Natalie Bonnewit has over 25 years of experience developing affordable supportive housing and shaping policy to promote effective implementation. She also specializes in social housing, military base reuse and large-scale redevelopment.
services
Natalie provides owner-representative services, project management, affordable housing planning, and policy services to mission-driven and public clients including non-profit affordable housing developers, service providers, housing advocacy groups, local government, and philanthropy.
Bonnewit Development has experience in all scales of development from small-scale rehabilitation projects to large-scale development projects and military base reuse. Natalie also offers policy services and has helped shape the policy debate around affordable housing and its financing.
Bonnewit Development Services provided Project Management and owner representative services on the restoration of the California Hotel on behalf of EBALDC. Credit: Mark Luthringer.
biography
Development.
She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in city planning (MCP) from the University of California at Berkeley.
Natalie has volunteered for many non-profit boards of directors including as board president for East Bay Housing Organizations and One Treasure Island.
Natalie is a frequent convenor, moderator, and panelist on affordable housing issues.
Natalie is a former Urban and Regional Policy Fellow with the German Marshall Fund studying affordable housing models in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Her policy paper can be found here: Affordable Housing in Amsterdam and Copenhagen: Lessons for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bonnewit Development Services is a certified Alameda County Small Local Emerging Business.
Natalie opened her consulting practice, Bonnewit Development Services, in 2006. She has provided affordable housing development services to most of the Bay Area's affordable housing developers. In addition, she has provided development and policy services to service providers, advocacy organizations, philanthropy, and local government.
Prior to opening her firm, Natalie was an analyst at the real estate marketing economics firm BAE, and a project manager with Community Housing Partnership (now HomeRise) and Resources for Community
Treasure Island and its planned redevelopment. Image courtesy of TIDA.
select recent & current work
TREASURE ISLAND
obligations on behalf of TIDA and One TI on the following developments:
Maceo May (Swords to Plowshares and Chinatown CDC project sponsors), 105 units for homeless veterans, 2023
Star View Court (Mercy Housing and Catholic Charities project sponsors), 138 units for mixed populations, 2024
E1.2 Senior Housing (Mercy Housing is the project sponsor), 120 units in predevelopment
TI Parcel IC4.3 (John Stewart Company and Catholic Charities project sponsors), 150 units for mixed populations, in predevelopment
Affordable housing pipeline planning for mixed target populations
In addition, Natalie works on community development activities island-wide.
2016 - present
Natalie is currently working with the City of San Francisco Treasure Island Development Authority and the community-based organization One Treasure Island to plan for and develop over 2,000 affordable and Permanent Supportive Housing units on Treasure Island.
She provides ongoing programming & implementation for 2,173 affordable units. In collaboration with city partners and project sponsors, Natalie helps implement federal base closure
BAY AREA HOUSING FINANCE AUTHORITY/MTC
2021 - 2024
Natalie served as Chief of Staff on the Forsyth Consultant team that drafted the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Business Plan (BAFHA Business Plan), issued by BAHFA, MTC and ABAG and is the first of its first-of-its-kind legislatively authorized regional housing finance agency in the Bay Area and was created to address the Bay Area’s chronic housing challenges.
mtc.ca.gov/about-mtc/authorities/bay-area-housing-finance-authority-bahfa
NONPROFIT HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
2019 - present
Natalie is currently working with the Non-profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) to support member organization efforts to improve the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) development ecosystem through full cost analysis, operational peer-to-peer sharing, and regulatory and legislative advocacy. She staffs the NPH PSH Coalition Standards of Quality and Advocacy Workgroups. These groups meet to better understand the full costs of providing PSH, generate consensus on best practices, and develop a collective advocacy agenda to improve the PSH ecosystem for consumers and developers/owners.
Natalie is the lead author of NPH’s research paper Permanent Supportive Housing Working Group Compendium: Research, Resources, and Recommendations and a co-lead author of Coordinated Entry Systems: Best Practice Recommendationsboth published in the spring of 2026.
