Housing Blueprint

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The County is creating a roadmap to help guide our ongoing response to the housing affordability crisis. The resulting Housing Blueprint (Blueprint) will lay out the goals, objectives, and strategies the County will follow to maximize our resources, balance priorities, and ensure the steps we take to meet San Diego’s housing needs align with our core values of integrity, belonging, excellence, access, sustainability, and equity.

Community input has been vital to the County’s efforts to address the crisis to date, and we want that to continue. Your feedback will inform the final recommendations for the Blueprint’s goals and objectives and

The County is creating a roadmap to help guide our ongoing response to the housing affordability crisis. The resulting Housing Blueprint (Blueprint) will lay out the goals, objectives, and strategies the County will follow to maximize our resources, balance priorities, and ensure the steps we take to meet San Diego’s housing needs align with our core values of integrity, belonging, excellence, access, sustainability, and equity.

Community input has been vital to the County’s efforts to address the crisis to date, and we want that to continue. Your feedback will inform the final recommendations for the Blueprint’s goals and objectives and be presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board).

Background

San Diego desperately needs affordable housing. Home building in the region has not kept pace with population growth and demand at nearly all income levels. This situation puts particular strain on households with extremely low to moderate income levels. The high cost of housing contributes to homelessness and can perpetuate cycles of poverty.

To address this, the County has worked to curb the housing affordability crisis. Since 2019, the Board has established multiple initiatives (2019 - 22 Summary of Board Directives) to help stimulate affordable housing production and improve access to homes for the most vulnerable, including new land use policies for the county’s unincorporated area and new housing development and resource programs throughout the region.

Community input has been integral to ensuring the development of those initiatives, many of which have been completed.

As we continue this work, we need a guiding tool to help maximize our resources and prioritize our efforts. As a first step, the Board approved a draft Blueprint in December 2022 with an initial set of goals and objectives (see documents to the right). It reflects prior community input, specific regional priorities, direction from the Board, as well as state mandates. As we refine the Blueprint, your feedback is important to ensure that any new factors in the changing housing landscape are considered.

In developing the Blueprint, many factors will be considered including:

  • State mandates
  • Regional policy priorities
  • County values
  • Board directives and priorities
  • Available resources (funding, expertise)
  • Community input

How can you participate in the process to develop the Blueprint?

  • Stay informed by reviewing the information on this site
  • Share the information with others
  • Participate in the engagement tools on this site
  • Contribute to conversations at meetings
  • Speak up! Don’t hesitate to ask questions

Ask a Question

Have a question about the Housing Blueprint project. Ask us! We will get back to you as soon as we can. 

If you have a question about the County's housing programs, please email Community.Development@sdcounty.ca.gov. 


You need to be signed in to add your question.

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    I want to ground rent abandoned city street parcels (in promise/opportunity district/zone), what are my options for purposes of affordable housing community development initiatives.

    gauge station asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your question. 

    Note that questions regarding the City of San Diego’s programs and considerations should be directed to the City’s Housing, Implementation and Policy Team https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/work/housing. 

    The County of San Diego leverages County surplus property in accordance with the Surplus Land Act. The Surplus Land Act requires that publicly owned land first be offered up as affordable housing. Click here to learn more about it. 

    Once a property is declared as surplus and considered feasible for affordable housing development, the development process is initiated with a notice of availability to State Housing and Community Development and the release of a “Request for Proposals” also known as an RFP. Potential developers then respond through the RFP process. If you would like to be notified of upcoming RFP’s for affordable housing on County owned land, please sign up at www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sdhcd/nppr/announcements

    Please also refer to the County’s Department of General Services – Real Estate Services website for additional information: www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/general_services/Real_Estate or contact DGSassetmanagement@sdcounty.ca.gov

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    With all the new evictions how will you ensure that renters will even have any place available? Some were forced out of work and unable to move and now this will effect their housing for the next 7 years.

    Jay asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your question, Jay. 

    The draft goals and objectives in the Blueprint cover a range of topics, including tenant protections. We encourage you to provide additional feedback through the Goals and Objectives Survey found on this site. There, you can comment on priorities and additional considerations.

    Currently, the County provides eviction prevention, mediation, and legal assistance through the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. You may reach out them HERE for assistance. 

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    My rent was increased by $200 recently due to the recession. I truly hope you guys consider making limits on what landlords can do in terms of increasing the rents like that with zero warning. I'm on the snap food program benefit, the care discount with SDG&E, and the wireless internet discount through the Federal program with Cox, and that rent increase was a huge jump that has been incredibly difficult for me and others who live here. I truly hope you can help us continue to afford to live in San Diego. I see more and more young people leaving by the day due to the lack of limits on rent increases and exorbitant rental rates since the pandemic.

