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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Agency Supports Affordable Housing Projects

Finding affordable housing in San Diego may be like looking for that proverbial needle, but if not for agencies like the Local Initiative for Support Corp., it might be nonexistent.

The national nonprofit, with a presence in 40 cities including San Diego, provided more than $15 million in grants, loans and equity for local community revitalization projects last year.

“Our focus is in community redevelopment, and we work almost exclusively with neighborhood-based organizations. 2000 was a banner year for San Diego LISC because we were fortunate enough to help so many local communities like City Heights, Bayview, Golden Hill and Chula Vista,” said Robert Turner, San Diego LISC’s executive director.

In partnership with a subsidiary agency, the California Equity Fund, the local LISC invested some $10 million of the total in two affordable housing projects, refurbishing a 60-unit complex in City Heights and a new, 100-unit project in Poway.

In addition, the organization invested $3.5 million in the Urban Village retail project in City Heights, now under construction. It also provided $1.4 million in grants and loans to various community development corporations used to hire and retain staffers, pay for office space and renovations, and set up computer centers.

The region’s affordable housing crisis is real and getting worse, Turner said.

“Right now we’re at a crisis in San Diego for those people making $10 an hour or less because there is no stock available in the $600-per-month range that they can afford.”

Among the solutions Turner prescribes are getting cities to work more closely with community groups developing affordable apartment projects; amending city general plans to require single-family home developers to set aside a minimum percentage of their construction for low-income housing; and providing exemptions on water and sewer fees for organizations that build affordable housing if they provide certain services like day care or training for residents.

Turner said elected officials often extol smart growth but usually fail when it comes to making it easier for constructing affordable home projects.

“Cities want to have it both ways. They want the higher income that comes from the property taxes on single-family homes, and businesses, but they want someone else to develop affordable housing,” he said.

This year, the San Diego LISC hopes to invest “about the same amount” into the area, but it cannot work miracles. It’s going to take a lot more coordinated efforts between developers, city governments, and community organizations to increase affordable apartments, Turner said.

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