Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to mostly cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 65F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 54F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: April 10, 2026 @ 7:56 am
Kate Comfort spent Friday, Nov. 22, in a celebratory mood, but it also contained a tinge of sadness.
Kate Comfort
As the executive director of the nonprofit HIP Housing, Comfort was showcasing its recently-purchased building to current and former board members in downtown San Mateo, which she said was a testament to its success after over four decades of operation.
Lois Almen Everett, founder of HIP Housing, will have the new headquarters named after her.
At the same time, she lamented the loss of 93-year-old nonprofit founder, Lois Almen Everett, who had died not long before the move-in date. Everett started the nonprofit’s home-sharing program, which connects those in need of housing with homeowners, typically older adults, who have extra space and could use additional income.
While the organization has expanded to offer a variety of programs and services focused on affordable housing, it’s still best known for its home-sharing program. Everett founded the program around 1979 and the approach has since become more common throughout the country. Comfort said HIP Housing focuses on San Mateo County clients but has helped numerous cities and counties start their own home-sharing programs.
“We’ve helped launch all of the home sharing programs in the Bay Area,” Comfort said, which include San Francisco and parts of Sonoma County.
She said the program is an innovative solution to a common problem, as many middle-aged or senior adults in the Bay Area are “house rich but cash poor.” HIP Housing works with clients and homeowners to find compatible living arrangements, vetting individuals to make sure they are a good match. The nonprofit also owns about 21 properties, and while it also partners with developers and supports multi-family affordable housing projects, they are costly and take significant resources and time to build.
“They can take 10 years to come online,” she said. “All our programs are trying to bring creative solutions to use housing.”
Before joining the City Council, Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash was a HIP Housing board member and was drawn to the organization over its approach to affordable housing.
“I just believe that finding comprehensive, holistic ways to deliver affordable housing and related services is so important,” Nash said.
She added the new building, located on East Fifth Avenue between South Ellsworth Avenue and South San Mateo Drive, is in a prime location, close to both public transit and neighborhoods whose residents may benefit from HIP Housing’s services.
“This new building will give them an opportunity to really work with their clients, make them feel comfortable and feel heard and help them let their guard down,” she said.
Comfort said there is also much uncertainty over what the next four years will bring in terms of funding and policy.
“We knew we needed to be more self-sufficient,” she said.
The building is estimated to open some time in spring 2025.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 102
(650) 344-5200 ext. 102
Daily Journal staff
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Thomas Morgan said:
CA Is Burning said:
Makes sense, 500 union jobs, millions in donations from unions to democrats.
CA Is Burning said:
Providing Feedback said:
Rick Bonilla said:
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