to build infill developments that are good for the environment. She has an undergraduate degree in art history and philosophy from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and a master’s in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Those degrees, she said, did not prepare her for what she would encounter at a job with the Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency where she grew interested in real estate development – specifically finance.

“Up until then you can kind of picture me as a totally naive rube wandering around with my mouth open,” she said. “The first time I went to New York though, I thought the whole thing was a terrible mistake and a terrible thing to do to the planet. And when I finally started studying real estate finance, it suddenly all became clear … I started to understand the city and urban economics.”

In Los Angeles, Ms. Murtagh became what she says was the translator between the real estate office at the Redevelopment Agency and the Office of Housing and Urban Development in Washington. And when the first grant she ever wrote – to expand a Pep Boys in inner city Los Angeles – was funded, Ms. Murtagh said she felt like she was empowered to effect change.

Ms. Murtagh moved to San Francisco in 1984 and worked for a political consulting and market research company. While there she helped orchestrate the approvals for the renovation of the Arlington Hotel, a residence for recovering alcoholics still viewed as a model development in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

In 1986, she was hired to direct EAH, an affordable housing organization that at that time was licking its wounds from two money-losing projects and considering getting out of the building business altogether.

EAH Housing CEO Mary Murtagh celebrates the opening of the largest affordable housing solar installation in the nation.

“Obviously, that was a serious issue but I said to them, ‘If you don’t want to build anything, don’t hire me. That would be a mistake for both of us because I love to build things,'” she said. “The smell of sawdust is what makes my day. That and curing concrete.”

Ms. Murtagh set out to make her first big project at the head of the organization a success. She negotiated for two acres on Corte Madera Creek and you can hear the pride in her voice today when she talks about it.

She said 760 people applied for residency in the 28-unit development that turned out “beautifully.”

“Opponents compared it to the Exxon Valdez during the hearings,” she laughs. “And I was getting my feet wet and finding out what opposition meant in Marin County.”

Setbacks are a fact of life when it comes to building almost any kind of housing, including affordable units.

“You have five deals fall through for every one that ever sticks. Maybe more,” she says. “I don’t try and think about that ratio. It’s too discouraging.”

She said in her over 20 years with EAH, affordable housing hasn’t gotten any easier. Getting the approvals is still just as difficult. Opposition is as vocal, if not more. Funding is hard to coordinate and unexpected things change.

CEO Mary Murtagh accepts an award on behalf of EAH Housing.

And just when she says she feels like she’s “trying to sweep the ocean back with a broom,” something encouraging will happen, like the passage Proposition 1C, which opened up $2.9 billion for affordable housing.

Ms. Murtagh said her future attention will be on continuing to strive for a permanent state funding source and more partnerships with private developers.

EAH Housing opens Fresno’s first affordable housing complex for people with disabilities

Finding an affordable apartment that is handicapped accessible has always been difficult for Rene Potter, paralyzed on the left side of her body from two strokes. The bathroom is often the most challenging room in an apartment because it’s hard to move in and out of the tub, Potter said.

Potter has no problem now that she’s living at Arbor Court. In 2011, Fresno’s first-ever housing community for low-income people with disabilities had its grand opening. Arbor Court is a 20-unit development on East Laurel Avenue in southeast Fresno. The one- and two-bedroom

units comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The apartments are designed with 30-inch doorways that allow wheelchairs to easily move in and out of the units. There are roll-in showers, grab rails, low sinks and counters and lowered light

switches in each apartment. “The accommodations are so much more beneficial to me,” said Potter, who was among the first residents to move in last month.

The demand for a development of this kind is high because it gives disabled people the opportunity to be independent, said Jenine Breedlove, the property supervisor. A few months after the apartments became available to lease, the complex is already full with a waiting list of at least 15 families, Breedlove said.

That’s exciting for the developers who didn’t know whether the project would happen after introducing the plans more than seven years ago. The declining economy put a halt on construction when a $1.5 million state grant that the project depended on was frozen.

Arbor Court, built by EAH Housing, was designed specifically for people with disabilities.

But developer EAH Housing, a Marin County nonprofit, kept pushing and was able to find other ways to complete the project. The company reassessed its design plans and construction costs, said Mary Murtagh, president and chief executive officer for EAH. The project also qualified for state and federal grants through the city of Fresno and the federal

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

New resident Anna Ross wasn’t planning to move from the Cypress Apartments, half a block away, where she lived for 21 years. Her family insisted she try to get into the new apartments. They knew it would be helpful for Ross, whose left arm is paralyzed from a stroke she suffered in

1985. Ross walks slowly with a cane. “I love it,” Ross said. “It feels like home.”

On the other side of the complex, Jerry Smith is happy with his decision to leave Senior Citizen Village on Chestnut Avenue for a new one-bedroom apartment. Smith, who suffers from chronic back pain and has had multiple back surgeries, enjoys walking his dog, Boogie, around the complex picking up trash and keeping the area clean. “It’s nice to have something new,” Smith said. “If we all work together, we can help keep it great.”

