Creating. Transforming. Advancing.

At Abode Communities, our mission is to open new doors in people’s lives through creative and responsible design, development and operation of service-enhanced affordable housing.

Since 1968, when we were founded as the Los Angeles Community Design Center, Abode Communities has found success through the strength of our fully integrated, multidisciplinary approach. Every project receives the benefit of the experience and cooperation of our core groups: Development, Architecture, Housing Services and Resident Services.

Abode Communities’ specific strength is building sustainable, multi-family affordable housing to address the needs of Southern California's large workforce, low-income families, seniors and individuals with special needs. Currently, we own 34 properties throughout our region that are home to more than 4,000 residents.

Beyond bricks and mortar, Abode Communities is committed to the individual success of each of our residents. We build child care centers, community centers and computer labs into our facilities, and provide an enriching Resident Services Program.

Our work encourages participation and leadership in our communities, enhances children’s academic achievement and self-esteem, and helps adults to become confident and educated contributors to their community.

MISSION

Our mission is to open new doors in people's lives through creative and responsible design, development, and operation of service-enhanced affordable housing.

VALUES

Who we are: People
We value our employees as well as their skills and dedication and strive to promote creativity, professional growth and responsibility in a productive and sustainable work environment.

Who we serve: Families
We value our residents and learn from their diversity and shared experiences to enhance the design, development and operation of communities that promote personal growth, family stability, and community pride.

What we do: Housing
We value quality and leadership in the design and development of affordable housing that incorporates environmental sustainability, cost efficiency, durability and livability and will advocate for such standards within our industry.

What we achieve: Great Neighborhoods
We value projects that transform and revitalize neighborhoods and will be a catalyst for progressive and positive physical, social and economic change.

Robin Hughes, President and Chief Executive OfficerBuilding a better life and pursuing opportunity begins with having a place to live. Robin Hughes, President and Chief Executive Officer, has built Abode Communities into one of the top 50 developers of affordable housing nationwide and the premier affordable housing provider in Los Angeles.

For the last 14 years, she has guided the nonprofit through a period of incredible change and expansion shepherding the development of 25 properties, creating more than 1,400 new affordable homes, providing a social safety net through a substantive Resident Services Program and leading the industry in innovation and sustainable building practices. Prior to rejoining Abode Communities in January 1996, Robin served as its Housing Director between 1990 and 1994. Previously she held positions in the private and public sectors with The Richman Group of Companies, Citibank, the Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles, and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.

Robin completed her four-year term as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Los Angels in September 2009. She served as Co-Chair of the City’s Housing Element Task Force where she helped make the most critical decisions about the supply and affordability of housing in Los Angeles. Also in 2009, Robin was named Chairperson of the Affordable Housing Advisory Council of The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco and a member of the JPMorgan Chase Community Advisory Board for Los Angeles.

Robin received her Master and Bachelor degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a certification from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Program Achieving Excellence in Community Development.

Rick Saperstein, Chief Financial Officer

Rick Saperstein is the Chief Financial Officer of Abode Communities and directs the Finance & Accounting and Asset Management departments. In this capacity, Mr. Saperstein is heavily involved in financial management, risk management and asset management for the organization and is also responsible for overseeing the portfolio in order to ensure achievement of financing performance goals and regulatory compliance, financial and tax reporting and budgeting.

Mr. Saperstein has more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance within the real estate industry. Prior to joining Abode Communities, he was a Director of Accounting with Forest City Enterprise, Inc., an NYSE-listed real estate company with a large portfolio of mixed-income affordbale housing and mixed-use developments. In this capacity, he was responsible for internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, cash flow reporting and supervision of the accounting department. Mr. Saperstein also served as a Chief Financial Officer, Controller and Certified Public Accountant for various small and medium size companies, with a concentration in the real estate industry. As such he brings extensive knowledge and experience in real estate finance and accounting, software conversion and management and internal controls and system design.

Mr. Saperstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Northridge and is a Certified Public Accountant.

James Dixon, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President, Director of Architecture

With 26 years of experience as an architect, planner, designer, project manager and project director for a variety of project types, Jim is knowledgeable in all aspects of project development from conceptual design through construction administration. At Abode Communities, Jim oversees design and production, provides project and technical oversight, manages client relations, mentors staff, cultivates business opportunities, engages in external relations and manages all administrative and business aspects of the Architectural Group, which ranges in size from 8 to 12 professional architects and designers.

