A brand new apartment complex reserved for homeless veteran families is having a hard time finding people to move in.
Fifty-two new homes at the Vista del Puente apartment complex in Southcrest is set to have people move in beginning Thanksgiving week. However, 20 of those apartments are vacant.
Vista del Puente was built by the non-profit group, Townspeople. The group's projects regularly focus on homeless military veterans with disabilities, HIV or AIDS. The 20 vacancies at Vista del Puente are reserved specifically for homeless families of veterans with disabilities.
βThatβs a fantastic, awesome idea,β said Jeanette Bell, who feeds and clothes the homeless with other Skyline Church volunteers in downtown San Diego.
The apartments in the complex have one, two, or three bedrooms and cost roughly $700 to $1,100 a month. Townspeople executive director Jon Derryberry told NBC 7 there are roughly 1,200 people on a waitlist but few of them qualify as a homeless family of a veteran with disabilities.
βThe problem is there is over 10,000 units needed and theyβre not being built [today],β Derryberry said.
Instead, Townspeople started with the next 52 apartments.
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βIβm frustrated most of the time,β He said. βI think we can do more.β
Anyone who qualifies or knows someone who does was urged to contact Townspeople directly.