Homelessness and Affordable Housing

Creating Home Together

The County of San Diego is dedicated to ending homelessness, helping those who are enduring it and at risk of it, and to creating more affordable housing to help all San Diegans.

Just in the past year, our County worked with cities, companies, groups and communities to complete, open or break ground on more than 1,400 new affordable homes and living spaces.

We held grand openings in San Marcos, Chula Vista and San Diego’s City Heights, Linda Vista and Valencia Park neighborhoods. And we broke ground in Oceanside, San Marcos and Carlsbad, along with Clairemont Mesa, Nestor, Little Italy and other San Diego neighborhoods.

"It is truly a team effort to support individuals to be healthy, safe and thriving in their new homes. About half the individuals living here have overcome years of chronic street homelessness and what has happened is the creation of a place where people can truly lead the life that of us, that all people, all humans deserve."

- Greg Anglea, Interfaith Community Services, CEO
at Windsor Pointe Opening in Carlsbad

These projects will help people escape or avoid homelessness. They will help low-income families, seniors, young adults moving out of foster care, veterans and people who have behavioral health issues.

In October 2022, the County and City of San Diego approved a resolution to create 10,000 new affordable homes by 2030 in a historic housing summit. We also awarded more than $29 million in affordable housing funds and gave out 121 project-based vouchers to nine developments.

We have added innovative, outcome-based programs. For example, last year we created a new pilot “Shallow Rent Subsidy” program to help low-income seniors avoid homelessness by paying selected seniors $500 a month for 18 months, through their landlords, to help pay rents. This May, we kicked off our Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT) program, working with Jewish Family Service of San Diego. The program will give one-time $4,000 grants to a couple thousand low-income families and seniors hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic to help them recover.

Our Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities reported numerous achievements in its second year. It secured $50 million in new state and federal funds to address homelessness; had nearly 40,000 engagements with people at risk of or experiencing homelessness; and connected thousands to housing and services. It also provided housing options for over 4,400 people; held or took part in hundreds of community events to create equitable communities; and worked to support immigrants and refugees.

And our work continues. In June, the County led a partnership that was awarded nearly $17 million in state funds to help more people experiencing homelessness along the San Diego riverbed get into more permanent housing and connected them with needed services.

In July, our Board approved using $44.3 million in state Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program funds to provide more housing for San Diegans who have serious behavioral health conditions and are experiencing homelessness.

We have new affordable housing developments that have been or are expected to be approved in El Cajon, Escondido, Fallbrook, Grantville, Imperial Beach, Otay Mesa and San Marcos.

In addition, we continue to work on a Housing Blueprint. It aims to curb our region’s housing crisis by finding ways to build more housing and housing around transit hubs; build and retain affordable housing; reduce housing prices overall; and help people stay in their existing homes.

12,051

Households received Monthly Rental Assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program or from Federal Funds Issued by the County of San Diego