SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Destry Whitney has been through a lot to be in a better place than where he once was.
He told ABC 10News following a heart attack that left him unable to work, he lost his home in Pacific Beach. Whitney then became homeless, but the pages in his story have turned for the better.
“Got into the hotel program during COVID which is a huge help; the transitional housing, a very important step in the process. And at that time, they were just finishing the St. Teresa’s Calcutta and I got accepted there to move in,” Whitney said.
Whitney’s journey is like plenty of others who end up on our streets, which is something advocates are seeing firsthand.
“The county has 8,500 people who are homeless. And, even though we get people off of the streets, more people are ending up on the street,” Joel Roberts of PATH Ventures said.
San Diego County is awarding more than $29 million to nine developments from North County to the South Bay make more than 600 affordable and supportive housing units available. These units will be for people who are unhoused or at risk of becoming homeless.
“Veterans, persons with disabilities, seniors, low-income families, really just trying to cover, you know, all of our vulnerable populations around the region,” Kelly Salmons, with San Diego County Housing & Community Development Services, said.
Affordable and supportive housing can mean all of the difference for those who are most vulnerable. Whitney said he’d be in a dire place without it.
“Probably dead because I’d be living on the street. And, bottom line is with my health issues and multitude of others, but mine specifically, wouldn’t allow me to sleep on the street,” Whitney said.
The county said two of the nine properties are already existing, while the other seven are future construction projects.
It’s aiming to have them all the completed in the next two to two and half years.
When new units come to our area, there’s hope for others to start a new chapter, just like Whitney did.
“These are huge. They make a big difference in people’s live. And everybody will tell you in here we’re really blessed,” Whitney said.
The county said each developer opens up a waiting list typically about six months before they anticipate the completion of the construction project. You can access those on their websites or by calling each developer.
