A brand-new 94-unit apartment complex in National City has already changed the lives of two dozen military veterans who were once without a home. Union Tower, built at 2312 F Ave., placed 24 formerly homeless veterans into stable housing shortly after it opened in May, according to 10News.
Among them is Navy veteran Janet “Jan” Lawson, who moved into Union Tower on July 17, 2026, per 10News. The station reports the complex was built by Wakeland Housing and that it replaced two rundown buildings that together held just 32 units. Wakeland Housing’s CEO told the station that seniors make up 30% of people currently experiencing homelessness in San Diego, underscoring the scale of need the new building is meant to address.
Units Set Aside for Veterans and Low-Income Households
Of the 94 total apartments, 24 are reserved specifically for veterans who have experienced homelessness, with five of those designated for veterans with disabilities, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The remaining apartments serve households earning between 30% and 60% of San Diego County’s Area Median Income, the newspaper reported. The unit mix includes 45 one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-bedroom units, 24 three-bedroom units and one manager’s unit, according to the San Diego County News Center.
The demand for those homes was immense even before the doors opened. As of late February 2026, 1,145 people had already signed up for the prospective-resident interest list, the Union-Tribune reported.
Public Funding Helped Bring the Project to Life
The County of San Diego says it invested $3.5 million in Union Tower through its Innovative Housing Trust Fund and allocated 24 vouchers for veterans, according to the county news center. Reports on the project’s overall price tag and the city’s loan contribution have varied by outlet. NBC 7 San Diego reported in 2024 that the total project cost estimate stood at $77,135,715, funded by a mix of public and private dollars, while inewsource reported the project was estimated to cost $85 million with funding from county, state and federal sources. The two outlets also diverged on how much National City itself put in: the Union-Tribune reported the city awarded Wakeland an $8 million loan, while inewsource reported the city loaned $9.5 million toward the project.
Timelines for the project shifted over its development as well. A county announcement on September 16, 2024, said construction was expected to wrap in spring 2027, while NBC 7 reported around the same time that the developer expected the F Avenue project to be finished in approximately two years. By March 2026, the Union-Tribune reported the building was more than 90% complete and on track to open that summer — and indeed, per 10News, Union Tower opened in May.
Part of a Broader County Push on Affordable Housing
Union Tower is one piece of a larger wave of affordable housing completions across the region. From July 2025 through June 2026, 13 affordable housing developments supported by county investment finished construction, resulting in 1,176 new homes serving families, seniors, veterans and people exiting homelessness, according to the county news center. The county says its broader affordable housing portfolio now totals $334 million invested across 127 developments, with 9,516 units completed or underway.
For veterans like Lawson, the milestone is personal rather than statistical.
