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**From Vacancy to Transitional Housing: Reimagining a Historic San Francisco SRO**
*By Clearinghouse CDFI*
Housing for individuals experiencing homelessness is both essential and in critically short supply. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) properties have long served as deeply affordable housing options in urban communities. However, these buildings often suffer from a negative reputation, perceived as outdated or neglected. With the right team and vision, though, SROs can be transformed into life-changing resources for those most in need.
The story of the Kean Hotel serves as a powerful example of that transformation. Thanks to a partnership between Clearinghouse CDFI and experienced hotel and SRO operator Dipak Patel, what was once a neglected property is now a cornerstone of San Francisco’s efforts to provide safe, stable housing for the homeless population.
**The Challenge: From Film Star to Urban Eyesore**
Located at 1018–1024 Mission Street, the Kean Hotel began its life in 1911 as a five-story Edwardian-era residential hotel. It briefly rose to fame as a filming location for the 1947 Humphrey Bogart movie, *Dark Passage*.
Over time, the hotel became a low-cost SRO serving the city’s lower-income and transient communities, and by the 2010s, the building deteriorated significantly. With a mounting number of code violations and safety concerns, the Kean was eventually vacated and classified by city officials as “in need of preservation.”
**The Solution: A Committed Sponsor and Financial Support**
In 2022, Dipak Patel recognized the potential of the blighted Kean Hotel. With a vision to revitalize the space as transitional housing, he worked to secure a master lease for the building under the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT), part of the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing.
Patel approached Clearinghouse CDFI for financial assistance, receiving over $8 million in loans to acquire and rehabilitate the building. Renovations were extensive—each unit was upgraded with private bathrooms and kitchenettes, flooring was repaired, drywall was replaced, and the HVAC system was modernized.
In addition, Patel partnered with Westside Community Services, a nonprofit that provides behavioral health and substance abuse services. Through a master lease agreement, this ensured that residents would have access to onsite supportive services to help empower their journey to stability.
**The Results: A Vital Housing Resource**
Now renamed the Eleanora Fagan Center, the former Kean Hotel houses 67 SRO units that serve some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents. It functions as transitional housing and plays a crucial role in the city’s holistic support programs, including recovery from substance abuse and assistance for the unhoused.
Beyond offering clean, dignified housing, the center provides access to a wide range of supportive services through Westside Community Services, helping residents make meaningful strides toward long-term stability. Since its reopening, the center has served thousands of individuals in need each year.
The impact has also been felt throughout the surrounding Mission District community, improving safety and contributing to the neighborhood’s broader revitalization.
**The Takeaway: A Replicable Model for Change**
The transformation of the Kean Hotel into the Eleanora Fagan Center highlights what’s possible when vision, experience, and financial support come together with purpose. Patel’s leadership, paired with support from Clearinghouse CDFI, turned an unsafe, vacant building into a life-changing resource for unhoused individuals reclaiming their lives.
The project aligns with Clearinghouse CDFI’s mission to finance community-centered real estate that expands access to stable housing and supportive infrastructure. Most importantly, it stands as a replicable model for other urban regions looking to preserve and reimagine existing affordable housing stock.
For more information about Clearinghouse CDFI, email loaninquiries@ccdfi.com.
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