SIJCC’s mission is to be of service to the Silver Lake community, and at this time in our city’s history, providing new affordable housing aligns with that mission.  Additionally SIJCC is struggling to be financially stable after closing a third year with a significant deficit.  The organization’s biggest asset is our Sunset Blvd. property, and this plan leverages it to sustain us for the next 75 years.  Even while leaning into this exciting new project, the Board of Directors continues to plan for alternate scenarios should they be necessary.

A new SIJCC will be designed with safety as a priority.  Not only will we follow appropriate safety protocols and build the new SIJCC with the standard to protect all community members, but the JCC will not be accessible from the residences.

United to House Los Angeles is a city grant program that exists as a result of the “mansion tax” that voters approved years ago.  The money is earmarked for affordable housing projects just like the one we’re planning, and our project has been designed to satisfy its criteria. results. It’s not just what we do—it’s how we do it that sets us apart.

Construction of the new JCC building will be funded entirely by our affordable housing developer partner. We are contributing a portion of our land so that they may build new affordable housing units and we receive a brand new building. While the details of the agreement have not been finalized, it is likely to be a ground-lease. SIJCC will maintain ownership of the entire site.  We will absolutely need to fundraise to make everything inside the building everything we want it to be as well as create a fund to sustain the future.  We have major funding partners who are well aware of this plan and have expressed interest in coming on board when the time is right.

We love it too! But unfortunately, after 75 years, the building is in need of significant repairs that are prohibitively expensive without a multi-million dollar capital campaign.  Additionally, even if we could simply renovate the space, its current configuration does not align with the programming needs of the community. One of the more exciting things we are planning is to include, for the first time, infant care services that allow new parents to start their SIJCC journey even earlier. 

SIJCC’s preschool is one of the best preschools in LA, and has been very popular for many years.  Shifting economics, including the recent creation of free Transitional Kindergarten have substantially changed the economics of running a preschool. (Read more here.)  In addition, the cost of providing a livable wage and full benefits to our excellent union teaching staff make the specific economics of SIJCC’s preschool even more difficult.  We are proud to have this staff, and we value them deeply, but the reality is that SIJCC’s ECE has been running at a significant structural deficit for a while.

Our intention is to continue running our programs offsite while we’re getting a new home.

Our submission of the ULA grant is early December 2026. We will hear about the decisions in early February 2027.  If the project goes forward, the earliest we would begin construction would be Summer 2028. 

Wonderful! Please reach out to Heather McPherson, Executive Director - heather@sijcc.net or our Board of Directors - board@sijcc.net.