Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Good morning and welcome to Marisol Meadows. Thank you all for joining us as we celebrate today's grand opening. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here this morning. This is a very special day, not only for San Diego Community Housing Corporation, but for the entire Fallbrook community. Affordable housing in Fallbrook has been a long time coming. This is Fallbrook's first new construction affordable housing development since 2008. To begin our ceremony today, I'd like to invite Supervisor Jim Desmond to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

All right, all rise. Put your hand over your heart and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Supervisor Desmond.

For those who might not be so familiar with Fallbrook, it's known as the avocado capital of the world. But what really makes Fallbrook special isn't just its agriculture, it's its people. This is a community with a genuine small town spirit where neighbors know one another and there's a deep sense of pride preserving the character that makes Fallbrook such a wonderful place to live. Today we're honored to become part of that community. Today's celebration is much more than just opening up a building. It's about creating a place where older adults can age with dignity, remain connected to the community they love, and enjoy security of knowing they have a safe, affordable place to call home. Mirasol Meadows includes 53 affordable homes serving extremely low and very low income households. The community has one and two bedroom apartments with rents affordable at 30 and 50% of the area median income. Just as important, residents will have long term housing stability thanks to 53 project based vouchers provided by the Housing Authority of the County of San Diego. These vouchers are much more than financial assistance. They provide peace of mind for the seniors who will live here. They ensure that seniors living on fixed incomes can continue to afford their home. So I'd like to extend a special thank you to the County of San Diego for providing this critical safety net. This community was intentionally designed to support healthy, independent living. Residents will enjoy a beautiful community room for activities and gatherings, private offices for supportive services and case management, and an outdoor gathering space, community garden, and barbecue area that encourage neighbors to build friendships and stay connected. We're also fortunate to partner with outstanding organizations, including the Fallbrook Food Pantry, Center for Senior Wellbeing, and San Diego County Behavioral Health Services. They will provide resident services and supportive services that help residents remain healthy, independent, and stably housed. Projects like Mirasol Meadows simply don't happen without strong partnerships. Affordable housing is one of the most collaborative things we build. It takes trust, it takes shared commitment, and it takes partners who believe in a common vision. We're incredibly grateful for our public partners, including County of San Diego and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and our lender, US Bank and CCRC, whose investments help make this community possible. The county contributed more than $6.17 million through its Home, PLHA, CDBG, and No Place Like Home program, while HCD provided $2.75 million through its Info Infrastructure Grant program. Thank you, U.S. Bank, for providing the construction financing and for the low-income housing tax credit equity and CCRC for the permanent loan. Every one of these partners believed in the project from the beginning and we're deeply grateful for your confidence and for your support. I'd also like to recognize our incredible development team, two Allgaier general contractors, Grant Allgaier, Scott Silbler, Patrick Early, Kevin Dreher, Bob Young, Terry Bloom, and the entire construction team. Thank you for being a trusted partner. When Allgaier's on the job, we know that the project will be completed with professionalism, integrity, and quality. And you know, you guys are just fun to work with, so appreciate the relationship. I'd also like to thank Dolan Architecture for designing such a beautiful community that fits into Fallbrook. Just looking at the project, this is truly a place and a home that people will be proud of. To Fusco Engineering, Steve Kettler and David Papatera, the design of this project was incredibly tough, especially with the easements and stormwater and sewer design, so thank you for that. And as I look around today, I'm reminded that affordable housing is never the work of one person or one organization. It begins with people who share a common goal, a common vision, and are committed to working together to make that vision a reality. I'd especially like to recognize the dedicated staff of SDCHC and our board of directors, their leadership, their commitment, and belief in our mission. Those are the foundational things that made Mirasol Meadows what it is today. We're a small organization, but we have an incredibly dedicated and talented team. I'd like to recognize John Worcester, who has been the driving force behind this project from site acquisition through permitting and construction, just about everything in between as well. You have been instrumental in bringing this project to completion. Josh Balaban, who led the financial side of this development. He has great expertise in that area. Thank you, Josh, for helping navigate the many complexities required to bring a project like this to fruition. Ashley Garcia, who's been preparing to open up this community. And Lena Reyes, who has been with SDCHC since the mid-90s. Thank you. So to everybody who played a role in bringing Mirasol Meadows to life, thank you. Most importantly, congratulations to the residents who will call this place home. Our next speaker is gonna be Jim Desmond, and I wanna personally thank Supervisor Jim Desmond for joining us today and for your continued commitment to affordable housing in our region. Supervisor Desmond has consistently advocated for smart housing policies that balances community needs with responsible growth. I appreciate Supervisor Desmond's willingness to work across different perspectives to increase housing, so thank you.

