In a move aimed at bolstering affordable housing in the region, the board of San Diego County Supervisors decided to shift $2 million from the Capital Emergency Solutions Grant Program to the county's Innovative Housing Trust Fund (IHTF) and Landlord Incentive Program, as a previously backed project hit a wall and couldn't push through, freeing up the funds for an alternative use.
The IHTF, taken under the county's wing since October 2017, has seen a total injection of $112 million aimed at bridging the gap in the affordable housing market, specifically benefiting demographics including seniors, veterans, homeless individuals and families in need, ensuring that the local housing landscape caters to a wide spectrum of its populace dealing with this critical issue, despite unexpected development barriers affecting some projects.
David Estrella, Director of County Housing and Development Services, underscored the importance of every monetary contribution, telling the County of San Diego, "Every dollar makes a difference toward our continued efforts to increase affordable housing for our most vulnerable populations." Estrella added that the reallocated $1.6 million grant to the IHTF is set to accelerate several developments from the planning to the construction stages.
The impressive repertoire of the IHTF's funding includes 36 affordable housing projects, which, upon their eventual completion, promise to add 3,054 units scattered across 23 communities. As of June 2025, there are already 21 developments that residents are calling home, eight are rising from the ground as construction continues, and seven are still in the blueprint phase, waiting to transition to the tangible skyline of San Diego's communities.
As determined by the federal government, affordable housing is defined by a simple economic threshold where housing costs, whether rent and utilities for tenants or a homeowner's mortgage payment and other related expenses, should not exceed 30 percent of the household's total monthly income. For the sunny stretches of San Diego County, the 2025 marker for maximum gross income a household can earn to qualify for affordable housing sits at $130,800, a figure that mirrors the area's median income.
