With the downturn in San Diego County’s home prices, the term “affordable housing” takes on a more practical meaning. The local DataQuick Information Systems research group noted that median costs for all homes here dropped 2.2 percent in August from the same month in 2005, accompanied by a 31.8 percent decrease in total sales over the same period. Any such news is good news against numbers from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which show that area home prices have risen 150 percent in the last six years.
That last statistic isn’t lost on the San Diego Housing Federation as it heads into its 15th annual affordable housing and community development conference, to be held Friday, Oct. 13, at Point Loma Nazarene University. Entitled “Bringing the Future into Focus: Smart Growth, Green Building and Prop 1C,” the parley will include 15 seminars ranging from home design to mixed-use residential development. The 1C part, however, becomes especially significant for the groups it seeks to target in the Nov. 7 election.
Prop 1C, or the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006, asks voters to decide whether the state should sell $2.9 billion in general obligation bonds to fund housing for lower-income residents, seniors and battered women and development in urban areas near public transportation. This measure authorizes borrowing the funds through the sale of general obligation bonds — half for existing affordable housing and shelters and half for a new development program.
The League of Women Voters, which supports the measure, reports that California has 21 of the 25 least affordable metropolitan areas in the country. The group noted that only 14 percent of families in California can afford median-priced homes, which average $561,000. California has nine out of the 10 least affordable counties nationwide for renters, the group says, adding that California has 360,000 homeless residents.
“We are pleased that Prop 1C continues to enjoy strong support in all regions of California,” Jeff Loustau, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, reportedly told the Homes 4 California housing coalition. "The high level of support for 1C demonstrates that Californians care about providing emergency shelter for homeless families and battered women and recognize the need to invest in affordable housing programs."
The conference will address local needs through three supportive housing seminars. The first will outline the goals of San Diego’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness consortium, which involve the creation of 2,000 units of permanent supportive housing with social services for the community’s chronically homeless. The second will comprise an update on the county’s efforts in implementing the state Mental Health Services Act, which includes funding to provide services and housing to people with mental illness. The last, entitled “When Housing Isn’t Enough,” includes a panel discussion on permanent supportive housing and key findings on several models for implementation.
Three so-called green building discussions are also planned, with the first including how-to discussions on solar water-heating systems and hiring energy consultants. The others will outline ways to finance affordable homes with photovoltaic hardware, or cells which harness the electronic effects produced by light, and will teach participants how to organize and manage an effective integrated energy-saving design plan.
The design and development segments will include talks on site analysis, informed decisions on selecting land for construction, abandoned lands and the long-term benefits in their revitalization.
“The longer a blighted urban land sits vacant or underutilized, the longer a particular community goes without enjoying the benefits of the economic wealth that the site could be generating. By addressing [abandoned] urban “¦ sites as part of a redevelopment smart growth plan, developers and redevelopment agencies can create more affordable housing opportunities while also helping their communities and their environments flourish,” said a housing federation statement.
Community HousingWorks and Global Green USA are among the presenters. Mayor Jerry Sanders is scheduled to deliver the welcoming remarks. A pep rally on Proposition 1C is set as part of the luncheon.
Point Loma Nazarene University is located at 3900 Lomaland Drive. Further information is available at www.housingsandiego.org or at (619) 239-6693.