Affirmed Housing's Supportive Community, Stella, Hosts Elected Officials for Roundtable Discussions

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, July 30, 2021, Secretary Lourdes M. Castro Ramírez of the California State Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency met with local elected officials and leaders at San Diego's supportive housing community, Stella.  The property hosted a roundtable discussion on California's investments to address homelessness and housing, followed by a tour of the nationally-recognized development.  Lauded by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria as "a quality product," Stella and the other Affirmed Housing communities serve as state-wide models for affordable and supportive housing development.

Friday's roundtable at Stella united elected officials and leaders on the state and local level over the issue of housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.  Included in the discussion were:

• Lourdes M. Castro Ramírez, California State Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary
• Todd Gloria, San Diego Mayor
• Jennifer Campbell, San Diego City Council President
• Raul Campillo, San Diego City Councilmember
• Eugene "Mitch" Mitchell, San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Commissioner
• Richard C. Gentry, SDHC President & CEO
• James Silverwood, Affirmed Housing President & CEO
• Jonathan Taylor, Affirmed Housing Director of Asset Management
• Marcie Chavez, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Public Housing Director
• John Brady, Voices of Our City Choir Director of Advocacy

Stella was also visited last year by the former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, in an effort to spur development of affordable housing across the nation and region.

Stella and its adjacent affordable community, Bluewater, are located within a half-mile of the Grantville Trolley stop, and close to grocery stores, restaurants, and healthcare services.  Stella features a mix of 80 studios and one-bedroom supportive housing apartment homes for individuals or veterans formerly experiencing homelessness. Located at 4304 Twain Ave, Stella offers on-site services and case management to residents through its partners, Interfaith Community Services and the VA.  Bluewater consists of 80 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments for low-income households earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).  Bluewater, located at 6121 Fairmount Ave, features on-site management, energy-efficient appliances, and airy common areas. 

Secretary Castro Ramírez expressed her commitment to developing affordable housing via a recently-adopted framework called, Housing for All. She explained, "We'll continue to focus on preventing homelessness, providing the information to give your permanent housing [residents] access to emotional and health services, and continuing to drive the effort around permanent housing—permanent supportive housing and permanent affordable housing."

James Silverwood, President of Affirmed Housing, offered that California's "state tax credit program is a very important tool to achieve success in developing affordable housing."

Supportive Housing
A proven strategy to address homelessness, supportive housing pairs affordable housing with wrap-around services such as case management, mental and physical health services, job or educational training, etc.  Known for its high rate of success, Affirmed Housing opened three (3) new supportive housing communities last year to provide homes for 153 individuals who were experiencing homelessness.  At its supportive housing communities, the developer reported a 92 percent resident retention rate for the 667 residents residing in its supportive apartments across the state of California last year. 

About Affirmed Housing
Headquartered in San Diego, Affirmed Housing is dedicated to improving and sustaining the viability of California through the development of affordable housing.  The company aims at enhancing communities and our environment by building dynamic, professionally-managed, high-quality green multifamily housing.  Areas of expertise include site selection, engineering, architecture, construction, relocation, and marketing.  Affirmed also has extensive knowledge in public finance, low-income housing tax credit acquisition, and tax-exempt bond financing.  The company has financed over $1.95 billion in affordable and supportive development, with 4,900 units developed or under development in 64 communities.  For more information, visit www.affirmedhousing.com.

Contact: Beth Binger
BCIpr
(619) 987-6658
[email protected]

SOURCE Affirmed Housing

Related Links

http://www.affirmedhousing.com