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San Diego's housing crisis prompts $25M trust fund for affordable housing

Posted at 8:32 AM, Sep 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-17 11:32:45-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diego mom is hoping the county's new plan to provide more affordable housing will help keep her off the street. 

Leticia Rodriguez, her mom, and two kids have been living in Rodriguez's van the last several months, but right now the van is in the shop. 

They're hoping to get into the San Diego Rescue Mission. It would be their first time sleeping at a shelter.

"You have to come back at  5 ' o'clock and line up and you know, wait to get in, every day, until you get a bed," said Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez makes $12  an hour as a team leader at Jack N' The Box. She's been looking for a place she can afford for more than a year. 

"You can get a studio for $900 then you're lucky, but then they say how many are you? Then they say, that's too many," said Rodriguez. 

Tuesday the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to set up a $25 million dollar trust fund for the county to use to invest in affordable housing. 

The vote followed a brief presentation by staff detailing the housing-related hurdles in the San Diego region, including that more than 3,500 affordable units have been lost in the last 20 years.

Supervisor Ron Roberts said that for the money in the Innovative Housing Trust Fund to be enough, the county needs to partner with the private sector. The aim is to create 1,000 units, each unit averaging $300,000 in development costs, according to the staff presentation.

Rodriguez says anything would help.

"I'm to that point where I have to leave my home town," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is just hoping someone will give her a break.

"I just want to find a place that lets me in, gives me a chance you know, that's it," said Rodriguez.

The board will revisit the proposal on Oct. 10 for a final reading.