Jim comes to Abode Communities from Nadel Architects, Inc. in Los Angeles where he worked for ten years, most recently as a Vice President overseeing projects such as market-rate and affordable housing, mixed-use, live-work, transit oriented and rehabilitation. Prior to his position at Nadel Architects, Jim was senior associate at both Carde Ten Architects in Santa Monica and Togawa and Smith Architects in Pasadena.

He has made multi-family residential developments the focus of his career, and has completed more than 4,000 housing units encompassing new and renovated affordable housing, market-rate residential housing, hotels, mixed-use centers, assisted living facilities and community centers.

Jim received his Bachelor of Architecture (BARCH) from the University of Southern California..

Holly Benson, Housing DirectorMs. Benson serves as the Housing Director of Abode Communities and, as such, is responsible for the development and financial packaging of its affordable housing projects, and for the training and supervision of the project management staff. She is instrumental in the identification of funding sources and negotiation of investment terms, the selection and management of development contracts, and the syndication of low-income housing tax credit projects. In addition, she works to ensure neighborhood participation in Abode Communities’ developments by consulting with local community groups and government entities about the composition and structure of affordable housing programs.

Ms. Benson has more than 10 years of experience in affordable housing. Most recently she served as Abode Communities’ Senior Project Manager overseeing the development of more than 100 affordable housing units. Prior to joining Abode Communities, Ms. Benson worked for Mercy Housing California. While there, she managed the development of more than 350 affordable housing units and secured an estimated $45 million in loans, grants and equity from both private and public sources. Ms. Benson also worked for the County of Orange Housing and Community Development Department where she was responsible for underwriting and making recommendations for loans to affordable housing developments as well as shaping the County’s community development policies. Ms. Benson is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Kennedy Commission.

Ms. Benson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Richard Bradley, Director of Housing ServicesRichard Bradley is the Director of Property Management for Abode Communities and oversees a portfolio of more than 30 affordable housing properties. With 25 years of property management experience, Mr. Bradley began as a site manager in California working for Infinity Management and then as a Regional Manager in Washington, D.C. for Housing Resources Management, overseeing some of the most troubled Section 8 properties in the U.S.

In 1987 he returned to California to work in Commercial Property Management for Grubb & Ellis, Goldrich and Kest and Gateway Property Management in San Francisco where he was Vice President before returning to the East Coast for nine years. While there he held positions with organizations such as Community Management, Inc., Triangle Communities and Palms Associates.

Mr. Bradley holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama.

Abode Community Housing

Abode Community Housing is the nonprofit, community housing development organization (CHDO) affiliate of Abode Communities.

Incorporated in May 1996, Abode Community Housing was established to help further Abode Communities’ mission to develop affordable housing for low-income residents in the greater Los Angeles area, and to carry out other socially beneficial projects that support community and economic development in disadvantaged communities.

Community Housing currently owns seven affordable housing developments serving very low- and low-income families.

Figueroa Corridor Land Company

The Figueroa Corridor Community Land Trust and Figueroa Corridor Land Company are complementary tools and crucial elements of a broad-based community economic development strategy to combat the collision course between slum housing, gentrification, and displacement of low-income residents in the Figueroa Corridor of South Los Angeles.

Working in tandem with the Land Trust is the Figueroa Corridor Land Company, housed within Abode Communities. The Land Company has been established as a vehicle for purchasing, holding and entitling Land Trust properties.

With grant and loan funds raised from local, state and national foundations and lending institutions, the Land Company will purchase as many properties as possible in the short-term to avert further price escalation and displacement of residents. Target properties will include dilapidated apartment buildings, vacant lots and underutilized residential, commercial and industrial properties.

Abode Communities
701 East 3rd Street, Suite 400
Los Angeles, California 90013
213-629-2702
info@abodecommunities.org

Glenn Sanada, Chair Mr. Sanada is a Senior Program Manager with the California Community Economic Development Association. Mr. Sanada has over twenty-five years of experience in the Housing and Economic Development field in Los Angeles. His Community activities include membership in the Los Angeles Community Development Department, Industrial and Commercial Development Division’s Loan Committee, participation as the Mayor’s representative on the City of Los Angeles Linked Banking Oversight Committee, previous participation of the Local Initiative Support Corporation’s LA Advisory Board. Mr. Sanada also served on the Southern California Association for Non Profit Housing Board of Directors for six years and as Chair of the organization’s annual conference for four years.

