Developing Housing That Works

We face a housing crisis that won’t solve itself. Without dignified, purpose-built housing, individuals and families remain on our streets, in our parks, and in our subway stations. The choice we face is between structured, supportive environments that provide pathways to stability, or makeshift survival that perpetuates the cycle.

Purpose-built transitional housing and thoughtful affordable housing reduce street homelessness, improve public safety, and create the infrastructure our cities need. The work is both compassionate and practical.

James Equities develops transformative housing that is designed with its non-profit partners and the people they serve, and in conversation with the community that surrounds these projects.

James Equities brings something rare to affordable and transitional housing development: insider expertise combined with outsider urgency.

Our model is straightforward. We identify high-impact sites, structure deals that work for all stakeholders, and partner with established non-profit service providers. We leverage relationships with CRA investors, lenders, and tax credit syndicators to raise capital at scale. Professional management, wraparound services, and proven track records of moving people toward independence are the hallmarks of our projects.

Founder Douglas James spent years as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for the Center for Urban Community Services, New York City’s leading provider of homeless services. Before that, he served in senior roles at the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Consumer Affairs. In these roles, he managed the homeless crisis response from the inside, and knows exaclty what is needed to make the system work. overseeing property development, asset management, and the single adult homeless transitional housing system.

That experience matters. Successful projects need financing, community buy-in, non-profit partnerships, and the ability to navigate bureaucracy. We understand financing structures, community dynamics, and the municipal contracts that make large-scale projects viable.

We’re building necessary infrastructure, and we know how to get it done.