Well, good morning, Fallbrook. All right. Good morning. All right, this is beautiful. I mean, this looks great here. It looks like condos. Somebody would want to buy one of these. So I know Ted, thank you very much. You thanked a few people. I don't know if you got them all. I got a few more here. Let me start with San Diego Community Housing Corporation, Ted. John, Josh, and their team, I mean, you guys always pull together nice projects, great projects. National Core is actually going to be managing this property. And actually, I guess we're doing another ceremony right after this one, breaking ground on the new site just across the street here in a few minutes. But Hope Through Housing Foundation, the Center for Senior Well-Being, the Fallbrook Food Pantry, and our County Behavioral Health Team. Any of our Behavioral Health Team here? Nope, here we go, all right, raise your hands up higher. All right, here they are. Thank you, give them a hand. So housing without services is just a building. And what we've learned in San Diego County and many of the places where we build these great housing projects, that we have to have services offered on site. And so with our own behavioral health team, along with our county housing and community development services staff, Kelly Sammons is here, David Estrella, and their group were part of this. And then the Fallbrook Community Planning Group They asked the hard questions. I didn't even get to sit down and they started hammering me. On this subject, other subjects, anyway. But it's a great planning group. They're really, you know, their heart is in this community. I mean, most of them have grown up and lived here. And they ask good questions. They got answers. You were able to fulfill, you know, the community's needs. And we're able to get this built. And without the community and the community input and buy-in, it doesn't happen. Sorry, planning group. But anyway.

Yeah, as soon as I sat down.

Anyway. Yes, thank you. Yes, I know. But anyway, so the people actually, though, moving in here, they're not strangers to Fallbrook. Many of them raised their families here. They worked here. They've been in this community longer than most. And at some point, for a lot of them, the math just stopped working. The fixed income doesn't always last as long as people do. It's a good thing. But anyway, but the rent keeps going up. And this is the whole story. It's a story that happens quietly to good people, you know, one month at a time, and things start to get hard. So nobody should have to leave the town they helped build in order to afford to stay in it. What this place offers is not just a roof, but it's the ability to stop worrying. to sleep at night, to have neighbors again, to walk into a garden, and to have someone on the site who knows your name and notices if you haven't been around for maybe a couple of days. So some of the people moving in here have been without a home. Some are caring more than most of us can even imagine. But they're going to be welcomed here, not managed, not processed, but welcomed. This is what dignity looks like at a senior stage in life. Your own door, your own key, your own life, your own terms, as long as you want it. So to everyone who worked on this, and it's going to matter to a lot of people in many different ways, and they'll probably never get a chance to thank you, but I want to thank you for being willing to do the right thing, build these types of communities for people that need it, and for all of our county staff that have done wonderful things in these areas throughout the county. And to the residents, welcome home. This is yours.

Thank you.

Okay. I wouldn't be a politician without a plaque or a sheet of paper. This is a certificate of accommodation to the San Diego Community Housing Corporation, the Marisol Meadows Grand Opening. Thank you very much. Hopefully post this well. Thank you. Photo op. Here we go.

Thank you.

All right. Thanks.

I want to acknowledge that Mayor Rebecca Jones is here. I don't want to put you on the spot. I don't know if you wanted to say a few words. Sure. Acknowledging where San Marcos is, you guys are leading the charge with your arena targets. I know that's not an easy task, so thank you for everything you're doing for affordable housing in San Marcos.

