From the San Diego Housing Commission's press release:
An empty dirt lot in San Ysidro is getting a new purpose as an affordable housing community with rental apartments for 100 seniors with low income, including 25 for seniors who have experienced homelessness, a transformation made possible through collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC).
“What we’re doing today is opening the door – or I guess in this case, the windows – of opportunity for more folks in our community, 100 affordable housing units for seniors,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said at a groundbreaking ceremony today for Ventana al Sur, which is “window to the south” in Spanish. “Projects like these are how we tackle our region’s housing affordability and our homelessness crisis. And I’m particularly grateful that MAAC would go the extra mile and reserve 25 of these homes for homeless seniors. And there’s no bigger issue facing our city currently than our homelessness crisis.”
Developed by MAAC and Kingdom Development, Ventana al Sur’s rental apartments, a mixture of one- and two-bedroom units, will remain affordable for 55 years for seniors with income up to 50 percent of San Diego’s Area Median Income, currently $52,050 for a two-person household. The development also includes one manager’s unit.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a significant milestone. For this development, it represents the start of construction. For the San Diego community, it is the latest progress in the ongoing work to address the shortage of affordable housing. This is especially important for the senior population that will call Ventana al Sur home,” said Colin Miller, SDHC’s Senior Vice President of Housing Finance and Property Management.
SDHC awarded 25 rental housing vouchers to Ventana al Sur to help pay rent for seniors who previously experienced homelessness. These residents will also receive on-site supportive services.
SDHC also awarded a loan of up to $4.4 million toward the development of Ventana al Sur, which will consist of funds SDHC administers: the City of San Diego’s Affordable Housing Fund and California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) Local Housing Trust Funds.
SDHC supported the Ventana al Sur development through HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan, which has created more than 10,600 housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of Homelessness. HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO launched in November 2014.