Toolkit for Developing and Operating Supportive Housing

Development and Finance:

Selecting and Securing the Project Site

Without a site, a supportive housing project can never advance beyond the concept phase into a feasible development proposal – but finding, acquiring, and getting approvals for an appropriate site can be among the biggest hurdles for supportive housing developers.  This section of the Toolkit includes tools designed to help organizations develop criteria for an appropriate site, secure control of a site, perform thorough due-diligence to ensure the site is feasible, and develop community support for the planned development at the site.

Tools for Selecting and Securing the Project Site:

Site Selection Criteria and Site Search Strategies:  This document includes critical information on establishing site selection criteria, considerations that need to be addressed within that criteria, and strategies for finding a site that fits the criteria.

Establishing Site Control:  This document describes the various forms “site control” (some form of right to acquire or lease a site) with which supportive housing developers need to familiar, as well as guidance for negotiating a purchase agreement. 

Physical Feasibility Checklist:  This worksheet identifies key factors in selecting a site (such as location, land use and zoning regulations and community relations) and lists the questions that need to be answered when considering each factor for specific sites that are being considered for development.

Sample Contract of Sale (New York)

Sample Purchase Agreement (California)

These two sample agreements are provided as examples of what might be included in a Purchase Contract, but contract language can vary greatly depending upon the location, the seller, and the lenders and attorneys involved.

Site Analysis for Supportive Housing Development: This document provides guidance regarding the key components of the site analysis to be performed during the due diligence period, including community acceptance processes, the appraisal, the zoning analysis, environmental analyses and other inspections, the relocation study (if applicable, and financial feasibility analyses.

Guide to Appraisal Reports:  This document provides a detailed description of how an appraisal is conducted, how to engage an appraiser’s services, and how to review and evaluate the results of an appraisal.

Thinking Beyond NIMBY: Building Community Support for Supportive Housing:  This is a chapter from CSH’s Family Matters publication on developing and operating family supportive housing and provides an analysis of the issues involved in addressing community concerns regarding the development of a supportive housing project.

 This tool is a step-by-step guide to systematically creating appropriate strategies for gaining community support for a supportive housing project.

Six Steps to Building Community Support:

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