Linda Mandolini is a force in the affordable housing industry.
For the past 25 years, Linda Mandolini has served as president and CEO of Eden Housing, one of the nation’s premier affordable housing developers and owners. The Northern California nonprofit has developed or acquired 188 developments with more than 13,000 affordable homes across the state—most of that achieved under Mandolini’s steady leadership.
“Where you live absolutely changes your trajectory,” she says, noting that she’s living proof—coming from an immigrant family that recognized the importance of being in a place where children had the opportunity to thrive.
Driven to make a difference, Mandolini found her calling in affordable housing after a college internship opened her eyes to the field. She then went on to work in the Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing, surveying vacant lots to identify ways they could be transformed to benefit the community.
“What struck me was how profound and impactful the work was,” she says.
While Eden has consistently been one of the nation’s most active affordable housing developers—it started construction on 977 new and rehabilitated units last year—Mandolini has also steered the organization to produce some of the field’s most innovative developments.
Just this year, its Solaire Apartments earned an Architizer A+ Award in the architecture+health category. Located in San Jose, California, the development provides 130 units—half of which are permanent supportive housing—for people who were homeless and high users of safety-net services. The team integrated trauma-informed design in the building to create a safe and healing environment for residents.
Eden’s first multifamily development—a senior housing community built in 1972—set the foundation for the organization’s longstanding commitment to older adults. Today, Mandolini and her team continue that mission, with senior housing making up approximately one-third of the nonprofit’s overall portfolio and a commitment to the aging in place principle.
The organization recently developed 66 affordable homes for older adults as part of the Vivalon Healthy Aging Campus, which includes Vivalon senior services along with a clinic that combines traditional medical services with coordinated care, social engagement, and other programs, in San Rafael.
In another example of the organization’s work, Eden opened Crescent Grove, a 72-unit affordable housing development that includes units for residents who have experienced homelessness and veterans this year. Located in Northern California’s East Bay, the project is in Congressman Eric Swalwell’s district.
“Linda Mandolini’s leadership has transformed lives and communities across the Bay Area,” he says. “Through her decades at Eden Housing, she has championed the belief that every person deserves a safe, affordable place to call home, and she’s turned that belief into reality for thousands of families. I’ve seen firsthand the impact of Eden’s work in my district, and Linda’s vision and perseverance have set a standard for what compassionate, effective housing advocacy looks like.”
Eden Housing also supports its residents through a number of supportive services and programs, including awarding more than $1 million in scholarships.
Thought Leader
That’s only part of the story. Mandolini has worked to drive change for the entire affordable housing industry—not just her own organization—because the need for affordable housing is far too large for just one group to tackle.
That comes with working in a state that needs more than a million units of affordable housing to meet the demand.
“My thinking has always been: Is what we are doing replicable? Can somebody else do it? Is there an underlying policy that would benefit the jurisdictions we work with and would also benefit my colleagues in the many jurisdictions they work with?” she says.
Over the years, she has been among the leaders instrumental in passing California bonds that have produced billions of dollars for affordable housing.
Throughout her career, she’s been at the center of nearly every major conversation about housing in the state, shaping policy, building coalitions, and mentoring countless others along the way, according to Noni Ramos, CEO of Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a Community Development Financial Institution that has invested more than $690 million into creating housing opportunities.
Mandolini’s accomplishments include serving as a founding board member of the Housing Trust.
“Linda has been a tireless voice for housing justice—leading with both conviction and heart, and reminding us that affordable housing is not just about buildings, but about people and possibility, says Ramos.
Mandolini serves on the boards of the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition, the Housing Partnership Network, the California Housing Consortium, and Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Francisco. She’s also on national advisory board of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing.
Outside of her work in housing, Mandolini is an avid cyclist who channels her love of riding into giving back. She has raised more than $200,000 in rides supporting different causes, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.