September 24, 2021
Grand Opening Celebrates 73 Affordable Rental Apartments for Seniors who Experienced Homelessness with Chronic Health Issues
SDHC’s homelessness action plan, HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, supported the development of Trinity Place
SAN DIEGO, CA — After intermittent homelessness in the past, including two years at a women’s shelter program in San Diego, Melanie moved into a permanent affordable home of her own this month at Trinity Place, developed in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) to provide furnished affordable studios with supportive services for seniors who experienced homelessness with chronic health issues.
“It’s amazing. When they said I got matched with housing, they never told me how nice it was going to be,” Melanie said. “It’s very important to have these opportunities. The housing is just over the top, being able to have your own home, not worrying about where you’re going to be the next day, what you’re going to do.”
Developed by Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation in collaboration with SDHC and additional organizations, Trinity Place celebrated its grand opening today. It is located at 6240 Mission Gorge Road in the Grantville neighborhood in City Council District 7.
“If we ever forget that what we’re doing is helping individuals who’ve been looking for help for a long time, we’ve really lost our way. And I’m so glad that all of the funders, all the partners, and, of course, Wakeland, have recognized that we are helping human beings in this process,” said San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo, who represents Council District 7. “The beauty of this building right here, where we really need it in Grantville, the curb appeal that makes people want to drive through and support the small businesses, this is important for every aspect of our economy, for our social fabric, and I am honored to support it.”
SDHC supported the Trinity Place development through HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s homelessness action plan. The 73 permanent supportive housing units at Trinity Place are among 9,800 housing solutions HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO has created in less than seven years for San Diegans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, with another 500 housing units approved and pending completion.
“These particular apartments are a source of hope for San Diego. Who will be living here are many seniors who have come in here with health issues from living on the streets for years, and this kind of property is exactly what they need to make their lives whole,” SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry said. “Trinity Place will now provide a home they can afford along with services that they need.”
SDHC awarded 73 federal rental housing vouchers to help the residents of Trinity Place pay their rent. These vouchers are tied to the units so that when a tenant moves, the voucher remains to help another senior experiencing homelessness.
SDHC also awarded a $700,000 development loan that consists of federal and local funds SDHC administers for the City of San Diego:
- $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership Program; and
- $200,000 from the City of San Diego’s Affordable Housing Fund.
Trinity Place will remain affordable for 55 years for seniors age 55 and older with extremely low income (up to 30 percent of San Diego’s Area Median Income). The development also includes a manager’s unit with no affordability restrictions.
The County of San Diego invested a loan of $2.7 million toward the development from the Special Needs Housing Program funded by the State of California Mental Health Services Act.
“We are really committed to being at the forefront, being really great partners, and committing our resources, our policy attention and our energy to figuring how we can bring transformative, lasting solutions to this sector,” said Jeffrey Yeun, Senior Advisor for County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. “I think this is just a great, it’s a testament to all of the hard work everyone’s done here to be able to actually get homes built, and I think that’s something we’re very excited about and want to see a lot more of.”
The apartments at Trinity Place include adaptable accommodations, such as bathroom grab bars, large door handles, and easy-to-open cabinets. They also include features for residents with hearing and vision impairments. A designated curbside pickup area next to the main lobby will help residents easily access service provider transportation. Additional service provider van parking spaces and pickup areas are available in the garage.
“Wakeland is all about the success of our residents,” Wakeland Housing CEO Ken Sauder said. “And likewise, here at Trinity Place, we have built a facility that will help the residents succeed, and we’re also providing the services that will also help them to succeed.”
Residents are offered supportive services that promote health, housing stability and individual well-being. Service providers are: People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), St. Paul’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Community Research Foundation (CRF) Senior Impact; and Alpha Project Home Finders.
“We’re a proud provider of supportive services here at Trinity Place. This collaborative model provides senior residents with the social, emotional, and medical assistance they need that is life-changing,” PATH Senior Regional Director Jonathan Castillo said.
“If you are living under the bridge or living in the park, you cannot be worried about your diabetes or your heart disease. But moving into a beautiful place like this, with support from the agencies that are here to support and to serve, these people can turn their lives around, get their health under control, get their medical conditions taken care of, and that’s what we are here to do at St. Paul’s PACE,” said Cheryl Wilson, CEO of St. Paul’s Senior Services.
Additional amenities at Trinity Place include parcel lockers in the lobby, a landscaped courtyard with seating areas, a nursing office, an exercise room and a community room for resident gatherings and workshops.
Representatives from the offices of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, California State Assemblymember Akilah Weber, and County Supervisor Joel Anderson also attended today’s grand opening.
The total development cost for the development was $34.2 million. Additional financing partners included the California Housing Finance Agency, Civic San Diego, Wells Fargo and the California Community Reinvestment Corporation.
For more information, visit www.sdhc.org
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