Thank you so much. When I think about affordable housing, I think about community and a place for everyone to live. And the great thing about it, and my city has about 3,400 affordable housing units, so it's about 10% of our total housing stock. We have such a great community and National Core, they do a fabulous job with their management and everyone seems to get along and it really is a great part of our community. But when I think about a well-rounded community, I look at a housing ladder. So you've got affordable housing all the way up to the very expensive housing, a place for everyone to call home. And that's what affordable housing brings to a community. So 53 seniors, we would love some senior housing in San Marcos. I know we only have one or two, and I know that National Corps is planning on building some more in San Marcos. But it's really important and vital to our communities to have the services, to have the great spaces, and they are beautiful. And being able to have that multi-generational living with next door, you've got the Boys and Girls Club, I think there is just nothing more important than making the connection, and that's what a healthy community is. It's people, it's having that housing ladder for everyone, and then really building the spaces that bring everyone together. So I'm so proud to be here today, and thank you so much for inviting me. I am, again, thrilled every single time when I see someone, and I hope we have maybe some residents that are going to be here today that we'll be able to meet. And I suggest everyone just talk to them and hear about how this is going to change their lives, because trust me, I've seen so many stories, and it really does. So thank you so much.

Our next speaker is John Worcester. John's been instrumental in the success of San Diego Community Housing Corporation. He's our senior vice president. John and I have been working together for, gosh, the past eight years. And when I look back at that eight years, it's kind of flown by for me. Eight years, ten projects, that's something to be proud of. I want you to know how much I appreciate you and everything that you've done for SDCHC.

Wow, thank you, Ted. Very gracious of you. Thank you, Supervisor Desmond and Mayor Jones. Thank you, all of you, for coming today on this long journey up here. And a special thanks to my beautiful wife and daughter for also making the journey and always supporting me. You guys summed it up really well, Dad and Supervisor Desmond. Our work is all about partnerships. Look, every housing development is built on partnerships. But to excel at this trade and to be able to deliver high quality and high impact housing, those partnerships have to be extra special. And for that, you need trust. We've talked about that. That was also mentioned today. But it's not just any trust. It's the kind of trust that's only earned when you put forth the highest of ethical standards along with the best of intentions. And along with that, you also have to be capable and competent. It's really important that we prove that we're good at what we do. that we're good stewards of the time and money and resources that have been invested in us. So, you know, that's critical. Look, here at SDCHC, we have some big ideas. We're not hoping to become the next Chelsea or Bridge Housing. We're about pursuing new and creative approaches to affordable housing. We want to focus on housing policy and innovative housing typologies in those strategies. We want to show the world that just because we're a small little nonprofit of six employees does not mean that we can't push the status quo, set some new standards, and maybe even change the rules of the game. Mirasol Meadows is important because it embodies these values and strategies. This is what happens when you bring the greatest of performers and organizations to the partnership and you let them do what they do best. That is the trust that's manifested, that kind of trust that we need. Marisol Meadows is an example of that. It's not that we didn't face our challenges here at Marisol Meadows. The county came to us and said, gosh, we'd like you to build some more housing after El Cajon and some of our other projects. I said, oh, that's great, but we need a more reliable way to Bring to process these communities to the finish line. A month later, we had an affordable housing liaison, a senior planner in place to help shepherd these projects across the finish line. And that happened not only with Marisol Meadows, but with Brookview Senior Villas. So the county stepped up. The middle of construction, one of the biggest solar installers in the country abandoned us because the tax credits were going away. The math didn't work for them anymore. But for us to be able to deliver on our promise to the residents and to our investors that we were gonna pay for the utilities here, we had to go out and find a new partner. And so Collective Sun came along, Sattler Solar stepped in and stepped up and really impressed to the extent that I think they even impressed Bob Young, one of the staunchest critics, our superintendent over at Allgaier. So anyway, these partners stepped up because they believed in us, because they trust in us, but also because they share the same values and the same mission that we all have of lifting other people up and improving the well-being of our fellow citizens. So most of you already know our work and the impact we've had since kicking off our first of 10 plus projects in 2019. But for others, some of the residents here, some of the community members of Fallbrook, this is a glimpse of what you can expect to see from SDCHC. We invite you to pay attention. You'll see a new look and a new name in the coming year. You'll also see some very exciting new approaches to housing. For sale housing, offsite construction, first time home buyer starter homes, and even fire resistant houses. So you won't have to wait long. The first project of this nature is due to start construction next summer in Point Loma, so stay tuned. So thank you to all of you, our partners here today that not only made Mirasol Meadows happen, but enables us to do the work we do to enable us to continue to push the envelope when we have partners that believe in us. we can be brave enough to do this kind of work. So one of those great partners is U.S. Bank. And I'd like to introduce Chuck Sinke, Vice President of Debt Originations of Affordable Housing, U.S. Bank Impact Finance. All right, Chuck, welcome.

