June 29, 2022
‘I Am Extremely Grateful’: Grand Opening Celebrates 70 New Affordable Apartments in Southcrest
The San Diego Housing Commission collaborated on the Keeler Court development, which provides rental homes for veterans who experienced homelessness, families and seniors
SAN DIEGO, CA — A military veteran who experienced homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, Todd now has a stable, affordable apartment of his own at Keeler Court apartments, a new construction development in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) that celebrated its grand opening today.
“When you get behind the eight ball, especially in today’s society, it’s hard to dig yourself out,” said Todd, a Persian Gulf War-era Marine veteran who receives rental assistance from SDHC through a Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher. “It’s really hard to dig yourself out. And so, I see all the people speaking, and all the work that goes into it, and I am extremely grateful. There’s a lot of hands in this.”
Developed by Community Housing Works, Keeler Court consists of 70 affordable rental studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units and one manager’s unit.
“While we’re talking about affordable housing, let’s be really clear about what we’re talking about, which is homelessness prevention,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said. “And the fact of the matter is that you have folks who will be here a Keeler Court…who will be here to make sure that that doesn’t happen to them, that they have the opportunity to stabilize, get access to education, to health care, maybe save a little bit for the future.”
Keeler Court was built on undeveloped land at 1290 Keeler Court in San Diego’s Southcrest neighborhood.
“Those of you who know me, you know that my obsession is allowing folks to access opportunity to tap into their potential. And housing does that. And they do that by building life- changing communities with resident-centered services. That means there are going to be young people who are learning here. There’s going to be seniors provided with what they need. Families who are going to receive guidance in terms of how to make their money go even further and live healthier lives,” said San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who represents Council District 9, which includes Keeler Court.
Rents at Keeler Court must remain affordable for 55 years for households with income from 30 percent to 60 percent of the San Diego Area Median Income, or $39,050 to $78,060 per year for a family of four.
“The apartments here at Keeler Court will remain an important affordable housing resource in San Diego for decades to come,” said SDHC Vice President of Real Estate Finance Operation Jennifer Kreutter. “The variety of apartment sizes available here provides the opportunity to bring together diverse populations.”
SDHC awarded seven VASH vouchers to the development to help pay the rent for veterans, including Todd, who previously experienced homelessness. VASH voucher participants also receive supportive services, such as clinical health and case management services, from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System.
These VASH vouchers are linked directly to the development, and when a Veteran moves on, they remain with the development to help another eligible Veteran experiencing homelessness move into Keeler Court.
SDHC awarded the vouchers through HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, its homelessness action plan, which has created more than 10,600 housing solutions since 2014 for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in the City of San Diego.
To further support the Keeler Court development, SDHC also authorized the issuance of $24.7 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds. The San Diego City Council, in its role as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, approved these bonds, which do not create any financial liability for SDHC, the City of San Diego or the Housing Authority. Private sources of funds, such as revenue from the development, are used to repay the bonds.
Community Housing Works saw the development of Keeler Court in Southcrest as “an opportunity to work with a broad coalition that was assembled to support this project and make it successful,” said Sochiata Vutthy, Interim Chief Operating Officer of Community Housing Works. “Working together all of these entities helped to create this beautiful, energy-efficient community that you see and you’re sitting here and experiencing today.”
The additional partners included the National Black Contractors Association, Circulate San Diego, Metropolitan Transit System, Civic San Diego, Urban Core and Union Bank.
The construction of Keeler Court was also made possible with federal low-income housing tax credits allocated by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC).
“Affordable housing in California is at a critical shortage. And that’s what makes today so special. Through a massive collaboration of private and public partnerships, organizations and 10 different funding sources, we are able to stand in front of this beautiful apartment, where at least 70 families are going to be able to call home,” CTCAC Executive Director Nancee Robles said.
The State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) also provided funding for the development through two competitive grant programs: the Infill Infrastructure Grant Program and the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC).
“We have to build housing in a way that also reduces the harmful effects of climate. And this is a great example of how we’re doing that,” HCD Director Gustavo Velazquez said.
Through the AHSC funding, Keeler Court includes additional neighborhood bicycle circulation improvements and other community infrastructure enhancements, which include more than a mile of pedestrian safety improvements, including off-site pedestrian improvements in high-traffic intersections leading to Cesar Chavez Elementary School.
Residents of Keeler Court will also receive free annual bus passes, through a collaboration between Community Housing Works, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the Metropolitan Transit System.
Keeler Court recently received a local Ruby Award from the San Diego Housing Federation as the Project of the Year for New Construction of less than 100 units. The development also received a Merit Award for its design at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference’s 59th Annual Gold Nugget Awards.
Keeler Court is located across the street from a CVS pharmacy, a Northgate Market, and additional businesses. A community park and primary schools are also within walking distance. It is comprised of 10 studio units, 20 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units, 22 three-bedroom units, as well as one unrestricted manager’s unit.
On-site amenities include a resident areas such as a computer lab, multipurpose room, a play area, barbecues with outdoor seating, laundry facilities and bike storage.
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