This article originally appeared in the Fresno Bee.

Affordable housing residents get personal at advocacy event

Affordable housing residents at Centertown in San Rafael, CA by EAH Housing

At the EAH Housing Annual Advocacy Event, nonprofit affordable housing developer EAH Housing, advocates and business leaders celebrated the organization’s 45th year anniversary. Residents from EAH communities served as key speakers at the event. The residents shared personal stories to a packed room of more than 200 people and reminded the audience of the lasting impact of affordable housing on the lives of students, families and seniors.

“Creating an affordable housing community is an indescribable feeling, there’s nothing quite like it,” said Mary Murtagh, president and CEO, EAH Housing. “The rewards for creating affordable housing last for generations, from parents to children, to seniors, to people with disabilities, affordable housing  builds economic strength and stability in families."

Historically, the EAH Housing Annual Advocacy Event focused on legislative and policy issues surrounding affordable housing development. Past speakers included Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters and Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed. This year, EAH asked residents from Honolulu to Napa to share their personal experiences and serve as key speakers at the event. For EAH Housing, it’s an opportunity to connect affordable housing supporters with the people served by affordable housing communities.

From Napa, 73-year old Donna Joy Schmid shared her story of attempting to find an affordable place to retire. Schmid said, “I did not have a pension from my teaching. I have a partial pension from nine years of part-time pastoring. It was not enough. I knew it would have to be affordable housing.”

From San Jose, EAH Housing Scholarship Fund recipient Trinh Au spoke about her family’s difficulties with the high costs of living in Santa Clara County and their inability to save prior to living at an EAH Housing community. Au said, “Before moving into our current home, my family lived in an expensive two bedroom apartment [with ten people] and my dad’s salary was only able to pay the rent, so we struggled with our other expenses. With affordable housing, my parents were able to save.”

EAH Housing builds strong communities and enhances lives by designing resource coordination programs for each property that include a number of services such as financial literacy, health and wellness, ESL classes, food distribution, parenting classes and the EAH Housing Scholarship Fund.

EAH Housing Scholarship Fund recipients and sisters Esther and Grace Lu were also present and spoke at the event about being granted the scholarship. The two sisters moved from Honolulu to San Francisco to pursue majors in Business Accounting and Business at University of San Francisco (USF). Esther is a two-time recipient attending USF and Grace is a recent 2013 recipient also attending USF.

"My parents never had the chance to attend college so for me going to college is truly a blessing," said Grace Lu, Business Major at San Francisco State University. "With the EAH scholarship, I have a greater chance of pursuing the career that I want. I'm really thankful."

Founded by a group of volunteers in 1968, EAH Housing was created in response to the Civil Rights movement and the belief that quality affordable housing should be available to all. The nonprofit organization grew from an initial coalition of six groups into 24 within a few months. Since then, the organization has expanded its mission throughout California and Hawaii.

EAH Housing serves more than 20,000 residents including families, students, seniors and people with disabilities. EAH has developed more than 7,268 homes and manages 102 properties serving working families, students and seniors in 50 municipalities throughout California and Hawaii.

EAH Housing launches college scholarship fund

EAH housing residents now eligible for college scholarships.

 

EAH Housing provides a place to call home for more than 7,000 children and teenagers at affordable housing properties throughout California and Hawai'i. To support these students as they prepare for life on their own, the organization is proud to announce the launch of the EAH Housing Scholarship Fund.

The Scholarship Fund is designed to ensure long term success for students. Throughout the course of their college education, scholarship recipients will receive annual awards. As opposed to one-time
grants, these ongoing scholarships will continue to open
doors for students as they shape their futures.

"Throughout our forty-three year history, EAH Housing has been committed to creating and fostering vibrant communities. We build quality affordable housing so our residents can have a stable place to call home, and with it, the opportunity for a better life. Now, we are excited to support our residents as they attend college and take important steps forward," said EAH Housing President and CEO Mary Murtagh.
"With the new EAH Housing Scholarship Fund, we hope to create a brighter future for the many talented young people who live in our communities. We know this will bring big benefits not only for them but for their families, and their communities," said Murtagh.
The scholarship fund was established with generous donations from the late affordable housing advocate Rebecca Wood Watkin, the EAH Board of Directors, and numerous EAH staff.
You too can help these students achieve their dreams of attending college. All gifts made to the EAH Housing Scholarship fund before September 1st will be matched 2 to 1. For example, a gift of $500 will be matched twice, to provide a $1,500 scholarship for an EAH student.
Established in 1968, EAH Housing is one of the oldest and most respected nonprofit developers and managers in the western United States.  EAH has developed over 6,850 homes and manages 96 properties that serve more than 20,000 families, students and seniors in California and Hawai'i.