I don't even call myself that. That was crazy. I'm Chuck Sinke with U.S. Bank. I'm in part of our affordable housing group. U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance is our community development division, and we support projects across the country. Not only affordable housing, we also support community development with our new markets tax credits investment and grants and foundation support. It's an honor for me to be here today. John was talking about partnerships, so this was our first partnership together, U.S. Bank and SDCHC. And I was super excited. I had known Ted for a little bit. We were talking about this project. I was like, sounds great. Let's do it. And I, you know, I'd heard about their work and seen some of their work. And then I didn't hear anything for like two years as they were building it, which is super rare with a partner, right? Like usually we decide, okay, let's support this with our capital. And then I get a call every few months and it says, hey, this is happening. This is happening. I heard zero about this project. So I had to call internally with my own group and say, hey, is everything going okay? And they're like, we love working with these guys everything you know things come up during the process but like they're on top of it they handle it i don't even know if i've told you guys this yet but like just a glowing like internal like recommendation from some of the folks that were working on the project with you so thank you for being excellent partners um and then you get a physical kind of uh validation of that right you get to come to a project absolutely beautiful, fits in with the community so well, provides seniors with supportive services, educational resources, and just really provides that connective tissue for folks that are already living in the community. So once again, thank you so much for choosing us as your partner. It is an honor for me to be here. I'm excited to see what you guys do down the street. I was telling them earlier I accidentally drove that way trying to get here, but I saw that construction is ongoing. Super excited to see what you do there. Thank you to the National Corps folks as well. I know that there is a partnership there that is... has been really pivotal and has helped to kind of launch some of these projects forward. So we appreciate your support. Looking forward to working with you, too, on Brookview. And to the residents, welcome home. Beautiful project. Really happy to see that there is a space for you here that is going to be affordable, safe, stable, and will allow you to thrive. Thanks, all. Appreciate it.

Thank you, Chuck. So Mirasol Meadows, what's that? Mirasol. It's not Marisol, it's Mirasol. Spanish word, another way to say sunflower. Technically interpreted sun looker, Mirasol. We thought it was appropriate, you know, we all sort of look to the sun for light, for energy, and for growth. And that's what we hope that this community can be to its new residents. So I would like one of those new residents, Anthony, to come up and share with us what it's like to be a resident here and the impact that you feel.

Very uncomfortable. Um, hello, everyone. I'm sticking to the script because I can be very long-winded. So, my name's Anthony, and I'm a new resident here at Mirasol Meadows. I've just started living here the past couple of weeks, so, number one, please forgive my dress. I haven't done laundry yet. I'm still moving. But I feel like I'm at home already. My dog and I, his name is Jet.

Just in case you guys have any...

We love it here. There are really nice people here with the staff. The few residents that I've met are wonderful. And we've got space. Coming from a living situation that wasn't the most comfortable for the past six years or so, it's nice to have the space. And like I said, the neighbors are nice, and the rent is affordable. That's really important. And so I'm here to tell you what you guys already know, that living in San Diego is very unaffordable these days. I'm on disability or working to get the disability, but I'm on Social Security only. And as you know that you can't live in this county on just Social Security. It's impossible. So having a place like this is

It's immensely helpful.

