April 6, 2023
Grand Opening Celebrates 95 New Affordable Rental Apartments for Families with Low Income, Including Veterans who Experienced Homelessness and Transition-Age Youth
The San Diego Housing Commission awarded rental housing vouchers and a loan to support the development of Amanecer Apartments
SAN DIEGO, CA — An Army veteran who experienced homelessness for nearly a decade, Mathew now has a safe, affordable apartment to call his own at Amanecer Apartments, a new construction development in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) that celebrated its grand opening today.
“These little things might not mean a lot to a lot of people, but to me, that’s home,” Mathew said, referring to amenities like having his own shower and stove and being able to make a pot pie or breakfast in the morning. Mathew shares his apartment with his longtime best friend and dog, Bojangles.
The 95 affordable rental apartments at Amanecer, developed by Community HousingWorks, provide homes for families with low income, transition-age youth who have aged out of the foster care system, and veterans who experienced homelessness, like Mathew.
“Housing shouldn’t be in such short supply, but the fact of the matter is that it is, and we have to figure out ways to address that. And how do we solve it? This right here. We build more housing that people can afford, a mix of housing that’s available for individuals, for families, and for pets,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said.
Rents at Amanecer must remain affordable for 55 years for households with income from 30 to 60 percent of the San Diego Area Median Income (AMI), or $39,050 to $78,060 for a family of four.
“This is a significant step towards addressing the housing crisis in San Diego and providing stable, secure homes for those who need them the most,” said San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo, whose district includes Amanecer. “With the convenient location of this complex, residents will be able to quickly access public transportation. They’re going to be in proximity to preschools and childcare centers. They’re around the class from (the University of San Diego) and as I said earlier, the community library is only a few blocks away.”
SDHC awarded a $7 million loan toward the development. The loan consisted of federal and local funds SDHC administers:
- $1.5 million from HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded to the City of San Diego;
- $4 million from the City of San Diego’s Affordable Housing Fund; and
- $1.5 million from the State of California’s Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF).
In addition, SDHC authorized the issuance of more than $28.9 million in tax-exempt Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds and $6 million in taxable bonds to support this development. The City Council, in its role as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, approved the bonds. SDHC, the City of San Diego and the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego are not financially liable for the bonds. Private sources of funds, such as revenue from the development, are used to repay the bonds.
SDHC also awarded 10 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers to the development to help pay rent for veterans who previously experienced homelessness. VASH voucher participants receive supportive services, such as clinical health and case management services, from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System.
SDHC awarded the vouchers through HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, its homelessness action plan, which has created more than 10,800 housing solutions since 2014 for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in the City of San Diego.
“This development is a great example of the type of collaboration among the San Diego Housing Commission, the developer, Community HousingWorks, and several other partners required to create affordable housing that San Diego just so desperately needs,” SDHC Vice President of Multifamily Housing Finance Jennifer Kreutter said.
Community HousingWorks President and CEO Sean Spear said Amanecer reflects the developer’s approach to providing housing.
“I believe there were over 2,000 people that submitted applications to live here,” Spear said. “It represents the tremendous need for affordable housing in our community, but also an opportunity really to live in a community that not just is a quality and safe place to live, but also is going to be a community filled with people that are looking to make better lives for themselves in the long run.”
Ten units in the development also are set aside for transition-age youth as part of a commitment by Community HousingWorks for a financial award from the County of San Diego’s Innovative Housing Trust Fund.
“We merged housing many years ago as part of Health and Human Services because housing is health,” County of San Diego Housing and Human Services Agency Director Nick Macchione said. “We have about 8,000 members of the Health and Human Services Agency in San Diego. We serve 1.3 million San Diegans. Some of the very San Diegans are being housed here. Every one of those 1.3 million need a home.”
Additional financing partners in the development include the State of California’s Housing and Community Development (HCD), County of San Diego’s Housing and Community Development Services, California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC), California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC), Redstone Equity and US Bank.
Nancee Robles, executive director for CTCAC and CDLAC, on behalf of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma’s office, commended Community HousingWorks for seeing the project through to the finish, particularly as the developer worked with tight deadlines to receive state tax credits and bond allocation while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The apartments are within walking distance of a community center and park, an elementary school, and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus lines.
“One of my favorite parts of this job is coming to these projects as they’ve gone through this whole process, seeing the residents and the tenants come in, seeing the impact it has on the neighborhood,” California Housing and Community Development Section Chief Hector Leyva said. “Not only does the money go towards providing a home for these individuals, it provides what I call life services.”
Apartments in the building have central air conditioning, Energy Star appliances, including dishwasher, refrigerator and stove/oven, garbage disposal, hard-surface flooring in the kitchen and living areas, and internet access. Some units also have patios or balconies. Additionally, the property has a gated entry and security cameras.
On-site amenities include a multipurpose community room and learning center with computers, a children’s play area, a centralized laundry room, a community kitchen, meeting space and outdoor gathering space that includes a barbecue and picnic area.
The 95 new affordable rental apartments consist of a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units in a five-story building serviced by an elevator. The development also includes one manager’s unit.
Amanecer is managed by San Diego-based ConAm Management Corporation.
For more information about SDHC, visit www.sdhc.org
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
scottm@sdhc.org
