Community HousingWorks (CHW) has opened an affordable housing community for older residents, including those who have been homeless, in San Diego.
Built for residents 55 and older, Puesta del Sol apartments serves households earning 30% to 60% of the area median income, and the 59-unit community has been awarded project-based vouchers to ensure access for the most vulnerable. Additionally, six units will serve chronically homeless individuals supported by wraparound services to ensure their housing success.
Adjacent to CHW’s Amanecer Apartments, Puesta del Sol completes the combined intergenerational community in San Diego’s Linda Vista neighborhood. Together, the two developments represent the first new affordable housing construction in Linda Vista, according to officials.
“When CHW started the work to build [Puesta del Sol and Amanecer] on Ulric Street, our intent was to provide housing for vulnerable community members who had a critical need for affordable housing,” said Sean Spear, CHW president and CEO. “Our hope is that these two communities will really interact with each other as an intergenerational community within Linda Vista.”
Puesta del Sol resident Marian Sewell shared her story at the recent opening celebration.
She moved to San Diego from Miami in the mid-1970s and worked for the Department of Defense and later in retail. “I paid into Social Security since I was 18 years old. … I thought I had it made, but inflation happened,” Sewell said. “As it turns out, I didn’t even have enough money to rent an apartment on a fixed income.”
The new development provides Sewell and others with needed affordable housing.
Puesta del Sol features one-bedroom apartments and a two-bedroom manager’s unit. On-site amenities include a multipurpose room with a kitchen, an outdoor courtyard and grills, a computer room, a rooftop terrace, and a centralized laundry room.
A second-floor “flex room” will be dedicated later this year to longtime CHW team member Kelly Swanson. Swanson, who died in 2023, had served CHW as a senior project accountant for more than 12 years.
The $37 million development was financed with 9% low-income housing tax credits awarded by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and syndicated by Red Stone Equity Partners. Other partners include the San Diego Housing Commission, which provided a below-market loan and project-based vouchers; construction and permanent lender Chase Bank; and the city of San Diego, which waived permit fees.
The development team included general contractor Sun Country Builders, architectural firm Studio E Architects, civil engineering firm Project Design Consultants, and landscape architect Schmidt Design Group. On-site services for residents are provided by LifeSTEPS, CHW services partner.
