FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2020

Contact: Tatiana Ambrosius
Cook + Schmid
tambrosius@cookandschmid.com
619-850-4944 (cell)

City Council Places $900 Million “Homes for San Diegans’ Bond Measure on November Ballot

Voter Approval Would Fund 7,500 Homes to Address Homelessness

SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego City Council today voted 6-3 to put the ‘Homes for San Diegans’ bond measure on the November 2020 ballot. The measure would raise $900 million in local revenue to address homelessness by building affordable and permanent supportive housing in San Diego.

Councilmembers Campbell, Bry, Ward, Montgomery, Moreno, and Gomez voted in favor of the measure, with Kersey, Cate, and Sherman opposed.

Championed by the San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF) and San Diego City Councilmember Chris Ward, the ballot measure would build housing for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

“The San Diego Housing Federation has long argued that creating more affordable housing is about economic justice and lifting people up,” said SDHF Executive Director Stephen Russell. “We applaud our City leaders for their support and for giving San Diegans the opportunity to generate the resources to achieve that by putting Homes for San Diegans on the November 2020 ballot.”

A mid-May survey found that more than two-thirds of voters would vote in favor of Homes for San Diegans and that homelessness continues to rank as a top concern for the region. Recently revealed data shows San Diego is outpacing the state in the growing chasm between needed affordable housing and available units. The economic disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the need for more affordable housing.

“Funding the construction of more affordable and permanent supportive housing will help our city begin to fix the housing gap that is deepening due to the economic fallout out the pandemic,” said Councilmember Ward. “By building more affordable homes, we will be able to help San Diego’s working families and our neighbors experiencing homelessness.”

Recent data compiled by the California Housing Partnership exposes the severity of the housing crisis and how minority and low-income populations are disproportionally affected by the lack of affordable housing. Eighty-three percent of extremely low-income households, many of them in communities of color, are spending more than half of their income on housing, drastically reducing their budget for other basic necessities like food and transportation.

Should it be passed by voters, the bond measure would fund the construction of 7,500 homes to transition homeless San Diegans into permanent supportive housing. The measure would also provide affordable homes to seniors, families, youth, and veterans at risk of homelessness.

“This is a great step forward. Ending chronic homelessness is something that we can achieve as a community working together. We have cleared the first hurdle and can't wait to talk with voters in the coming months about the importance of this measure,” said Russell.

San Diego Housing Federation (SDHF)
The San Diego Housing Federation is the region’s voice for affordable housing. SDHF is committed to increasing the supply of housing for San Diego’s most vulnerable families, seniors, veterans, those living with disabilities, and the recently homeless. For more information visit, www.housingsandiego.org.

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