Construction began Thursday on a 52-unit housing development for homeless veterans in Normal Heights.
Known as The Lofts, the development on El Cajon Boulevard near State Route 15 will offer studio and one-bedroom rental apartments at an estimated range of $446 to $796 per month.
Tenants will receive supportive services from the Alpha Project, a homelessness assistance nonprofit, according to the San Diego Housing Commission, which is among the entities involved in the project.
The units will be designated as affordable for 55 years under a federal voucher program. They will be available for tenants with an income up to 50 percent of the area median income, which is currently $31,850 annually, according to the commission.
“Today’s groundbreaking is an important step in addressing homelessness among military veterans in the city of San Diego,” SDHC Executive Vice President Debbie Ruane said.
The project is being funded with a $3 million federal grant, $2.2 million from the city’s affordable housing fund and a $13.5 million loan.
The Lofts project is part of the SDHC’s homelessness action plan launched last summer, which will see the award of up to $30 million over the next three years for the development of at least 300 new supportive housing units, according to the commission.
— City News Service
