Fremont opens new affordable housing development for families

FREMONT — Ismael Rivera calls his new 460-square-feet, one bedroom apartment “heaven.”

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The past six years have been tough for the 52-year-old. He was forced to live in his van in 2019, after his rent was suddenly raised to $2,800 — well above what he was able to affording while living on disability payments from the government. He was also dealing with diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and injuries to his neck, back and hands, he said.

“It just got to where I couldn’t work anymore,” Rivera said. “I didn’t expect him to hike it up that much.”

After living on the streets and in shelters, he’s enjoying the peace and quiet of his new Fremont home.

Ismael Rivera, a former homeless resident, looks at the view from his balcony at Fremont Family Apartments in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

On Thursday, Fremont Family Apartments — operated by Fremont’s homeless housing provider, Abode Services — celebrated its grand opening, with 54 affordable units at 34320 Fremont Blvd. The affordable housing complex is part of some 560 affordable homes Fremont plans to open this year. Four other developments — Bell Street Gardens, Osgood North, Osgood South and Serra Apartments — have finished leasing and are expected to open this spring or summer. Bell Street Gardens will have 126 units, Osgood North 111 units, Osgood South 99 units and Serra Apartments 178 units.

At Thursday’s grand opening ceremony, Abode CEO Vivian Wan challenged local political leaders in attendance to continue prioritizing resources toward affordable housing projects. The Fremont Family Apartments are part of a legacy of the late former pastor Diane Barnett of Community of Christ Church, who partnered in 2017 with Abode, the city and Alameda County to turn the church’s formerly vacant lot into the new development.

“This is a drop in the bucket, and we need more,” Wan said. “We need to double down, triple down — we need more housing.”

The push for cheaper units comes as the city is locked in a legal battle over its recently proposed camping ban. Homeless advocates are suing the city over the ban, which is one of the strictest in the state, arguing over a clause that was recently removed from the ban that could have punished someone for “aiding and abetting” a homeless encampment. For now, the city has paused enforcement of the ban. Last fall, the Fremont City Council passed a RV camping band, which requires large trucks and other “oversized” vehicles, such as RVs, move at least 1,000 feet within 24 hours. The ban also limits parking on city streets in residential and commercial areas to just 72-hours.

Rivera knows the struggle of living out of a van. He did so with his brother and his brother’s family until they could find shelter housing, sometimes feigning drug and alcohol abuse to find placement in a substance abuse recovery shelter, he said.

“You basically had to lie about it, or you’re not getting in,” Rivera said. “We told them we had been using drugs and alcohol for a long time and wanted to get clean, so they got us in there.”

He bounced between recovery shelters, never finding a permanent place to live until last year when he found placement at Fremont’s Housing Navigation Center, which opened in 2020 and has 233 beds. From there, he discovered Abode Services. He attended counseling sessions, stayed at the center for eight months and then moved into affordable housing at the Fremont Family Apartments on Oct. 16, 2024.

Ismael Rivera’s kitchen at Fremont Family Apartments in Fremont, Calif., on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

The new apartments have also offered resident Siebie Steel a new chance at life. Steel, 41, had been living for the past several years on the street of Oakland, after surviving a shooting that left his legs paralyzed.

“I’m not going to take it for granted,” said Steel, who moved into the complex last October. “This is the best time of my life in five years.”

Since moving in, Rivera says he has held on tightly to his key, almost in disbelief, since the day he moved in. His new apartment, for which he pays $550 a month, is fully furnished, with a couch, bed, table and chairs and brand new appliances. Rivera’s balcony overlooks nearby businesses with a view of the grassy hills beyond Fremont’s Niles district.

“When you’re homeless and you end up like this, it’s heaven to me,” Rivera said. “I’m really happy. It’s so quiet and it’s very clean. It’s been a blessing for sure.”