Sarah Garland, Secretary Ms. Garland is the National Director of Multifamily Affordable Housing for Fannie Mae located in Pasadena, California. Ms. Garland is responsible for the management of the Fannie Mae Forward Commitment Program for Affordable Housing. Additionally, she manages product development and marketing for the Multifamily Affordable Housing Channel within Fannie Mae. Prior to joining Fannie Mae in 2000, Ms. Garland was a Vice President at Wells Fargo Bank’s Community Lending Division in Los Angeles, California.

Carl Ballton Mr. Ballton serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Union Bank Foundation. In addition, he serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Crystal Stairs, Inc., is a member of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of Southern California, and serves on the Alumni Board of Governors of Occidental College. Mr. Ballton also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Association of Philanthropy, and is a member of the Corporate Advisory Boards of both the United Negro College Fund in Los Angeles and the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.

Alice Carr Ms. Carr is currently the Field Market Director of California for Citibank Community Development. Prior to becoming the director, she served as a loan officer with Citibank and California Federal Bank’s Multifamily Affordable Housing Group. Her other affordable housing experience includes working at the Low Income Investment Fund in San Francisco. Alice completed her undergraduate degree at Occidental College and subsequently earned an M.A from the University of California, Los Angeles in Urban Planning, with a concentration in housing and community development.

John R. Dale, FAIA Mr. Dale is the Associate Principal and Studio Designer for the K-12 studio of Fields Devereaux Architects and Engineers. His educational projects have been honored with numerous awards at the national, state and local levels. An experienced communicator, John Dale has lectured and taught at MIT, UCLA, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and participated symposia, design reviews and competition juries. He is currently teaching a Topic Studio at USC’s School of Architecture where he is a regular instructor. His articles and projects have appeared in books and monographs as well as journals, including: LA Architect, Spazio e Societa/Space and Society Magazine, Architectural Record, and the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design Newsletter.

Sandra Kulli Ms. Kulli has worked with over 100 companies on 223 communities with a sales volume exceeding $6 billion throughout the United States and in Japan, New Zealand, England and Dubai. Kulli Marketing consults with residential builders and mixed-use developers on marketing strategy, from high concept to urban infill. Ms. Kulli typically leads outside marketing resources in concert with builder/developers’ staff. She has lead many charette sessions, including Boeing’s Long Beach transformation and ones for Starwood Capital’s Mammoth Mountain, Park Fifth’s high-rise in LA and Farallon’s Orinda community, near San Francisco.

Besides many residential communities, her large mixed-use projects include work on Playa Vista in Los Angeles and The Pinehills in Plymouth, Mass., which won the Rural Smart Growth Community of the Year for 2006. Her urban infill works includes Park Fifth, W Hotel and Residences in Hollywood, The Beverly Hilton, and NBC-Universal’s Back Lot. Ms. Kulli is a graduate of Wellesley College and holds a Master’s degree from Boston University.

Antonio Manning Antonio Manning is Regional Manager for the West and Southwest Regions for JPMorgan Chase Global Philanthropy Group. In this role, Mr. Manning manages philanthropic and community relations for a 10-state region. Previously, he served as First Vice President and Regional Grants Manager in Washington Mutual’s Community and External Affairs Division. In this capacity, he managed community relations and company corporate contributions in affordable housing, community development and educational reform initiatives for California.Mr. Manning joined Washington Mutual in 2000. Prior to this, he served as the Western Regional Director of the Fannie Mae Foundation for an 11-state region.

An active member of the community, Mr. Manning is a founding member of African-Americans in Philanthropy, Southern California, a membership organization comprised of corporate and philanthropic executives. He currently serves as commissioner for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and is an advisory board member of the Blazers Youth Service Organization. Mr. Manning’s other board of director affiliations include American Sunrise, Enterprise Homeownership Partners, and the Los Angeles Business Council.

Manning attended the University of Southern California and is a native of Los Angeles.

Fernando Villa Fernando Villa joined Pircher, Nichols & Meeks in 2007 as a partner in the firm’s real estate department. His practice focuses on land use, environmental law, local government matters and real estate dispute resolution. Mr. Villa represents clients in land use entitlement, California Environmental Quality Act and local government law matters involving a broad scope of entitlements for a variety of development projects, including mixed-use, industrial, residential, retail, master-planned and commercial developments.

Concentrating much of his practice on Brownfield development projects, Mr. Villa combines his environmental, land use, real estate, public agency law and litigation expertise to entitle his clients’ development projects and help them manage environmental risks, while also handling a variety of real estate and related commercial disputes.

