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St John's Commons
at the Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist, Aptos Join us in building a brighter future! 
How You Can Help
DonateYour tax-deductible donation directly supports the construction and operation of St. John’s Commons.
A New Model for Affordable Housing Mission St. John’s Commons is a limited liability company with the sole purpose of building affordable housing targeted for seniors and single people with children coming out of homelessness on property owned by St. John’s Episcopal Church in Aptos (St. John’s). The partnership to build this housing includes the church, People’s Housing (a low-income development company) and passive investors. Financial support for and supervision of the project is being provided by New Way Homes. Vision: Redefining housing to fit the times The number of homeless Californians is the largest in the nation and continues to grow; its unsheltered numbers are near 80%; housing costs have doubled in 10 years driven by the cost of materials, over-regulation and land. St John’s Commons is an attempt to lean into new trends that can bring these costs down and build housing for our unhoused neighbors many can afford without government rent subsidies. Make it easier to build St. John’s and People’s Housing were greatly encouraged by the passage of SB4 that allows faith communities to develop affordable housing on their properties as a matter of right, cutting through the local zoning process and considerably reducing the time to shovel-ready status. Make it smaller Average studio apartments are 400-600 sq. ft. Our 6 studios will be 300, our 1-bedrooms 400. Yet, they are efficiently designed with full bathroom and kitchenette. Make it cheaper You don’t build a car in your driveway, why a home? In partnership with Masaya Homes (masayahomes.com), pre-fabricated bungalows will be arranged around a courtyard on land donated by St. John’s Church. This slashes construction costs in half. Make it sustainable Masaya’s homes’ wood is sustainably harvested from teak plantations in Nicaragua in accordance labor laws consistent with Sandinista socialist principles. Teak is ideally suited for Santa Cruz, being highly water resistant and unpalatable to termites, and these units are really beautiful. |
 Masaya’s Homes’ wood is
sustainably harvested from teak
plantations in Nicaragua. Teak
is ideally suited for Santa Cruz,
being highly water resistant and
unpalatable to termites, and
these units are really beautiful!
At present:
We have raised, as of Feb 2026, $710,000 in donations, investments and in-kind contributions. We need to raise $600,000 more to be able to break ground on this project, which we expect to do within the year. How you can help For the project to happen, it needs support from people who value what we are trying to do and how we are doing it. This is a chance to play an important role in an innovative solution to homelessness and the housing crisis. Donors Donations are most appreciated as they contribute to the viability of the project without financial return. Donations are tax deductible and a good place to funnel minimum withdrawal required of IRA’s and 401’s. Our Vision for the Future St. John’s Commons is not just an affordable housing project; it’s a movement to rethink how we address housing affordability. Our innovative model, spearheaded by People’s Housing, demonstrates that communities can mobilize local resources and partnerships to create lasting solutions without the delays and constraints of traditional funding. By investing in St. John’s Commons, you’re not only helping to provide a home for someone in need, you’re supporting a scalable blueprint that can be used to solve the housing crisis across California and beyond. For more information or to get involved, please contact us at [email protected] |
More on mission
Those coming out of homeless don’t always succeed. Years of living outside saps people of hope, and the constant stress and threat of theft or attack cause deep trauma. They lose whatever social network they had, become isolated and they go back to the life they at least knew. St. John’s Commons will be an intentional community formed through activities and classes from members of St. John’s, shared meals at the church, chores at St. John’s, and casework from Associated Faith Communities or People First. A community like this greatly increases quality of life and success toward employment. All units will be ADA compliant and are within one half mile of a bus stop, groceries, banks, a donut shop and a hardware store, and less than two miles of Cabrillo College.
Those coming out of homeless don’t always succeed. Years of living outside saps people of hope, and the constant stress and threat of theft or attack cause deep trauma. They lose whatever social network they had, become isolated and they go back to the life they at least knew. St. John’s Commons will be an intentional community formed through activities and classes from members of St. John’s, shared meals at the church, chores at St. John’s, and casework from Associated Faith Communities or People First. A community like this greatly increases quality of life and success toward employment. All units will be ADA compliant and are within one half mile of a bus stop, groceries, banks, a donut shop and a hardware store, and less than two miles of Cabrillo College.
About Investors
Investors who wish to invest $10,000 or more and have significant assets beyond their personal home may invest with New Way Homes, a multibillion-dollar non-profit developer of affordable housing projects in Oakland and Santa Cruz. Along with reduced risk, this type of investment has a smaller, but still significant, guaranteed return, distinct from the project’s annual operating performance. Funds dedicated to St. John’s Commons will pass through New Way Homes to our project. Please find out more about New Way Homes and their offering at newwayhomes.org.
Really, you can invest in mutual funds and probably end up funding business doing things you don’t support or earn a reasonable rate of return and help house people deeply in need.
For those looking to make a direct financial impact, we offer opportunities to invest in this project as a passive partner. Investors receive a fixed annual return, currently set just below the prime rate, helping you support affordable housing while earning a reliable return.
Investors who wish to invest $10,000 or more and have significant assets beyond their personal home may invest with New Way Homes, a multibillion-dollar non-profit developer of affordable housing projects in Oakland and Santa Cruz. Along with reduced risk, this type of investment has a smaller, but still significant, guaranteed return, distinct from the project’s annual operating performance. Funds dedicated to St. John’s Commons will pass through New Way Homes to our project. Please find out more about New Way Homes and their offering at newwayhomes.org.
Really, you can invest in mutual funds and probably end up funding business doing things you don’t support or earn a reasonable rate of return and help house people deeply in need.
For those looking to make a direct financial impact, we offer opportunities to invest in this project as a passive partner. Investors receive a fixed annual return, currently set just below the prime rate, helping you support affordable housing while earning a reliable return.
- [email protected] for detailed investment opportunities.
