New chapter for old courthouse: $102M affordable housing project coming in ’27

The site of the future Kindred Apartments made up of affordable housing Photo courtesy of County News Center Work on the million project that will replace the county s old Family Court with affordable housing for seniors and families with low incomes began in earnest Tuesday The Kindred Apartments with units will remain affordable for years for households earning no more than of San Diego s area median income That s a year for a family of four as of functionaries stated Nowadays is proof of what can happen when the city and the county work together with our nonprofit partners to get big and bold things done and I look forward to more collaboration to make sure that we re continuing to serve our shared constituents to the best of our respective abilities San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria stated Bridge Housing is progressing the Cortez Hill project in collaboration with the San Diego Housing Commission and other partners The growth at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Beech Street will include square feet of commercial retail space The commission awarded housing vouchers to Kindred of which are for seniors who have been homeless The remaining vouchers will assist eligible families with low incomes We are here celebrating this site that was once a family courthouse and temporary migrant shelter it will now become a space of hope healing and opportunity San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe announced In contemporary times s groundbreaking is more than just the start of construction It s the beginning of a new chapter for this region and so multiple people who will benefit from this space The evolution scheduled to be completed in early includes one unrestricted manager s unit San Ysidro Healthcare will provide supportive services through the San Diego Project of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly for senior residents There will be episode management and social services for all residents The housing commission s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Advance Colin Miller called the units to come life-changing for seniors who have experienced homelessness and families struggling financially in San Diego s high-cost rental domain Funding for the project comes from a variety of sources including a loan of up to million from the commission consisting of federal state and local funds the agency administers and million from the county s Innovative Housing Trust Fund The county also provided the land identified as a surplus property valued at million for Kindred Two other affordable housing projects on county surplus land have opened in Linda Vista and Clairemont Mesa with a third in Little Italy due to be completed this summer The collaboration between the city and county comes at a time when both are tightening their belts and specific seeds of distrust have been germinating In January s State of the City Address Gloria urged the county to take a greater role in the city s homelessness response Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer acting chair of the board responded in her State of the County Address earlier this month and other community statements She requested the county to free up various of its reserves to help build more affordable housing