It's a blessing you don't really realize. Gas, food, rent, and let's not forget utilities. or just sky high. And I don't know what I looked like when I found out utilities were included here. It was a shock. But being on, I'm getting lost here. Being in this community is really helpful. It really is. And I've worked for many years. I've done things like postal carrier, census taker, grocery store manager. I've worked for several different communication companies, the telecommunication companies. The instability in my employment led me down the path to homelessness a couple of times. I've lived in motels, I've slept on trolley stops, the airport, trying to act like I was going on a flight in the morning, just to have a place to sleep that felt secure. But I've even lived in my car. which a lot, I'm not unique in that regard, but being 6'6 and trying to squeeze into a car is not the most comfortable thing. I've been threatened with violence at some of our well-known homeless shelters, you know, places that were supposed to be secure, but they weren't. And that's another reason why this welcoming, this comfortable community. It provides serenity. So I urge anyone that's listening to please share this place with your friends, with your family, with your neighbors, anyone who has a need for something that is welcoming, that's comfortable, that is secure. There are many men and women and children out there that as many of you know, could benefit from places like this. It's a home. It's nice to know that it's available. I didn't even know it was available until a few weeks ago, about a month or so ago. I don't know how I was blessed by stumbling into this, but thank you to each and every one of you, because I now know what a collaboration you guys have provided to me. As I sit here listening to you guys, I'm in awe. But I'm off track. Anyway, this place allows me to stay safe. It allows a place for my dog to stay safe, too, which is something at 12 years old, I don't know what I would have done had he and I ended up on the street. I can live in peace that I've earned from a long life here. I can enjoy my quiet time and not have to worry about finding new roommates. or worrying about rent. Well, I still have my share. I do want to thank the San Diego Community Housing Corporation for giving this community life. I didn't even know Fallbrook was here until about seven years ago. I never knew of this community. But that's exactly what you're giving us residents. You're giving us life. And you've given us the chance to live Dear God, forgive me for saying this, but age in peace and comfort. I just don't feel like I'm as old as I am. Senior. But thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you for sharing that, Anthony. That's inspiring. So as a lot of you know, we have sort of a two-part program today. We have a double celebration. We've just been focusing on Marisol Meadows and the completion of this beautiful project. We have another one that's just gotten underway, Brookview Senior Villas. It's about five blocks from here. And yeah, they got a lot going on if you want to drive by there later. So we're going to sort of combine the ribbon cutting and the the shovel ceremony at the end of this, but I do want to segue into the next community, the next affordable community that is also for seniors. And you haven't heard us talk a lot yet about another very important partnership of ours, one of our most golden ones, is that with National Corps, National Community Renaissance. who is also nonprofit, shares the same mission and values that we do. We are just like peas in a pod together on these projects. And talk about that trust. We execute, this is our seventh project, I think we have seven projects going. It's just unflappable, the trust and what we put in each other and you have to have that because you can't just look, you can't spend all your time scrutinizing operations thing, you just have to get stuff done. So there is no other greater partner that we've had such a wonderful experience and been fortunate to have been blessed with the National Corps. So Brookview Senior Ville is a partnership with National Corps and I'm gonna turn it over to John Seymour, the Vice President over there, to kind of lead the show for that. So thank you for all you do for us.

