Our Lisa Halverstadt late last week unveiled that the city’s housing agency hasn’t handed out new tenant-based vouchers to households on its waiting list since August 2022.
Background: The San Diego Housing Commission is responsible for Section 8 vouchers. The agency hands them out and oversees them for the city of San Diego. These vouchers help families pay a portion of their rent (they are responsible for an amount based on 30 percent of their income).
The waitlist: Lisa reports that as of earlier this year, nearly 58,000 families were asking for rent help. But two main factors are preventing the agency from pulling from that waitlist: San Diego’s high rents and insufficient funding.
The high rents aren’t a new issue. Everyone in San Diego is feeling this pinch. Two years ago, Lisa wrote about how housing subsidies were struggling to keep up with high rents.
But here’s why it’s hurting the waitlist, according to Lisa: “For the past seven years, the agency has annually increased the maximum monthly rental assistance for families – known as payment standards – to try to keep up with skyrocketing rents.
There’s a tradeoff here. If the Housing Commission hands families who already have vouchers more money to help pay the rent each month, it’s got less cash to allocate for additional families desperate for the same support.”
Another challenging tradeoff: The agency has been tying more of its vouchers to specific projects to help address San Diego’s homelessness crisis, meaning there are fewer vouchers for families on the waiting list.
Here are some other story you can should read while sipping on your cafecito. Let’s jump in.
It All Started with an Email
A few years ago, while doing research for a story in Barrio Logan, I accidentally sat in on a heated debate. A young man had a big idea for a building in the community. He wanted to transform it into a boutique hotel.
He attended a Barrio Logan Planning Group meeting to talk about his vision. But residents were not having it. He took their feedback and abandoned his plan.
But I always wondered who he was.
Now, I know. Lisa published a profile on Douglas Hamm this week. Not because of the Barrio Logan issue, but because he’s the owner of the building Mayor Todd Gloria wants to transform into a mega shelter. We’ve had a lot of questions about the deal and how it all started, and now we have Hamm’s version.
Something Light
Last week, the city put up no parking signs all down my block. That’s because they planned to plant trees all around the neighborhood. We’ve written about how the city of San Diego has made little progress on it’s tree canopy goals, so I was excited.
After shooting the city comms department a quick email, I learned that volunteers planted more than 100 trees in Logan Heights. They planted more than 20 species.
I immediately told our environment reporter MacKenzie Elmer, which prompted another question: Who is responsible for watering the trees?
Turns out the city is going to water the new trees for the first three years and provide ongoing maintenance. I’m not sure what kind of tree they planted in front of my house. If you’re a tree lover and you know, let me know.
Do you have any name ideas for this cutie? Shoot me an email.
P.S. He doesn’t look like much now, but I’m sure he will grow into a great tree.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- Why Poway Unified School District fired its superintendent. Hint: It has to do with softball and a clapping controversy. Read more here.
- Deborah Brennan has the latest on two ballot measures aiming to make it easier to build housing. She’s also keeping an eye on other Capitol chisme. Read the Sacramento Report here.
- Tigist Layne reports that another city in North County wants to adopt a new homeless policy. What they end up doing could impact their ability to get state and federal dollars. Here’s why.