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A Newsletter For Our Friends &
Partners December
2007 |
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Home for the Holidays |
 Dear Friends &
Partners,During the holiday season, we
particularly appreciate the importance of family and home. At
the San Diego Housing Commission, we're privileged to
work throughout the year to bring the reality of a safe and
affordable home to the families we serve. This can only
be done with the support and contribution of many partners
from all sectors -- non-profit, government, corporate, and
community. And so, on behalf of all employees of the San Diego
Housing Commission, we express our gratitude to all of you who
work with all of us. We look forward to a new year and new
ventures with you!
Happy Holidays,
Elizabeth C. Morris
President & CEO
Pictured above:
Young residents make gingerbread houses at one of SDHC's
seven Learning Opportunity Centers, where children can
participate in after-school programming and
tutoring. |
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Affordable Housing Spotlight:
Auburn Park |
 Auburn Park, a beautifully
designed apartment community in City Heights, is a glowing
example of successful partnerships. The developer, Affirmed
Housing Group, teamed up with the City's Redevelopment Agency,
which invested $6.5 million, and the San Diego Housing
Commission, which administers the inclusionary, density bonus,
and monitoring aspects for the development. The 69-unit
community will serve low-income families earning 30-60% of San
Diego's Area Median Income (AMI). The developer also built a
community park for the residents of City Heights. Other
infrastructure improvements include new sidewalks, landscaping
and rows of mature palm trees.
Click here to see Rod Luck of KUSI TV at
Auburn
Park. | |
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Success
Story |
 Rafael never
imagined he would be able to "get ahead" in the work world. He
was too busy struggling to support his wife and children. But
with help from SDHC's Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program,
Rafael earned his license as a Registered Dental Assistant.
"It's a dream come true," says Rafael, who lives in a
Housing Commission-owned apartment community.
Each year, SDHC's FSS program helps more than 500
residents with career planning, education, financial literacy,
and other tools to help them get ahead.
Rafael now has a great job in his new field. And as his
income grows, so does his FSS Savings Account. He hopes to use
the savings toward the purchase of a new
home. | |
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SDHC
Exits Public Housing Program to Create Even More
Affordable Housing |
SDHC is blazing new trails
once again with the approval of its innovative Public Housing
opt-out proposal. In October 2007, the U.S. Department of
Housing & Urban Development agreed to "hand over the keys"
to the agency's 1,366 public housing apartments, and awarded
the agency's public housing residents with Section 8
vouchers. This will allow SDHC to remove its public housing from
the underfunded federal program and leverage its $125
million real estate inventory to build more housing.
SDHC residents can use their Section 8 vouchers
in their current Housing
Commission-owned home or in any rental housing that accepts
vouchers. Residents will continue to pay rent equal
to 30-40% of their income.
 Resident Patricia Rossell
(pictured right) plans to use her Section 8 voucher
to continue living in her Housing Commission-owned apartment.
"This is our home - and we love it here!" Patricia says.
This
first-of-its-kind program will provide SDHC with a steady
revenue stream to properly maintain its properties, provide
enhanced services to residents, and build at least 350
additional affordable housing units.
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NAHRO
Bestows Awards on SDHC at National Conference in San
Diego |
 At its Fall Conference in San
Diego, the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment
Officials awarded the M. Justin Herman Memorial Award to
Elizabeth C. Morris, President & CEO of SDHC. The lifetime
achievement award is the highest honor in the affordable
housing field and caps a 35-year career for Morris, who will
retire on Jan. 15, 2008.
In addition, SDHC picked up two NAHRO Mark of Excellence
Awards - one for the agency's new LEED-certified office
building at Smart Corner, and another for Fairbanks Ridge, an
affordable apartment community developed by Chelsea Investment
Corp. with support from Black Mountain Ranch LLC and
SDHC.
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Agency
Actions |
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 Following is a
summary of key actions taken by the Housing Commission and
Housing Authority:
> Approved initial steps to issue
up to $55 million in bonds to fund Affirmed
Housing Group's acquisition and construction of the
Ten Fifty B project (pictured
right). Ten Fifty B is a 229-unit, 23-story affordable
rental housing development in downtown San Diego that will
serve low-income families earning 25-60% AMI. Additional
financial support will come from CCDC. 10-9-07. Report.
>
Approved issuance of up to $4.5 million in
bonds to fund the acquisition and rehabilitation of
Colina Park North by Hamilton San Diego
Apartments LP. The complex is a 64-unit apartment
community in City Heights that will serve low-income families
earning 50-60% AMI. 12-04-07. Report.
>
Approved SDHC's request to apply for up to
$25 million in Mortgage Credit Certificates
for 2008, to be used to help low-income individuals purchase
homes through SDHC's Homebuyer Programs. 11/20/07. Report.
Click here for all
agendas, reports, actions and
minutes. |
The San Diego Housing Commission
is a public agency working to expand affordable
housing opportunities in the City of San Diego. Each
year, the agency helps 80,000
low-income individuals with affordable housing through
award-winning programs that benefit the city's economy and
revitalize neighborhoods. The agency also finances affordable
housing development and advises the San Diego City Council on
housing policy matters. Learn more: www.sdhc.org. | |
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