good morning everybody beautiful beautiful apartment home community SDCHC wonderful I don't know why we weren't invited into the partnership but we got our hands full with you on other great opportunities and this is truly I walked around here, got here early, and every little nook and cranny is just awesome. Everything from the planters, like the covers on the vents. I love that. That is just like, it just sets it off, and I really love the colors. You guys did a great job. Well, now you're on part two, two for one, two opportunities for one visit. And I think that you would agree that these groundbreakings and grand openings are some of the most refreshing and fulfilling events, at least in my heart. This is what we all work towards. And housing as far as back as I can remember for a long time, I've been with CORE for almost 30 years, is that it has always been nonpartisan issue both sides of the aisle we put our differences aside and that's what I really like about housing everybody loves housing housing housing and housing and yeah we have our we have our Yimby's we have our NIMBY's we have our Yigby's bees all over and it crosses every party line and we get things done I like to call people that are in the affordable housing sector, if you can say, housing navigators, everybody from our lenders, our investors, our public and private, They're all housing navigators, and the best housing navigators don't wait for perfect certainty. We don't. They move, they adjust, they refine as they go forward, and that's the real lesson for me. We don't drift. We're just not aimlessly at sea here. We're not shrugging our shoulders like, eh, we'll figure it out. Well, we do a lot of we'll get her done, we'll figure it out. It's course correction, a lot of course corrections, and that's what creates the housing here. And you are all great navigators from our elected officials that approve these apartment home communities to our lenders that approve our funding. And we all figure it out along the way because the best navigators like all of you know that clarity comes from motion and not just standing still. And so thank you again for this great apartment home community. Thank you for our partnership for Brookview Senior Village as well. And I would like to go through some of the people and acknowledge and thank. So again, thank you, Supervisor Jim Desmond and Mayor Rebecca Jones from San Marcos, the county staff, David, Kelly, Felipe, Jason, Justin, Erica, Anthony, and Nora, your county council, Jane Rehe, Um, the land use planner from the county of of I'm sorry from Fallbrook. David bench, right? Bench bench. Yes. Yes. Amazing. Um, he's the liaison. She, I'm sorry, Devin Devin. Amazing person. Um, also the fall planning group. Appreciate your support. Lauren from Governor Barchet, our attorneys, our National Corps Board of Directors, and our staff, Michael, Ashley, Randy, Leslie, and Tracy, our National Corps Construction, Chris Killian is here in the room today, all the way from Texas, our Senior Vice President. Chris, thank you for being here. Travis and Patrick and John and Aaron, Dennis, Angie, and Chris Basurto as well. Obviously our partners here, John, Josh, Ashley, Lena, and Ted. Housing and Urban Development, the state HCD, the California Tax Credit Committee, MW Steel Group, Michael, you're right here, please stand up. He's the architect for Brookfield Senior Village Villas. Stephen and David, Kettler, Lewis, and Fusco, and Alvaro and Adam from the CRED group, U.S. Bank, Ora Carrington, Fidelity National Title, and San Diego Housing Federation, thank you for your work, Sarah, for being here today. So Brookview Senior Villas is a 61-home development targeting extremely low-income and low-income seniors. including 12 homes set aside for veterans with a serious mental illness who have been homeless. Fallbrook, like you said, John, is an ideal location for adults to age in place. And the next property, Brookview Senior Villas, will offer that same high quality, affordable home for our residents, paired with on-site services. We'll have 61 apartment homes, very similar size to this, including 56 one bedrooms, four two bedrooms, and a two bedroom for the manager's unit. Same sort of common area amenities, high quality, and we will also Assure you that our residents will live in a community with full access to their specific needs aging in place through BHS and hope through housing and the other nonprofits that we've been able to grow our relationships with. At this time, I'm going to introduce Josh Balaban, project manager at SDCHC. This young man is amazing. He is one of the most amazing number cruncher guys that I've ever seen. We have good people on core staff, too. Randy back here is great. And these two guys working together with Leslie and Ashley are just superior. And we could crush Affirmed and Chelsea any day of the week with you. Josh, come on up, man.