In 1984, Mr. Villa received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt School of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree from University of California at Los Angeles in 1980, graduating magna cum laude.

We currently have the following open position:

Director of Human Resources and Administration

What we achieve: Great neighborhoods

We value projects that transform and revitalize neighborhoods and will be a catalyst for progressive and positive physical, social and economic change.

Neighborhood Impact

The communities in which we work have usually experienced tremendous disinvestment. As we focus on place-based changes through affordable housing and supportive resources, we have witnessed how investment in neighborhoods, is a catalyst for stronger communities.

Many of those struggling to make ends meet live in neighborhoods with lack of adequate housing and community resources, and are among the hardworking individuals many of us rely on each day – janitors, child care providers, bank tellers, nurses’ aides, security guards, retail clerks, truck drivers and teachers. The average incomes for these, and far too many other workers, are simply not enough to pay the rent on most apartment units in our urban areas. It is even more difficult for working parents to make ends meet, as the cost of child care is an additional, and expensive, burden.

Through comprehensive revitalization and placemaking, Abode Communities transforms entire neighborhoods and provides safe and stable homes for families. Building a better life and pursuing opportunity begins with having a place to live, and for more than four decades, Abode Communities has provided thousands of families with affordable homes.

July 30, 2010
California Construction Highlights Our LEED Platinum Certification

June 3, 2010
Five Developments Making Eco-Friendly Living Affordable

June 15, 2010
Casa Dominguez Hits Globe Street

April 10, 2010
The Los Angeles Times Features Our Newest Affordable Community, Casa Dominguez

March 10, 2010
Read about our newest affordable community, Casa Dominguez, on The Green Architecture and Building Report (GAB Report)

September 18, 2009
Tavis Smiley Interviews Holly Benson, Housing Director for Abode Communities

September 16, 2009
California Community Foundation Honors Abode Communities with Unsung Heroes Award

July 22, 2009
Robin Hughes, President of Abode Communities, Discusses State Budget Threat to Affordable Housing

July 1, 2009
New and traditional financing options help deliver much needed affordable homes

April 1, 2009
Abode Communities Named One of the Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers in the Nation

American Planning Association
Planning Implementation Award
Lohart Neighborhood
Revitalization Plan, 1999

Social Change and Diversity Award
New Dana Strand, 2008

California Council of the American Institute of Architects
Community Housing and Assistance Honor Award 1995, 1996

California Preservation Foundation
Design Award
Mary Andrews Clark Residence, 1995

Design Award
Young Apartments, 1996

California Redevelopment Association
Award for Excellence in Multi-family Housing
Las Brisas Community Housing, Phase I, 2006
Award for Excellence in Multi-family Housing
Grisham Community Housing, 2005
Award for Excellence in Multi-family Housing
Orange Grove Gardens, 2007

City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission Historic Preservation Award of Excellence Mary Andrews Clark Residence, 1996

City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission
Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Volunteer Service, 1979

Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Housing Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award, 1994
Best Practices Award, Community Planning and Development
Lohart Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, 1999

Great Western Financial Corporation
Leslie N. Shaw, Sr. Memorial Award, 1988

Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Founder’s Award, 1989

Senior Housing Council of the Building Industry Association of Southern
California
SAGE Merit Award Winner - Project of the Year
Heritage Court Apartments, 2001

Los Angeles Business Council
Beautification Award for Remodeled Multi-family Residence
Hollywood El Centro, 1996
Beautification Award for Remodeled Multi-family Residence
Mary Andrews Clark Residence, 1995
Beautification Award for Historic Preservation
Young Apartments, 1996

Gold Nugget “Best in the West”
Award of Merit
Mary Andrews Clark Residence, 1995
City of Los Angeles Community Development Department
Award of Excellence in Community Development Block Grant Programs, 1997

Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing
Project of the Year, Orange Grove Gardens, 2006
Project of the Year, Heritage Court Apartments, 2001
Developer of the Year, 1996
Project of the Year, Hollywood El Centro, 1995
Project of the Year, Young Apartments, 1995
Project of the Year, Orange Grove Gardens 2006
Project of the Year, Hart Village 2008

Listen to Tim Kohut, Vice President of Architecture for Abode Communities, Discuss Local Government Climate Planning Direct From UCLA

Union Bank 2009 Green Housing Conference

In these difficult times, your contributions mean so much more.

Abode Resident Services must now fill an even greater void for families who have experienced jobs loss, have limited access to support services, or may be on the verge of homelessness.

