Care Association is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started in 2017 with a goal to innovate care. We began in the technology field to alleviate economic burdens among lower- and middle-income Americans. Since then, we changed our focus to building affordable housing starting with the San Francisco Bay Area realizing that people’s lack of disposable income was a product of the high cost of housing. Nearly 12 million households in the United States are severely cost-burdened by the cost of rental housing, paying more than 50% of their income on housing costs, leaving little for basic expenses like food (Source). That is roughly 1 out of 4 renting household. Even more people live in less-desirable situations, traveling hours to go to work, or crowding housing units with multiple households.
Our new focus on housing development will take advantage of our experience in architecture, construction, and affordable housing advocacy. Construction of affordable units is taking too long no thanks to high costs and people fighting developments. We decided to use a different approach and begin pursing affordable housing development where we would likely be most successful as a young startup. We plan to pursue construction in Marin County where there is an interest in accessory dwelling units, and in Sonoma County where a recent provision is allowing the construction of tiny houses on foundations as affordable options. We hope to leverage the properties we develop to continue building in other counties, including San Francisco.
The Care Association Team
Kiai Kim, Founder and President
As an Urban Studies major at Vassar College, Kiai worked to bring innovative ideas to fight homelessness by writing a thesis titled, “Self-help Housing as a Strategy to House the Homeless.” Kiai has brought out-of-the-box thinking to years of experience in architectural and interior design, construction management, technical troubleshooting, marketing, publishing and content management. Kiai holds a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling, working with clients under the supervision of a clinical psychologist specializing in somatic quieting. She is dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to the nonprofit world to help as many as possible live affordably.
Bruce Wolfe, Treasurer
Bruce brings many years’ experience in nonprofit and is currently President of the San Francisco Community Land Trust. He also coordinates all administrative and Internet technology for Alcohol Justice and and oversees that organization’s networking, IT support, security, and web application services. He is also a professional audio engineer, stage manager, T’ai Chi instructor, and a Life Coach.
Bruce holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Social Development from San Francisco State University.
Julie Robino
Julie is a dedicated and results-oriented professional with an extensive background in residential design and development, as well as a proven track record of successful project management, community engagement, and financial analysis. With over three decades in private practice, she is contributing her expertise towards the creation of sustainable and affordable housing solutions that empower communities in need.
Robert Huibers
Robert brings 26 years of sales, management and appraisal experience in the Mortgage, Real Estate, and Insurance industries. He currently represents Movement Mortgage in Northern California as Branch Manager and is a renovation and construction financing specialist. Robert was also instrumental in establishing two non-profit Real Estate Associations in the last 12 years. With Robert’s extensive international background having resided in 6 countries, he has been able to appreciate the multicultural and multiethnic communities and has created numerous programs and educational workshops to address the most relevant and timely issues. Robert continues to serve on several nonprofit boards and committees, is dedicated to the affordable housing space, while recently advocating for Accessory Dwelling Units and other affordable housing options.
Other leadership and nonprofit activities include involvement with: National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates, National Leadership Council (nhora.org), Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County (HLCSMC.org), National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (nahrep.org), San Mateo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SMHCC.org), Casita Coalition. Robert is also co-founder of the ADU Council, board member of CARE CLT, LLC, and has ADU Expert designation from Earth Advantage.
Garrett Pohlman
Andrew Becker
Volunteers
Care Association is 100% volunteers. We have between 5-10 active volunteers most of the time with additional people who help with outreach efforts.
The organization’s tax documents may be viewed here.