San Diego is lining up $15 million in Bridge to Home funding to speed construction of 528 new affordable homes across the city, with a special focus on seniors, families, and people at risk of homelessness. The proposed short-term loans are designed to plug the financial holes that often stall projects, helping developers get shovels in the ground sooner. City staff say the four recommended developments are far enough along that the cash infusion could shave months off their timelines if the City Council signs off.
Which Projects Would Get Funded
Staff are recommending four projects for this $15 million round: Global Village in Redwood Village, with 137 units and a planned 2,000-square-foot childcare center; The Joule in Grantville, with 208 units; Promenade Apartments in Hillcrest, with 94 units that include 11 permanent supportive housing homes; and the Salvation Army Rady Center in East Village, with 89 senior homes, 55 of which would be supportive housing. These proposals rose to the top from nine applications that collectively sought about $46.2 million, with city staff weighing feasibility, neighborhood fit and extra community benefits. As reported by the Times of San Diego, the four sites are spread across multiple neighborhoods and cover both family housing and senior-focused units.
Funding Sources And How It Works
This is Round Six of the Bridge to Home Notice of Funding Availability, released this summer to push shovel-ready projects over the finish line. According to the City of San Diego, $10 million comes from Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Funds, which are former redevelopment dollars, and $5 million comes from federal Community Development Block Grant funds for acquisition. The short-term loans act as gap financing so developers can lock in longer-term funding tools such as tax credits and then move quickly into construction.
Where This Fits In The Bigger Picture
Bridge to Home launched in 2021 and has since helped accelerate more than 2,100 affordable homes with roughly $108 million in awards spread across several funding rounds. The Times of San Diego reports that 421 of those homes include supportive services, and dozens of other units backed by the program are already occupied or under construction. City leaders say prioritizing high-opportunity neighborhoods and building in services such as on-site childcare is meant to improve long-term outcomes for residents who move into these homes.
What Happens Next
City staff will bring the recommended loans to the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, then to the full City Council for approval, following the process laid out in the program's NOFA and Council rules. If council members give the green light, developers can finalize the rest of their financing packages and move quickly toward construction. Officials say the Bridge to Home model is built to lower common barriers that slow affordable housing production, though each project still has to clear all regulatory reviews and secure building permits before work can begin.