Your donation can support on-site services that make HOPE a reality for the families who call Abode Communities' developments HOME.

Click:
donate now

Call:
213-225-2730

Mail:
Abode Communities
701 East 3rd Street, Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Your contribution is tax deductible as permitted by law; tax identification number 95-6377511. Please make checks payable to Abode Communities. Call 213-225-2730 with any questions.

• Corporate Contributors
  • Bank of America
  • Broadway Federal
  • Citigroup Foundation
  • City National Bank
  • Countrywide Bank
  • FannieMae
  • Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
  • Forest City Residential West, Inc.
  • Union Bank Foundation
  • US Bank
  • Wells Fargo Foundation
  • Wachovia Foundation
  • Washington Mutual
• Benefactors
  • The Annenberg Foundation
  • California Community Foundation
  • City of Los Angeles
  • City of Long Beach
  • James Irvine Foundation
  • Neighborhood Action Program of City of Los Angeles
  • Pasadena Community Foundation
  • The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
  • Rose Hills Foundation
  • S. Mark Taper Foundation
  • Weingart Foundation
• Business Partners
  • Education for Youth
  • Alpha Construction Co.
  • Binney, Chase & Van Horne
  • Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP
  • California Housing Partnership
  • California Community Development Economic Association
  • City of Signal Hill
  • Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.
  • Goldstein Planting Partners, LLC
  • Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt, LLP
  • Landamerica Commercial Services
  • The Related Companies of California
  • Employment Readiness for Adults
  • California Housing Partnership Corporation
  • Child Development Consortium of Los Angeles
  • Community Economics
  • Craig Lawson & Co. LLC
  • J.H. Snyder Company
  • Land America Commercial Services
  • Levin and Associates, Architects
  • Little Tokyo Community Development Corporation
  • Morley Builders
  • PNC ARCS
  • Portrait Homes, Inc.
  • Silber Architects
  • Independent Living for Seniors
  • Adco Services
  • B&E Engineers
  • Brackenhoff Management Group
  • Brown/Meshul, Inc.
  • Carl Warren & Co.
  • Coory Engineering
  • CRA/LA
  • EMAAR
  • Geocon Group, Inc.
  • Goodwill Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County
  • Guidance Church
  • Historic Resources Group
  • Housing Authority of Los Angeles
  • Irvine Housing Opportunities
  • John Stewart Company
  • Kennedy Commission
  • Levitt & Rosenblum
  • Moss Associates
  • Mercy Housing
  • Overland, Pacific & Cutler, Inc.
  • Portrait Homes
  • Ruiz Construction
  • Ryon Associates
  • SRO Housing Corporation
  • Super Delivery Service
  • The Children’s Collective, Inc.
  • We Are Family

• Individual Contributions
  • Mark Brown
  • Alice Carr
  • Theodore Chandler
  • John R. Dale, FAIA, LEED AP
  • Helen Dunlap
  • Maria Joyce Maynard
  • Mary Duron
  • Matthew Haas
  • Vickie Hunt
  • Sandra Kulli
  • Kenneth Krug, Esq.
  • Brenda Levin
  • Joel Rubezahl
  • Glen Sanada
  • Carey Tolbert
  • Allyne Winderman and Glenn Wasserman
  • Bill Watanabe
  • Mark Winogrond
  • Pat Wong
  • The Yeko Family
• Alumni Fund
  • Joel Addante
  • Amy Anderson
  • Ali Barar, AIA
  • Jim Bonar
  • Robert Cox
  • Scott Darrell
  • Ena Dubnoff
  • Gil Freitag
  • Lynn Hansen
  • Bill Huang
  • Michael Keeley
  • Stephanie Klasky-Gamer
  • Phyllis Klein
  • Leslie Lambert
  • Katherine Mary Lamont
  • Anita Landecker
  • Jennifer LeSar
  • Sarah Letts
  • Nancy Lewis
  • Rochelle Mills
  • Andrea Osgood
  • Carlos Ovalle ,LEED AP
  • Daniel Prosser
  • Beth Quirarte
  • John Silber AIA
  • Gary Squier
  • Ann Sewill
  • Kassandra Thomas
  • Deborah Torres
• College Scholarship Fund
  • Anonymous
  • Bocarsly Emden Cowan Esmail & Arndt LLP
  • Caroline and Mark Kuperstock
  • Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
  • Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
  • Tripanei, Hardwick
  • Willie J. & Georgia C. Armster Foundation