The NPH PSH Coalition has worked to further the field through webinars including Permanent Supportive Housing Costs and Resident Outcomes: What Have We Learned And Where Do We Go From Here? The NPH PSH Coalition was a key partner for the Terner Center report Permanent Supportive Housing as a Solution to Homelessness: The Critical Role of Long-Term Operating Subsidies.
past projects & engagements
Bonnewit Development Services work on projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Asian Neighborhood Design, andnet.org
Asset Management, Loan Conversion, Minna Park Apartments, San Francisco - 2015
Bay Area Housing Finance Authority/MTC, mtc.ca.gov/about-mtc/authorities/bay-area-housing-finance-authority-bahfa
Chief of Staff on the Forsyth Consultant team that drafted the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority Business Plan (BAFHA Business Plan), 2021 – 2024.
BRIDGE Housing, bridgehousing.com
25 Sanchez, San Francisco - 2017, 90 units of permanent housing
462 Duboce, San Francisco - 2017, 43 units of permanent housing
255 Woodside, San Francisco - 2017, 110 units of permanent housing
Holly Courts, San Francisco - 2017, 118 units of permanent housing
Building Futures, bfwc.org
North Housing – 2020 to present
Midway shower and laundry building replacement – 2019
Alameda Naval Weapons Station – 2014 to present
Bessie Coleman Court – 2014, 58 units transitional and permanent supportive
Sister Me Home rehabilitation, San Leandro – 2013, 20 transitional beds
Midway Homeless Shelter rehabilitation, Alameda – 2007, 25 emergency beds
Bessie Coleman Court fire repair – 2006, 58 units transitional and permanent supportive
Burbank Housing Development Corporation, burbankhousing.org
Cross Roads feasibility – 2016, Santa Rosa
Lantana Feasibility – 2016, Richmond
Change Lab Solutions, changelabsolutions.org
Guest reviewer of “Preserving Protecting and Expanding Affordable Housing” - 2014
Central City Hospitality House, hospitalityhouse.org
Emergency Shelter Rehabilitation, San Francisco - 2012, 25 emergency beds
Emergency shelter exterior repairs, San Francisco – 2013, 25 emergency beds
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)
In partnership with Economic & Planning Systems Inc, co-authored “Advancing Affordable Housing Opportunities: Public Funding Resources and Strategic Recommendations”, 2023-2024
Conard House, conard.org
Self-Management of Mental Illness Resource Acquisition, San Francisco – 2007
Contra Costa County
Mental Health Services Act Implementation Team – 2009
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, ebaldc.org
The California Hotel, Oakland - 2013
1110 Jackson - 2015
East Bay Community Recovery Project, ebcrp.org
Project Pride, Capacity Building Consultant, Oakland - 2012
FACT Permanent Supportive Housing, Project Manager, Oakland - 2012, 7 units
Project Pride, Accessory Structure, Oakland – 2013
East Bay Housing Organizations, ebho.org
Executive Director search, 2023
Family Service and Counseling Community Resource Center, fscceastbay.org
Center Rehabilitation Project Manager, San Leandro - 2009
Habitat for Humanity East Bay, habitateb.org
Concord Naval Weapons Station Public Benefit Conveyance - 2009
Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, lssnorcal.org
Representation of Concord Naval Base Reuse – 2008-2018
Real estate development consulting – 2011-2015
Spirit of Hope predevelopment, Concord - 2010
Trinity Lutheran Church predevelopment, Richmond – 2010
Mi Casa housing for homeless youth, Concord – 2008, 6 transitional beds
Mercy Housing California, mercyhousing.org
Concord Naval Weapons Station Homeless Collaborative - 2008-Presesent
Asset Management Portfolio project – 2013 - 2014
East Leland Family Apartments interim Project Manager, Pittsburg - 2009, 63 units
MidPeninsula Housing Corporation, midpen-housing.org
9% deal closing, Onizuko crossing, Sunnyvale – 2014, 58 units of permanent supportive housing
Senior Project Management Consultant, 6800 Mission St, Daly City, 2015-2016, 52 units
Mission Economic Development Agency, medasf.org
25 Sanchez, San Francisco - 2017, 90 units of permanent housing
462 Duboce, San Francisco - 2017, 43 units of permanent housing
255 Woodside, San Francisco - 110 units of permanent housing
Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, nonprofithousing.org
Natalie supports member organization efforts to improve the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) development ecosystem. 2019 - present
One Treasure Island, onetreasureisland.org
Ongoing affordable housing consulting – 2008 to present
Temporary Executive Director, San Francisco – 2009, 2017, 2019
Openhouse, openhouse-sf.org
Owner’s Rep services
