OUR COMMUNITIES

In the late 1990’s, the Elmwood neighborhood was dilapidated and infested with gang activity. Long considered the most dangerous neighborhood in the City of Burbank, this short street became the object of an integrated approach to housing, safety and neighborhood engagement. The City of Burbank purchased most of the worst properties and began a massive rehabilitation process as well as an innovative program of gang suppression. Over the years, BHC acquired more properties on the street and today, the Elmwood Neighborhood has 65 units. To further enhance the lives of our residents, an after-school Achievement Center was created to provide tutoring and mentoring for the neighborhood children. Our Elmwood Neighborhood has maintained an unblemished record of safety. The award-winning success of this program led to the creation of the Burbank Housing Corporation; a private non-profit developer charged with owning and maintaining affordable properties in perpetuity. In 2018, Burbank Housing Corporation (BHC) partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank & Greater East Valley to provide after-school and summer programs for BHC children at the Elmwood Achievement Center. Due to low program participation, BHC refocused on its mission of providing affordable housing and proposed converting the Elmwood Achievement Center into two affordable rental homes. In May 2026, the Burbank City Council approved the proposal, along with the conversion of BHC's other Activity Centers. In Fall 2026, BHC's after-school program moved to Boys & Girls Club programs at Burbank Unified school sites. The Elmwood summer program will continue through the end of 2027, with construction on the new affordable units beginning shortly after.

In 2000, BHC began to replicate the model that had proven so successful in Elmwood. Over the years, BHC acquired six properties in the Verdugo-Tujunga Avenue area. A second Activity Center was developed to service the children and youth of this new target neighborhood. It was in this focus area that BHC began to experiment with rehabilitation that aimed to create larger-sized units to better accommodate bigger families. This was done by joining smaller one-bedrooms into three-bedroom apartments. From 2018 to 2026, the Verdugo Activity Center served as a multi-purpose community space for BHC residents to access services, such as free dental screenings, vaccine clinics, educational workshops, and clothing & food distributions. In May 2026, the Burbank City Council approved BHC’s plan to convert the Verdugo Activity Center into a two-bedroom affordable rental unit. When this converted unit is complete, our Verdugo Focus Neighborhood will consist of 73 units of affordable housing.

This small area is perhaps one of the densest rental pockets in the City of Burbank. Impacted with gang activity and several seriously dilapidated and dangerous larger projects, it became the focus of BHC efforts in 2003. In 2002, BHC purchased a 7-unit property which provided a foothold in the area. With the Burbank Redevelopment Agency’s legal and financial backing, BHC acquired 94 of the worst units in the City. Demolition of 24 units and a massive 4-year rehabilitation process created 70 units with increased parking and open spaces, a new Activity Center and BHC corporate office. The project was awarded the 2011 Award of Excellence given by the California Redevelopment Association to projects of unusual merit and impact. In 2006, BHC also acquired four adjacent properties on Elliott Drive. The purpose of this acquisition was to develop home-ownership opportunities for very-low income families. In partnership with the City of Burbank and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, seven new townhouse units were built and one small single-family house was fully rehabilitated into a planned development project now owned by eight local families. In order to make the project affordable to those families, BHC will continue to own the land and lease it to the homeowners. The Keeler-Elliott Home ownership program was completed in late 2011. After serving as an after-school program site since 2018, the Peyton-Grismer Activity Center transitioned into a property management office in Fall 2027. This change will allow for the former office space to be converted back into an affordable rental unit.

In close proximity to the Burbank Airport, this area had fallen unto hard times by the development of industrial and commercial businesses on its fringes. Consisting mainly of small-scale rental properties (4-12 units), BHC had to acquire a large number of properties in order to start making a positive impact. Today 18 properties stretch across five square blocks with a total of 78 units, this makes the Golden State Area BHC’s largest developed neighborhood. The Catalina Activity Center was opened in 2006, which provided an after-school program for children in BHC properties and neighboring buildings until 2018. In July 2022, BHC partnered with Home Again Los Angeles (HALA) to convert the space into the Catalina Resource Center and offer free computer & internet access, case management, social service enrollment, and job search assistance to residents. When HALA relocated to their new home at the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, BHC proposed the conversion of its Catalina Activity Center into an affordable rental unit to meet the current housing demands. In May 2026, the Burbank City Council approved the conversion. Construction is set to begin near the end of 2026 with completion date in Fall 2027.

Tucked in the southernmost part of Burbank, The Lake-Alameda community is a small neighborhood that represents a mixture of very small rental properties and single-family homes with rental units to the rear. The area is divided from the rest of the City by a channelized river wash. BHC began its efforts in this area in 2007 with the purchase of three properties, one of which is a four-bedroom single-family home. As part of an effort to maximize the available land on a parcel shared with a four-bedroom single-family home, BHC developed its first ground-up Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) project. In March 2026, BHC completed construction on a two-story ADU building consisting of two units and expanded this focus neighborhood to fifteen affordable homes.