Wow, thank you, John. Morning, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today. It's incredible for me to see this continuity in action, to stand here at Mirasol Meadows and see the results of years of hard work, design and construction, and also celebrate the beginning of a new chapter for its residents. And then just a few blocks away, that momentum continues as we break ground on another 61 units of beautiful quality and affordable housing at Brookview Senior Villas. When we talk about solving the affordable housing crisis, this is what it actually takes. Sustained commitment and strong partnerships across every sector. It takes leadership from the County of San Diego who committed $7.8 million in home, HomeARP, PIP, and No Place Like Home funding, along with 60 project-based vouchers. It takes vision from our co-developers at National Core, our supportive service providers at Hope Through Housing, and our talented design engineering teams at MW Steel, Formwork, and Fusco Engineering. It takes trust from the private sector, our partners at U.S. Bank, We believed in this vision enough to serve not only as our tax credit investor, but also our construction permanent lender. And it takes the work of our local construction trades, including quite a few who just finished building right here at Marisol Meadows, and now starting all over again down the street on Fig Street. Because of this collective effort, Brookview Senior Villas will provide safe, secure housing to seniors living on fixed incomes, targeting 20% and 40% of area median income. Across 56 one-bedroom apartments, four two-beds, and a manager's unit. Thanks to the county's 60 product-based vouchers, these seniors will have the true peace of mind, knowing they can age gracefully in their community while spending no more than 30% of their income on rent. And through the state's No Place Like Home program, 12 of those units are dedicated specifically to unhoused seniors living with mental illness. with wraparound support provided by County Behavioral Health Services, Hope Through Housing Foundation, and local partners right here in Fallbrook. Our goal at San Diego Community Housing Corporation and National Core is not just to build the housing, but to actively improve our residents' quality of life every day by creating vibrant communities that foster a sense of connection, purpose, and dignity. It's about the longtime Fallbrook residents who are given the security of knowing they can now afford to stay and live in their own town, and for those given a new opportunity to fall in love with this beautiful community. This is only possible because of public leaders, private partners, and local community advocates who continue to prioritize affordable housing in your daily work, policy decisions, and your votes. So today, 53 senior households are able to move into their brand new homes here at Marisol Meadows. And very soon, 60 more will move in to Brookview Senior Villas. Thank you all so much for making this happen.

now um we'll bring a gentleman back up to the podium who we've known a long time and has a hundred percent voting record on affordable housing that's supervisor jim desmond take two

Well, did you miss me? I do want to say I have seen a lot of affordable housing going in in North County, and this team has done a phenomenal job. San Diego Community Housing Corporation and National Core, they've got a great track record in North County, San Diego. We have had some problems with other projects as far as on the management side and things like that, but National Corps and San Diego Community Housing Corp have always stepped up, fixed the problem before we even saw it. So my next line says here, we're standing on a dirt lot. So I guess we're not. Rebecca, you're going to need better staff, but no. So people don't plan on being homeless, and we've got to make sure that they've got housing. And unfortunately, with the homeless crisis that we've seen for the past several years here in California, our most susceptible people are seniors for becoming homeless. And I know it seems like a lot, particularly for Fallbrook and the community, to have a lot of senior housing come in. But know that this is just part of the puzzle, and it's just another piece that has to be – that needs to be done. We've got to make sure that those folks don't end up on the streets that, you know, had some hard – as we heard from Anthony, is working at jobs and employed. But it comes on a hard time sometimes. So we've got to make sure people – don't stay on the streets, and unfortunately, a lot of people that stay on the streets too long cope with life, with drugs and alcohol, and it just gets worse and worse and worse. So this is a much better solution here. But I do want to say, management is a big issue on these properties. And like I said, National Core has always stepped up. We've had some other names mentioned here about other communities. We've had some challenges, but we've learned from those challenges, and we want to make sure that the neighborhood and the neighbors are all good with this community. They fit in, and these two in the partnerships have been up to that task, and I know they're going to keep doing that here. So now it says let's get shovels on the ground. I don't see any shovels. No, we're good. No. Well, thank you very much. And this is a great thing in our community. And John Seymour, I appreciate everything you do. And let's go cut some ribbon. There you go.

Thank you.

Thanks, Supervisor, very, very much.

And thank you to Mayor Rebecca Jones.

And good luck in your endeavor to become the next supervisor.

