Hundreds of new affordable housing units are either under construction or about to open in San Diego’s North County, but will it put a dent in the housing crisis?
“It’s a great start,” said Greg Anglea, CEO of Interfaith Community Services, the North County’s largest provider of services for the homeless.
Affordable housing is different than emergency shelters for the homeless, which are few and far between, said Anglea.
“There are less than 150 emergency shelter beds in all of North County. There are more than 2,000 people experiencing homelessness in the north county," he said.
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Affordable housing units are hailed as the answer to California’s housing crisis, and that’s why so many apartments are now under construction.
Ground was broken in late April on a 70-unit complex in Carlsbad, called Aviara. Earth movers and contractors were hard at work on the property which is near the intersection of Palomar Airport Road and Aviara Parkway.
The project is being developed by BRIDGE, a nonprofit organization that will rent 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments at reduced rates to low-income people who qualify.
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In San Marcos another project called Alora could see low-income families moving in as early as next week. The finishing touches are being made on the 100-unit complex, as work gets started on a second complex next door called Estrella. Both properties are being developed and managed by Affirmed Housing, a company known for creating affordable multi-family housing.
Affirmed has a number of other affordable home projects already up and running in San Marcos, Del Sur and Rancho Bernardo.
Scott Aspell is looking forward to his move from an emergency shelter for homeless veterans to affordable housing. Aspell, who served in the Air Force from 1999 to 2003, was homeless and using drugs on the streets of San Diego.
“I was at a point in my life where things were so bad that the idea of living wasn’t even a good option,” he told NBC 7. “Because I know I have the backing of the VA, my last ditch effort is always to go to the VA hospital.”
After getting treatment at the VA, he learned about a program for homeless veterans in Escondido operated by Interfaith Community Services. After six months at the Hawthorne Veteran and Family Resource Center, Aspell has a housing voucher and is ready to look for a home of his own.
“I’d like to live in a place that’s safe and isn’t going to put me back into a dangerous situation where I might fall victim to the things that brought me down in the past,” he said.
He knows it won’t be easy. Although Aspell says he has good disability benefits and social security, his credit isn’t great. He hopes he’ll qualify for a low-income home.
“We need to find better places to house people and allow it easier for them to get in," he said.
Anglea told NBC 7 the affordable housing units now being built are needed, but homeless emergency shelters are needed even more because people need to first get off the streets.
“Every person’s homelessness is going to be ended by a home, and so we need more of those affordable homes but for most people who end up literally street homeless, they’re going to need some place in between, a transitional program like we operate here or even an emergency shelter," he said.
The Veteran Resource Center operated by Interfaith Community Services will transition into a family shelter next month. The veterans will move to a different location in Escondido.
“Homelessness is solvable for every individual, one person, one family at a time,” said Anglea. “People just need to be given the opportunity to be successful, so our family shelter here is going to provide that opportunity for about 10 families at a time . We need support from the community to provide these services, and we encourage the community to get involved in organizations doing this work because together we really can help people in their time of need.”