Resources for Community Development, rcdhousing.org
Embark Apartments 61 units housing for homeless veterans – 2017-2021
Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, sahahomes.org
Kenneth Henry Court Project Manager, Oakland - 2013, 51 units perm housing
Lakeside Senior Housing MHP loan closing, Oakland – 2015, 91 units
Swords to Plowshares, stp-sf.org
Presidio replacement unit analysis, 108 transitional and permanent units, 2016
Various consulting projects 2010 - 2017
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, tndc.org
Franciscan Towers, San Francisco 2013 - 2014, 105 units perm supportive housing
Tipping Point, tippingpoint.org
Alternative development modelling, 2016 - 2017
Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), sftreasureisland.org
Ongoing programming & implementation for 2,173 affordable units. 2016 - present
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Proposition 1 from a Practitioner Perspective, NPH Training, 2025
Housing is Treatment: Proposition 1 and the opportunities it affords for partnerships between affordable housing developers and mental health and substance use treatment providers, Housing California conference 2025
Social Housing: Applicability of European models in the US, AIA 2024
Housing as Healthcare: the intersection of Proposition 1 and Permanent Supportive Housing, Nonprofit Housing Association conference, 2024
Permanent Supportive Housing: The impact of the US’ Fragmented Delivery System on Resident Outcomes and Building Operations, European New Housing Research conference in Delft, Netherlands, 2024
The Impact of Fragmentation & Complexity on Delivering Permanent Supportive Housing: Lessons and Opportunities, Housing California conference, 2024
Debating Permanent Supportive Housing Systems Change, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California conference, 2023
Strengthening the PSH Ecosystem through Practitioner Partnerships across the State, Housing California conference, 2023
The Critical Role of Long-Term Operating Subsidies for Permanent Supportive Housing, Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley webinar, 2023
Permanent Supportive Housing Costs And Resident Outcomes: What Have We Learned And Where Do We Go From Here?, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, 2023
Treating Housing As A Human Right: Learnings From Abroad, SPUR forum: Ideas + Action 2023: Housing Beyond Zero-Sum, 2023
Transforming the PSH Ecosystem in the Bay Area and Statewide, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California conference, 2022
Permanent Supportive Housing: Full Costs and Best Practices, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California – Brown Bag, 2021
Affordable Housing Finance and Service Delivery Models: Case Studies from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, All Home, 2021
Affordable Housing Finance and Institutional Support Case Studies from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, UC Berkeley Masters of Real Estate and Design, 2021
Learning from International Housing Delivery Systems, SPUR 2020
Affordable Housing Dispatches from Amsterdam & Copenhagen: A comparison of housing delivery systems, Sustainable Connected Communities Neighborhood Exchange Enterprise, 2020
International Affordable Housing Case Studies and their Potential Applicability to the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency, MTC, Enterprise and NPH 2020
Comparing International Housing Systems, SPUR 2019
Affordable Housing Finance and Service Delivery Models: Case Studies from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, Enterprise 2018
Affordable Housing Finance and Service Delivery Models: Case Studies from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development 2018
Affordable Housing 101: An Overview, UC Berkeley Masters in Urban Design Program 2018
Funding Affordable Housing: Case Studies from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, Non-profit Housing Association of Northern California brownbag, 2018
Social Housing Workshop panelist, Housing California conference, 2018
A Comparison of Housing Delivery Systems and the Impact on Our Most Vulnerable Households, City of Amsterdam 2017
Affordable Housing in Amsterdam and Copenhagen: What Can We Learn? SPUR 2016 and 2017
Maximizing Services Funding, Housing California conference 2015
Occupied Rehabs: Making it Work for Residents, Developers and Managers, Housing California conference 2014 and 2015
Community Benefits in Large Scale Redevelopment Projects, Treasure Island Case Study, Housing California conference 2012
Joint Ventures and Turnkey Development Projects, Housing California conference 2012