According to Dishotsky, 40% of applicants come via word of mouth.
Growing up in communal housing, Dishotsky was introduced early-on to the lively communities that are created when groups of people live together. He also became well aware of the problems that can arise, and tried to nip those problems in the bud at the Mission location. Hence the professional cleaning crew and in-unit laundry.
"There's no option in real estate that caters to the customer, and housing shouldn't be binary," he said.
Each room comes fully equipped with a kitchenette for those who just want to grab a yogurt and go in the morning.
Items from local businesses are incorporated throughout the building, and add some of the character typical high-rises lack. This pillow for example, came from a vendor at a Mission street fair.
All rooms come fully furnished, the cost of which is included in rent. The rooms are all around 220 square feet, and between the bed and nightstand, space is tight.
At every location, Starcity partners with a local organization and organizes donation boxes and volunteer events for residents.
Residents are allowed to add their personal belongings to communal spaces. The blowup sharks on the lower shelf are leftover from a community-initiated "Shark Week."
The communal living room is spacious, and big enough for weekly potluck dinners and Wine Wednesdays. All costs of the Starcity-organized events are included in rent.
The kitchen is communal. One side is for more serious cooking, and the other for putting together a simple meal or reheating leftovers.
Everyone gets a labeled shelf in the pantry and in one of the two fridges for their personal food.
The building has 20 residents, including three who were residents of the former Yug Hotel.
Their rooms were renovated, but the three remaining residents of the Yug pay the same rent they always have. Starcity prices their spaces at 30% of an average middle income. At the Mission location, residents get a private bedroom, and access to a communal kitchen and living room for $2000 including utilites. This might seem high, but average rent for a one bedroom apartment in the Mission is $3,200.
The surrounding neighborhood is characteristic of the Mission before the tech boom, and is filled with street vendors and mom and pop shops.
Before opening a new building, Starcity reaches out to neighborhood groups to see who in the community is in need of housing. The goal is to build a bridge between the older generations in the city and the new ones – not divide them over $4 lattes.
