July 13, 2016

Groundbreaking Held for Affordable Housing for Low-Income Seniors in North Park

San Diego Housing Commission Partnership Development; 75 Affordable Rental Housing Units

San Diego, CA — The turn of shovels in a patch of dirt in North Park today marked the groundbreaking on North Park Senior Apartments, a San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) partnership development that will transform a vacant parking lot into housing open to all low-income seniors that will remain affordable for 55 years.

North Park Senior Apartments, located at 4200 Texas St., between El Cajon Boulevard and Howard Avenue in North Park, will also be the first affordable housing development for seniors in the city of San Diego to provide programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) seniors.

“North Park knows how to do this. They come to the table and say, ‘How can we be part of a solution and embrace what we need for our community,’” said California State Assemblymember Toni Atkins, former speaker of the Assembly.

Councilmember Todd Gloria, speaking in front of a backdrop of balloons in the shape of an LGBT rainbow, thanked SDHC, under the leadership of President & CEO Richard C. Gentry, for partnering on the development.

“This project had incredible public support throughout the process,” Gloria said.

SDHC is partnering with Community HousingWorks (CHW) to develop North Park Senior Apartments, which includes 75 affordable units and one manager’s unit.

“This is going to be forever a wonderful part, not only of North Park, and not only the LGBT community, but the entire community of San Diego,” CEO Gentry said.

The 75 affordable units – which range from studios to two-bedroom, two-bath apartments – will serve low-income seniors with incomes ranging from 50 to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), approximately $34,000 to $40,800 for a two-person family.

In addition, SDHC has awarded eight Federal rental housing vouchers to provide rental assistance for homeless seniors at North Park Senior Apartments. These Federal rental housing vouchers are linked to the housing development. When a tenant moves, the vouchers remain with the affordable housing unit so that another homeless senior will be able to move off the street. With these housing vouchers, tenants pay up to 30 percent of their income toward rent.

SDHC is investing a $7 million loan toward the estimated total development cost of $28.3 million to build North Park Senior Apartments. SDHC’s loan includes up to $2 million from Federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Investment Partnerships

Program funds awarded to the City of San Diego and administered by SDHC, as well as $5 million from City of San Diego Inclusionary Housing funds, administered by SDHC.

SDHC also authorized the issuance of up to $15 million in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds toward the development of North Park Senior Apartments. The San Diego City Council, sitting as the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, approved the bonds on June 28, 2016.

Sue Reynolds, President and CEO of Community HousingWorks, said the seed was planted for the development during meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Housing for LGBT Seniors, nearly a decade ago.

“This day is a lot about dreaming, because it took many hands and many dreams to come to this day,” CEO Reynolds said.

CHW has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center, Inc. (The Center) to provide services at North Park Senior Apartments, such as:

• Case Management;
• Professional Mental Health Services;
• Social Activities;
• Fitness Classes; and
• Educational Workshops.

“North Park Senior Apartments will become a model for senior communities across San Diego, across our state, across our country, places where the dream of real inclusion, of real equality can be made real,” said Delores Jacobs, CEO of The Center.

North Park Senior Apartments is centrally located near public transit, shopping opportunities, and medical centers. The development will feature “universal design” features, making it accessible to all seniors, including those with and without disabilities.

Once construction begins, it will take approximately 18 months, and residents should be able to move in by December 2017.

For more information about SDHC, please visit www.sdhc.org

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Media Contact:
Maria Velasquez
Chief Communications Officer
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7560
mariav@sdhc.org