Jamboree Breaks Ground on its First New Construction Development in South San Diego County

SAN YSIDRO, Calif., March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Jamboree Housing Corporation announced today that construction has begun on a 65-unit supportive housing community in San Ysidro, a district of the City of San Diego, located immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border. This is Jamboree's first new construction development in the County of San Diego and adds to the nonprofit developer's existing affordable housing in other areas of the county. San Ysidro Permanent Supportive Housing (San Ysidro PSH), the working name for the development, reflects Jamboree's collaborative approach to create more permanent housing with supportive services. For the City of San Diego, this development reflects its investment in new housing and service options as part of its Community Action Plan on Homelessness.

Supportive housing is a nationally recognized best practice in permanently ending homelessness. It's a housing model that's proven especially effective in stabilizing those experiencing homelessness who are also living with a mental health diagnosis. In fact, according to the 2017 Point in Time count, 39% of San Diego County's homeless population has a reported mental health diagnosis. Given that, San Ysidro PSH will provide the dignity of home to dozens of vulnerable families and individuals. "Jamboree is committed to providing proven solutions to chronic homelessness," said Vicky Rodriguez, Jamboree's Vice President of Housing Development. "We work with local municipalities to creatively leverage scarce local resources that produce high-quality housing opportunities and access to supportive services that allow chronically homeless people to rebuild their lives. In a little over a year, San Ysidro PSH will become a physical manifestation of that commitment and creativity."

San Ysidro PSH builds upon Jamboree's expertise in permanent supportive housing development, a unique process which includes stakeholder and community input. Jamboree is working closely with the San Ysidro Community Planning Group (SYCPG) to ensure that the development fits into the wider community vision for the diverse, working-class neighborhood. After consulting with local neighborhood organizations, Jamboree has altered the design plan for the development and increased the number of two- and three-bedrooms apartments. This community-driven design change equates to more homes for families, a population of particular concern to the SYCPG, at the new community when leasing begins in the third quarter of 2022. "Jamboree's approach to supportive housing is what makes our communities successful in the long-term," said Laura Archuleta, Jamboree President and CEO. "We build alongside the community, ensuring that the final development serves the neighborhood in a multitude of significant ways." The widespread community support for the development is reflected in the SYCPG's unanimous support of San Ysidro PSH during the design and financing stages with both the City and County of San Diego as well as the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC).

"The addition of new permanent supportive housing units throughout the City of San Diego, including San Ysidro, is essential to the long-term, collaborative efforts to address homelessness," said SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry, who also serves on the Leadership Council for the Community Action Plan on Homelessness. "The San Diego Housing Commission is pleased to be working with Jamboree on this development and looks forward to future opportunities to collaborate to create more housing opportunities."

The City of San Diego Community Action Plan on Homelessness recommends 5,416 permanent supportive housing units over the span of 10 years. Jamboree's new development furthers this objective, with local support critical to Jamboree's ability to successfully secure multiple local funding sources. In turn, these funding sources made the overall development more competitive for 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) at the state level. In addition, SDHC awarded a loan of $4.2 million to support this development as well as federal rental housing vouchers to assist residents in paying their rents. Moreover, San Ysidro PSH's 65 affordable apartments are among housing solutions being created through HOUSING FIRST-SAN DIEGO, SDHC's homelessness action plan, a diverse funding and housing strategy that has created thousands of housing solutions in the last six years for San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

San Ysidro PSH will serve households who earn no more than 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Twenty-five of the units will be set aside to serve No Place Like Home (NPLH) clients through the County's Continuum of Care system. It transforms a 1.75-acre lot – that previously housed two 1930s single-family dwellings – into a three- and four-story development with elevator-equipped residential space and opens onto an outdoor courtyard with nearly 2,500 square feet of open space. The property will include a 1,500-square-foot community center with a conference room, resident lounge, and counseling offices that will house onsite supportive services.

The San Ysidro PSH site was chosen, in part, because of its proximity to existing community services – a medical clinic, library, and public transportation are located within a mile of the future supportive housing community. Jamboree will oversee the delivery of supportive services provided by Step Up on Second, a long-time service partner that specializes in supportive housing services, including for people living with a mental illness. "Step Up on Second is proud to partner with Jamboree, once again, on a transformative supportive housing development," said Tod Lipka, CEO of Step Up on Second. "We'll provide supportive services for the residents living at San Ysidro PSH as well as for the surrounding community, helping to leverage some of the great local resources that already exist in this neighborhood."

In Jamboree's ongoing commitment to sustainability, the development is designed to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) for Homes-certified Silver rating. This lowers energy consumption, providing a cost-saving benefit to residents, and promoting overall community health. In response to local concerns voiced about safety and security, Jamboree will incorporate surveillance and fob-restricted entry into the design of the community. The newly constructed apartments will be fully furnished and, upon move-in, will include a home starter kit of household essentials for residents, including linens, kitchen supplies, cleaning products, and other necessities.

Financing for the $33.7-million development consists of a $4.2 loan from SDHC; a $5.5 million NPLH and $895,715 Innovative Housing Trust Fund (IHTF) allocation from the County of San Diego; $15.4 million in tax credit equity provided by Red Stone Equity Partners; $19 million in construction financing, and $7.1 million in permanent financing from Banner Bank. The SDHC's loan for this development consists of local and federal funds SDHC administers, including HOME Investments Partnerships Grant (HOME) funds the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided to the City of San Diego and the City's Affordable Housing Fund.

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ABOUT JAMBOREE: Founded in 1990 and celebrating 30 years of Building for Good, Irvine, CA-headquartered Jamboree Housing Corporation is an award-winning, broad-based nonprofit housing development company that develops, acquires, renovates and manages permanently affordable rental and ownership housing throughout California for working families, seniors and people with special needs. A leading community development organization, Jamboree is committed to sustaining excellence with high quality affordable housing that benefits the environment, the economy and local communities.

It currently has $1.1 billion in affordable housing projects in its development pipeline and a portfolio value of $3.2 billion that includes the development of and/or ownership interest in 9,300+ homes in more than 96 California communities. Currently, Jamboree offers resident services that foster learning, health and wellness, and community building at 34 Jamboree communities with designated staff at each location. For more information, visit jamboreehousing.com and follow Jamboree on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @JamboreeHousing.

Media Contact

Lorraine O'Keefe, ThinkinBig Communications, +1 (949) 219-0770, [email protected]

SOURCE Jamboree Housing Corporation

Related Links

https://jamboreehousing.com/