Strategic Plan | 2026 - 2030 Building the Future of Disability-Forward Housing
The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030) The Kelsey advances disability- forward housing solutions that open doors to homes and opportunities for everyone. We are a committed team of people with and without disabilities, combining our expertise and lived experiences to advance impact in communities. Together with our growing network of partners, we are establishing a scalable model for disability-inclusive, affordable housing across the U.S. and leading the advocacy that makes those communities possible. We center the perspectives of people with disabilities to foster inclusive communities and inform better housing policies, design standards, development strategies, and resident services.
The Kelsey was founded on a core belief: when the housing needs of disabled people are no longer overlooked, communities become stronger, more inclusive, and better for everyone. By centering those most often left out of housing solutions, we are building a new model for what home and community can be. Today, that belief is becoming a national movement—creating homes, strengthening the field, and advancing policy change alongside advocates, disability organizations, families, housing providers, and municipalities across the country. This strategic plan marks our next chapter. The need for disability-forward housing has never been more urgent, and this is the moment to scale what works. Over the next five years, we will develop or catalyze more than 25,000 disability-forward homes—building alongside partners, equipping others to build, and changing the policies that shape what is possible. This plan describes how we will get there: by integrating development, technical assistance, policy, and advocacy; by going deep in key regions; and by launching The Kelsey Fund to power sustainable growth. We are grateful to everyone who shaped this plan—and we invite you to build this future with us. In community, The Kelsey Team A Letter From The Kelsey Team 2
5Mof them use Medicaid Home and Community Based Services services or are on waitlists; their right to live in the community while receiving those services is mandated but the housing options don’t exist 3.2Mor more Americans have unmet housing needs— currently living in a family home, large congregate setting, or unhoused/housing insecure— and cannot afford housing in any US housing market 70Mpeople with disabilities in the United States including mobility, cognition, support and health needs, hearing, and vision The Problem Addressing the Problem The Kelsey advances a dual strategy: developing inclusive, affordable, accessible housing that meets immediate needs while demonstrating what high-quality, disability- forward communities can achieve. Build Communities: Meet immediate housing needs, pilot new models, demonstrate what works. Change Systems Advance policy change, decrease barriers to inclusive housing, open-source strategies. The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030)
Completed 227 units of housing and with over 76 units in development with additional projects in the pipeline regionally and nationally. $7.2M in philanthropic project capital has been leveraged to enable this $190M pipeline. More than 400 residents now live in inclusive, accessible, affordable housing. 2018-2025 Since our founding in March 2018, The Kelsey has expanded our impact through housing developed and in development, residents housed, advocates engaged, policies supported, standards disseminated, and organizations assisted. We have grown from a grassroots community with a vision for inclusive housing to a nationally recognized leader in delivering, supporting, and advocating for disability-forward housing. Across 12 states, 19 clients have been supported through technical assistance projects, including local nonprofits, state and local governments, housing organizations, and community advocates. More than 3,000 advocates have supported policy-change initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels, including 811 preservation and reforms, federal accessibility legislation, and QAP advocacy. The Inclusive Design Standards, released in 2021, have been adopted by 23 architecture firms and incorporated into 7 projects. Our team of 21 includes staff across the country; 58% identify as people with disabilities. 4
The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030) The Kelsey is at a key moment in its history. Having demonstrated that we can successfully develop and operate disability-forward housing in multiple locations, we are emboldened to take our vision and playbook to another level.