    Sky asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your comment, Sky. 

    The draft goals and objectives in the Blueprint cover a range of topics including tenant protections. You can review them here. We encourage you to provide additional feedback through the Goals and Objectives Survey found on this site. There, you can comment on priorities and additional considerations. 

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    Why hasn't the city considered building micro apartments such as the ones in cities like Seattle? Micro apartments would be perfect for people who are coming to San Diego for a temporary time only. And for low income as well as section 8 or voucher apartment homeless. One building alone can easily have 50 - 80 apartments per building. Is this being considered? If not, why?

    Justine asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your questions, Justine. 

    Note that questions regarding the City of San Diego’s programs and considerations should be directed to the City’s Housing, Implementation and Policy Team https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/work/housing.

    The County provides funding for multiple housing models including unit types that fit the micro unit model. 

    In addition, the draft goals and objectives in the Blueprint cover a range of topics including tenant protections. You can review them here. We encourage you to provide additional feedback through the Goals and Objectives Survey found on this site. There, you can comment on priorities and additional considerations. 

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    Everybody talks about "affordable housing," which is desperately needed. But, please define "affordable" in the context of actual numbers. Many new multi-unit complexes are being built with the promise of being affordable, but most rentals are going for $3000 and up for studios.

    Lisa asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your comment, Lisa. 

    Housing is deemed to be affordable if a household is paying no more than 30% of their monthly income on housing.  Using this definition of “affordable,” a household of 4, earning $65,050 annually or 50% of the Area Median Income, ($5,420 monthly), should be paying around $1,626 monthly for rent. 

    In general, restricted affordable housing developments provide rents that are affordable to households with incomes that fall within 30%, 50%, or 60% of the Area Median Income.  Rents for these types of developments may be set at 30% of those AMI levels. 

    Information on AMI for San Diego County can be found at www.sandiegocounty.gov/sdhcd/rental-assistance/income-limits-ami/. 

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    I have advanced HIV/Aids I am navigating the housing system for people in my situation and am having little problems along the way is it possible for me to attend your meetings .I’m attending San Diego joint city/county Hiv housing committee meetings and have application for membership in process would like to help with and learn more about Housing Blueprint project Thanks Kindly Donald Ford

    Donald Ford asked 7 months ago

    Hello Mr. Ford, 

    Thank you for your interest and willingness to contribute to this process. All notifications regarding community meetings related to the Housing Blueprint will be posted here on Engage San Diego County in the “key dates” section on the right-hand side of the page once they are known. We welcome your participation in the meetings, as well as the public input activities posted on this site like the Goals and Objectives Survey. 

    The Housing Opportunities with Aids (HOPWA) Program administered by the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego provides housing to low-income people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Program information can be found by clicking here.

    If you have any questions about the HOPWA program or need further assistance, please email community.development@sdcounty.ca.gov. 

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    Does the plan address the demand side issues including house hoarding, middle people extracting value, and stvrs?

    asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your question. 

    The draft goals and objectives in the Blueprint cover a range of topics including preserving vulnerable housing and preventing displacement. You can review them here. We encourage you to provide your feedback through the Goals and Objectives Survey found on this site. There, you can comment on additional considerations.

    Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    Hopefully you’re considering the southeast area of San Diego where there is still lots of land to build instead of cramming housing into already overpopulated areas.

    GJ asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your comment.

    Criteria for consideration for where affordable housing may be located are addressed in the draft goals and objectives including advancing equity in alignment with Assembly Bill 686 on affirmatively furthering fair housing, which aims to combat historic patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities. You can review the goals and objectives here, and more information on AB 686 can be found here. 

    Your feedback is important to us, please see the Goals and Objectives Survey found on this site and comment on additional considerations. 

     Thank you for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

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    Not a question a comment. Network with non profit employees who work directly with individuals being impacted my homelessness and displacement due to increased rent in the area...not supervisors or directors but direct care staff. They have all your answers.

    Allison Bree asked 7 months ago

    Thank you for your comment, Ms. Bree. 

    We know the best strategies are informed by a breadth of voices and perspectives and value all feedback we receive. We welcome any recommendations for expanding our connection with non-profit employees and invite you to share this site and the Goals and Objectives survey. 

    Thank you again for your interest in the Housing Blueprint and your willingness to contribute to this process.

Page last updated: 11 Sep 2023, 03:35 PM