PBS Features The Kelsey’s Work to Build Inclusive Communities

After witnessing how inaccessible housing limited her cousin’s opportunities, Micaela Connery co-founded The Kelsey — named in her cousin’s honor — to pioneer disability-forward, inclusive housing solutions, opening doors to homes for everyone. Multiple years later, The Kelsey, a DRK portfolio organization, operates thriving communities in San Jose and San Francisco, CA, with 283 homes in their pipeline and more than $190 million unlocked to advance accessible housing.

“Throughout my life, it was interesting to see how every system at some level wasn’t designed to include people like Kelsey,” says Micaela, on PBS NewsHour. “Historically, housing for people with disabilities has been in institutional and facility-based settings, often where services and daily life are prescribed to all individuals. But when we asked people about their ideal housing intervention, people talked about the need for affordability, accessibility, and inclusivity. People talked about the idea of community and connection, of choice and control. So let’s redesign from the ground up with those in mind and not continue to iterate on decades of institutionalization.”