Developed by Affirmed Housing, The Link provides 86 apartments—72 permanent supportive housing apartments for people who have experienced homelessness and 14 affordable studios for households earning up to 50% of the area median income in San Diego.
Jim- AP LLC Developed by Affirmed Housing, The Link provides 86 apartments—72 permanent supportive housing apartments for people who have experienced homelessness and 14 affordable studios for households earning up to 50% of the area median income in San Diego.

A new permanent supportive housing (PSH) community has opened its doors in San Diego.

Developed by Affirmed Housing, The Link has 72 PSH apartments to serve people who have experienced homelessness and 14 affordable studios for those earning no more than 50% of the area median income.

Built on a site that had been occupied by an abandoned warehouse, the new development also aims to help spur neighborhood revitalization, according to officials.

“Affordable housing can have a tremendously positive impact on neighborhoods, on communities, on cities, and on our region,” said Todd Gloria, California state Assembly member. “What I see time and again are projects of incredible quality—often the nicest building in the neighborhood—projects that actually change lives.”

Each apartment is approximately 300 to 400 square feet, with a living space, a kitchen, and a bath. The seven-story, 50,000-square-foot project features a glass-encased lobby, a community room, and laundry facilities.

Built by HA Builders and designed by Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, the development features a dramatically sharp angle, creating a striking presence at a major downtown intersection.

The Link follows the nationally recognized Housing First model for ending homelessness.

“The Housing First model has proven to be the best way to get folks off the street and keep them housed,” said James Silverwood, president and CEO of San Diego-based Affirmed Housing. “The concept is that they need housing first in order to get their lives back together, in order for them to have job training, educational skills, kick dependency on drugs or alcohol, etc.”

People Assisting The Homeless (PATH) is the on-site service provider. Four PATH case managers will be based out of The Link to provide services that focus on physical health, mental health, and budgeting, and respond to the unique needs and challenges of the residents.

The San Diego Housing Commission provided project-based vouchers for the supportive housing apartments.

To help finance the approximately $35.5 million development, Bank of America provided approximately $24.8 million in federal low-income housing tax credit equity and $387,000 in state tax credit equity. Civic San Diego also provided approximately $10.4 million to the project.

“We have almost 80 individuals who formerly were housing challenged—didn’t know where they were going to sleep tomorrow night, didn’t know what their future had in store,” said San Diego City Council member Chris Ward. “[Now], they have peace of mind, they have stability, they have a home.”