CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - An affordable housing community for older adults had its grand opening in Carlsbad.
A fully-furnished apartment that Joseph and Connie Kistela are grateful to call home.
"We lived in a mobile home park, and unfortunately, like everything, the rent there was going up and up and up, and it got to the point where we had to make a decision where we probably had to leave Carlsbad," said Joseph Kistela. "But when this came available and multiple times trying to get on the list and everything, finally it happened, and now, here we are."
The Kistelas are part of the new 47-unit apartment complex called Vintage at Marja Acres, an affordable community for people 55 years and older in Carlsbad.
It's a $21 million project for an area that's expensive, even for California.
"It's just a big load off that we don't have to worry about when it's increasing," said Connie Kistela.
"If we had not been accepted for this place, we probably would have had to move out of San Diego or Carlsbad," said Joseph.
The mayor of Carlsbad said there are several challenges when it comes to adding more affordable housing in the city.
"We've got to worry about traffic, we've got to worry about financing, about infrastructure, and we're running out of room," said Mayor Keith Blackburn.
For people looking for affordable housing, the Kistelas said to get on the wait list as soon as possible.
"Get your name on the list early," said Joseph Kistela. "The earlier, the better the chance of you being able to obtain something as beautiful as this. And just be persistent and patient, and just that, again, I can't emphasize, just get your name early on the list."
As for now, the Kistelas are happy to be here.
Residents who are at least 55 years old and earn 30 to 60% of the area median income for San Diego County are eligible at the apartments.
A recent study from the San Diego Housing Federation said San Diego County is more than 134,500 homes short for low-income renters.
