A longtime affordable housing organization is preparing for its next chapter.
PH Development Group is the new name for PEP Housing, a Northern California nonprofit that has been developing and operating affordable housing for 48 years. The new name honors the organization’s history—reflecting its longtime identity as PEP Housing and its original name, Petaluma Ecumenical Properties—while emphasizing its evolution and positioning it for the future, says president and CEO Jennifer Litwak.
The nonprofit has an overall portfolio of more than 1,000 units in 24 developments, much of which is in the northern counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. While new development is part of its work, a large percentage is also concentrated on preserving existing affordable housing.
PH Development Group has also announced several leadership moves to strengthen the organization.
Karen Shimizu has joined as special projects manager, asset management and portfolio strategy. She previously served as housing manager and assistant director of community development for the city of Petaluma.
In addition, Stacy Walton has been elevated to vice president of property management, a newly created position, after serving as director of special projects. Katira Bertling has been promoted to chief operating officer after serving as director of human resources and organizational development.
The changes aim to help the nonprofit fulfill its mission.
“We intend to meet communities where they’re at to build what they need for their communities, with a deep, deep commitment to extremely affordable projects,” Litwak tells Affordable Housing Finance. “We also want to preserve what they cannot afford to lose. We look at ourselves at the intersection of both developing ground-up construction and stepping in and making sure that we can preserve the affordable housing stock that the community and the state have already invested in. We also want to ensure our growth results in lasting resident and community stability.”
PH Development Group recently completed a $30 million renovation of Vigil Light Senior Apartments, a 49-unit development in Santa Rosa. The organization acquired the property in 2021, recapitalized and rehabilitated it, and preserved it as affordable housing for the long term.
“For us, it’s an iconic project of the type of renovation that we can take developments through,” Litwak says. “To see the outcome and know the sense of relief that the residents feel that this will continue to operate as affordable housing for the foreseeable future is really meaningful for us as an organization.”
The preservation of Vigil Light helps maintain important housing options in Santa Rosa, a community that was devastated by wildfires in 2017.
PH Development Group also plans to continue to work on a robust pipeline of projects, notes Litwak.
“As a legacy organization, we are incredibly committed to resident stability and our ability to be long-term stewards of these assets,” she says. “Through our rebrand, we are excited about what this will mean in terms of us growing both strategically and in collaboration with cities and communities so they can meet their affordable housing goals.”