Our challenge at this moment in time is to grow boldly and strategically. Because we recognize that the immediate need for disability- forward housing is so intense in our communities, we are more focused than ever on scaling our work to meet this challenge. That is why we have set ourselves an audacious goal: to develop or catalyze the development of over 25,000 disability-forward homes in 5 years. To achieve this goal, we are leaning into our vision of integrating development, technical assistance, policy work, and advocacy. We believe that this integration is the best way to grow the base of people and organizations working on disability-forward housing in this moment. To take full advantage of this integration, we will be focusing our work in several key regions of the country to magnify our impact on policy and field building. As we grow, we have also taken a hard look at our organizational and financial models in order to scale our work over time and more communities. In 2027, we will be launching The Kelsey Fund, a revolving real estate loan fund that will enable us to grow in a more sustainable manner. This will also enable us to partner with philanthropy to support growth in other areas of our work like advocacy and technical assistance. 25,000 Homes By 2030 6
By 2030, The Kelsey will catalyze the development of over 25,000 disability-forward homes by advancing five strategic initiatives: Create Housing Assist Housing Enable Housing Support Residents Accelerate Housing The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030)
Create Housing Co-developing affordable, accessible, inclusive homes. • Build in multiple geographies, demonstrating the model and spreading what works • Select development partners for their local expertise— and their capacity and interest in replicating the model • Bring disability-forward expertise to every project, including Inclusive Design Standards, resident services models, and deep knowledge of disability-specific funding and operations strategies • Test and demonstrate new financing, design, and services strategies • Pair development with policy work and technical assistance in the same region Geographic Impact Focus Regions: Markets which there is an existing development pipeline, aligned regional priorities. Strategic Priorities: Markets targeted based on aligned strategic priorities. Local Champions: Markets entered with the support of a major anchor funder. Prospective Pipleline Build 700 disability-forward homes. Existing Pipeline 8
Geographic Impact • Engage partners at every stage, from early-stage organizations to established state agencies • Scale strategies defined through our housing pipeline while also piloting and researching new approaches • Support both direct housing development efforts and systems-change projects • Pair technical assistance with policy work in the same region • Provide open-source content, field resources, and convenings to advance the disability-forward housing field Assist the creation of 8,500 disability-forward homes. Assist Housing Delivering technical assistance and field resources. The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030) National and focus areas aligned to development and advocacy priorities. Current and Past Technical Assistance Communites in Exploration
Geographic Impact State: Advance regulatory and legislative reforms. Local: Align with development and technical assistance markets to support housing production. Federal: Resource and mobilize advocates and cross-sector coalitions. • At the federal level, we will advance regulatory and legislative reforms that protect and increase funding, accessibility incentives, and service-linked housing supports. • At the state level, we will resource and mobilize advocates and cross-sector coalitions to implement disability-forward housing innovations • At the local level, we will align advocacy with our development and technical assistance markets to unlock practical programmatic and zoning changes that support housing production • Our policy priorities will be informed by on-the-ground development experience and designed to create scalable market conditions for nationwide replication • Strategic communications will raise awareness, illustrate solutions, and inspire action Enable the creation of 16,000 disability-forward homes. Enable Housing Leading policy change and advocacy. 10
Geographic Impact • Directly provide services in our co-developed communities through our Inclusion Concierge program • Document the methods, philosophies, and practices behind the model so others can replicate it • Leverage our on-the-ground delivery to inform policy change, field solutions, and housing strategies • By 2028, begin supporting other housing providers to operate the Inclusion Concierge model • By 2030, make resident services a full component of our technical assistance program Serving people living in disability-forward housing through inclusive resident services. Currently Bay Area focused. National scale tied to our housing development pipeline or delivered through local partnerships. Support Residents Support people living in disability-forward housing. The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030)
Geographic Impact • The Kelsey has raised $8M in philanthropic capital for our development work to date—but project-by-project fundraising will ultimately limit our growth • A revolving loan fund will reduce the delays and uncertainty of project-specific capital campaigns and strengthen our long-term sustainability • Launch the fund with initial assets capitalized by philanthropy, impact investing, and mission-focused funds • Provide predevelopment, acquisition, and bridge funding for projects The Kelsey co-develops. Over time, raise additional capital and extend loans to members of the Inclusive Houser Network and technical assistance clients Raise and deploy $20M in capital into disability-forward housing projects. Accelerate Housing Launching a mission-driven real estate fund rooted in access and inclusion. National, aligned to housing pipeline. 12 Prospective Pipleline Existing Pipeline
2027 Secure two new housing development sites Develop and launch national Disability- Forward Housing Policy Dashboard Publish Second Edition of the Inclusive Design Standards Plan Highlights 2026 Establish Medicaid billing infrastructure for services Host inaugural Disability- Forward Housing on the Hill Day a The Kelsey | Strategic Plan (2026 - 2030) Resourcing the 2030 Strategy To achieve the goals in this plan, The Kelsey will strengthen the core enablers of our impact: sustainable funding, skilled staffing, strong systems, and engaged board leadership. Over the next five years, we will grow the resources needed to move from proven models to national scale — including flexible philanthropic support, expanded earned revenue, and The Kelsey Fund as a mission-driven financing tool to accelerate disability-forward housing. We will also invest in the team, systems, and shared practices needed to execute across real estate, technical assistance, advocacy, resident services, fundraising, communications, and operations. As The Kelsey scales, our board will serve as a critical strategic partner — strengthening governance, opening doors to capital and partnerships, expanding geographic reach, and stewarding long-term sustainability. Resourcing this plan is about more than growing an organization. It is about building the durable infrastructure needed for disability-forward housing to move from exception to expectation — and for The Kelsey to support a national movement capable of creating better homes and communities for everyone.
| 2026-2028 2028 Pilot new housing strategy using alternative financing or development model Launch a $20M disability-forward housing fund Deliver technical assistance to expanded regional and national partners Publish report on impact of Technical Assistance program on housing production 14
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