SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Construction began Thursday on an affordable housing project in Clairemont that is part of San Diego’s ongoing fight against homelessness.
The $187.5 million investment includes three apartment buildings -- with 309 total units -- for low-income seniors and families, as well as those with disabilities, according to officials leading the project.
Crews will transform a vacant lot on Mt. Etna Drive -- where a San Diego County sheriff’s crime lab once stood -- into space for the affordable housing units.
Paul Downey, the president and CEO of the nonprofit Serving Seniors, said he hopes the development can help address the homeless issue in the area, because one of the primary causes of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing.
“People simply can't afford the rent, so there is correlation to housing availability and housing costs and homelessness. So, by providing affordable housing … families can find a place that they can actually afford to live and actually have some money left over for something else is critically important to keep them from falling into homelessness,” said Downey.
Construction on the buildings is expected to be completed in two years.
