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Housing Commission reports diversion gains, council authorizes CalHome grant application
Summary
San Diego Housing Commission told the Housing Authority it has moved dozens of shelter residents toward permanent housing through a Shelter Housing Initiative; the Authority authorized staff to apply for up to $5 million in CalHome funds to support first-time homebuyer and ADU finance programs.
San Diego Housing Commission President and CEO Lisa Jones updated the Housing Authority on the Shelter Housing Initiative and related programs, and the Authority authorized an application for up to $5 million in CalHome funds.
Jones said the collaborative Shelter Housing Initiative—launched in November and coordinated with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and service partners—aims to move 150 shelter residents into longer-term housing. “From November 1 through January 15, the diversion program and system navigation support provided through this initiative assisted 55 households to exit to permanent housing,” Jones said, noting that this represents roughly 36% of the goal to date.
Jones also described inclement-weather shelter activations and flood-recovery direct assistance: SDHC activated extra shelter beds 36 times this season and has spent more than $5.4 million across flood-recovery phases, including $605,000 to assist 110 families in the most recent phase. She also described the short disruption to HUD disbursements caused by an Office of Management and Budget memo that briefly paused federal grants; SDHC paused a rental assistance check run until disbursements were restored and emphasized contingency planning for rental-assistance continuity.
On Housing Authority item HA2, Sujata Raman (SDHC vice president of single-family housing finance) explained the proposed CalHome application: if awarded, up to $5 million would be used for the Housing Commission’s first-time homebuyer program (eligible households up to 80% of area median income) and for an ADU finance activity (construction-to-permanent loans up to $250,000 for ADUs deed-restricted for seven years). Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about program mechanics and repayment terms; the Authority moved, seconded and voted to allow staff to submit the application to HCD.
