The Ivy Senior Apartments create 52 supportive studio apartment homes for seniors with chronic medical needs in San Diego who have experienced homelessness. Demonstrating a “Housing First” model — a proven model for reducing chronic homelessness — Ivy Senior Apartments create supportive housing in tandem with resident services and resources provided by PATH, St. Paul's PACE, and Alpha Project Home Finder. New homes are equipped with furniture, supplies, and appliances, and residents have access to health and wellness care, skill building, and advocacy resources.

Design and materiality are guided by trauma-informed strategies to support residents’ transition from past living situations to permanent, stable housing. Apartment units overlook an outdoor community courtyard at the heart of the facility, connecting residents to gathering spaces, a community garden, lounges, and multi-purpose space for trainings and classes. Establishing transparency and clarity in these spaces was essential to creating a welcoming and comfortable home environment. A dynamic façade features eight-foot glass windows and introduces daylighting into the courtyard and interior spaces. The design team conducted color research studies which guided the design’s color palette and signage, enhancing wayfinding and accessibility for individuals with color-blindness.

The facility operates as an all-electric facility, implements a high percentage of vegetation and native landscaping to establish bio-retention areas, and qualifies for Greenpoint Gold Certification. The design achieves an estimated 40 percent energy use reduction, 37 percent carbon reduction, and 27 percent lighting power density (LPD) reduction. Ivy Senior Apartments demonstrate that sustainable and cost-effective design can hold an important role in achieving funding and advancing organizational missions.