April 14, 2018

New Affordable Housing for Low-Income Families and Homeless Veterans Breaks Ground in Encanto

San Diego Housing Commission partnership development Encanto Village will provide 65 rental apartments that will remain affordable for 55 years

SAN DIEGO, CA – Additional affordable housing opportunities for low-income families and homeless military Veterans will be created near public transit through the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) partnership development Encanto Village, which celebrated its groundbreaking today.

“There is no bigger issue in California than our housing affordability crisis,” California State Assembly Majority Whip Todd Gloria said. “Projects like this help to illustrate what we’re trying to do—making it not about gentrification, but about stabilization. So that people who live in this community can continue to live in this community, that they can thrive, and they can prosper for generations to come.”

The Encanto Village location is identified by the Encanto Neighborhoods Community Plan as part of a core “Village Area” and key corridor that will foster growth within the community.

“This is an ideal place because it really is next to transportation, next to schools – Encanto Elementary is across the street, Lincoln High School is down the street. This is really a center for families to live,” said California State Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber, whose district includes the Encanto Village location at 6323 Imperial Avenue.

Encanto Village is one of several new affordable rental housing developments to be built in City Council District 4, which includes the Encanto community, since City Council President Myrtle Cole began representing the district more than four years ago.

“We have Independence Point. We have Trolley Park Terrace. We have Villa Encantada, and now we have Encanto Village coming up,” Council President Cole said. “I’m looking forward to the ribbon cutting for this wonderful project.”

Developed by National Community Renaissance (National CORE), in partnership with SDHC, Encanto Village will consist of 65 rental apartments affordable to families with income up to 60 percent of the San Diego Area Median Income, which is approximately $58,380 a year for a family of four.

Eight of these units will be set aside for military Veterans experiencing homelessness. SDHC awarded eight U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers through HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan, to provide rental assistance for these residents, who will receive supportive services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Encanto Village will remain affordable for 55 years,” SDHC Vice President of Multifamily Housing Finance Ted Miyahara said. “This development reflects the collaboration that is needed News Release April 14, 2018 2 to address the City’s continuing shortage of affordable rental housing for families with lower incomes—as well as homeless Veterans,”

SDHC invested a loan of more than $1 million toward the development of Encanto Village:

• $960,000 from the HUD HOME Program funds, which are granted to the City of San Diego and administered by SDHC; and
• $100,000 from the City’s Affordable Housing Fund, also administered by SDHC.

In addition, Civic San Diego, the City of San Diego’s nonprofit development arm, invested $6.25 million toward the development. The estimated total development cost for Encanto Village is $23.4 million.

“One of the things we’re very committed to is that our properties are not viewed as a landing pad where people come and stay, but as a launching pad where people can come, lives are stabilized, and then they’re able to launch into whatever their future is,” National CORE President and CEO Steve PonTell said.

Encanto Village will include a mix of 30 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units, and 17 three-bedroom units.

“The looks on people’s faces when they are moving into their apartments, when they know they have security, when they know that they can plan their lives, there’s no better look. There’s no better day. And I look forward to that day,” San Diego Housing Federation Executive Director Stephen Russell said.

On-site services from the Hope Through Housing Foundation, an affiliate partner of National CORE, will be available to the families living at the property, such as after-school activities, as well as classes in financial literacy, homebuyer education, résumé building, nutrition and English as a Second Language.

Amenities at Encanto Village will include two resident gardens, courtyards, an outdoor play area for children, laundry room, secure bicycle storage spaces, electric vehicle charging spaces, realtime kiosks displaying arrival and departure times of the nearby Encanto/62nd Street Trolley Station, and a community room. In addition, Encanto Village includes approximately 5,075 square feet of commercial space for nonprofit organizations and businesses, such as restaurants.

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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
(619) 578-7138
scottm@sdhc.org