And Jim, good luck in your endeavor to become Congressman Desmond. Good luck to both of you. Our next speaker is Kelly Salmons, Deputy Director of Housing and Community Development Services. Kelly, you've been so supportive. She's fully transparent, always open to meeting with developers and to say, leveraging your money and how do we get this going fast? i tell you the county has been extremely entrepreneurial over the past five years you guys have just i mean everything right john from processing to financing innovation housing trust fund thank you so much kelly

Good morning, my name is Kelly Solmans. I'm the Deputy Director for the County's Department of Housing and Community Development Services. I'm honored to be here today with Supervisor Jim Desmond and to be standing among all of these incredible partners who helped to make these homes a reality. Today's a celebration, a moment to recognize what happens when vision, innovation, and partnership come together. Marisol Meadows and Brookview Senior Villas are some of the first developments located in an unincorporated county to be funded with No Place Like Home. Much has been said about these exciting new housing communities. I won't repeat it all, but I do want to focus on the partnerships. I don't think it's coincidence that partnership has been a key word in all of our speakers today. The county's support of No Place Like Home funding, project-based vouchers, home funding, and a 20-year commitment of supportive services will complement the work of Hope Through Housing Foundation, ensuring our residents have safe, stable housing for years to come. By supporting the creation of affordable housing, we're creating healthier communities, stability, and the opportunities for residents to thrive.

Thank you, Kelly. All right, our last speaker. Oh, we have a couple more, but we did it. John Wersher, Senior Vice President. Please come on up. And particularly, we'd like to know the, so John's been the spearhead on our properties here is getting through us through this permit processing in the county. John.

Thanks, John. Yeah, I already spoke briefly about the county, the actions they took themselves to put staff in place to move some of these affordable projects along with the priority that's needed. Alongside that process is the community involvement piece. Anyone who's done this for a long time knows that the community planning groups can sometimes slow things down and they don't always understand. the projects and they have to deal with a lot of developers. Not all of them are non-profits building great high impact housing and things like that. And they also have to listen to their constituents and the residents of their community and they have to balance everybody's ideas and opinions about what it should look like. So it's not always easy but I would really applaud the work and the involvement of the community planning group here. They asked tough questions. Then they listened. They allowed us to say, well, yes, I understand that, but this is the trade-off we need because we have to keep costs low and rents low. And then they have to interpret that back. So they asked questions, they asked us to collaborate on design. We agreed and we worked together. And I just want to say the support that we got from the planning group and I can really see that your constituents trust you because you're honest with them and you're honest with us and you do really great work. So I would like to invite Janine Demarek. from the planning group. Just to say a few words, but I want to say how grateful we are and a pleasure it was working with you.

Good morning. I don't always get to do this, so it's always a little bit nerve-wracking for me. I'll admit that right out the gate. My name is Jeanine Domergue. I'm the second vice chair on the Fallbrook Planning Group, as well as the chairperson for the senior health and safety portion of the Fallbrook revitalization with Jim Desmond. One of our focus has always been affordable and low income housing for seniors. Seniors on fixed incomes face severe housing instability because of rising rates and high inflation. This puts them in danger of being homeless. Maricel Meadows and Brookville Senior Villas will enable seniors to live in a complex that is beautiful, comfortable, and will support them. John Wooster came to the Faubourg Planning Group, though he didn't have to. He came to us And he, um, worked with us and the Revite Committee and compromised with us to make these two projects the best possible for Fallbrook. And we're really grateful for that because not everyone does that. So thank you. Um, and most of all, Fallbrook is just excited to welcome new residents to our community and we are excited to see what this will bring. So thank you. Thanks, John.

Thank you, Janine. All right, so with that, our program up here is concluded, and we get to do the most fun part and cut the ribbon, toss the dirt, and celebrate these two new affordable projects. So for that, I believe we're gonna make our way around the front for those of you, and I'm not sure Teresa, okay, we're.

Do you wanna just leave? We'll go through. Walk through. The ribbon's right up front, as well as the dirt shovel photos. So head towards the ribbon in front of the building.

Okay, all of our speakers today and other important, anyone's welcome to come around. You probably saw the ribbon at the front entrance. We'll do that. The rest of you are welcome to stay and meander. Oh, one other thing. We are having, you are free to see the units and to walk the building. I'm not sure, do we have guidance for that? Do you know what units they are?

We'll have property management ready shortly after the ribbon cutting.

Okay, great. After the ribbon cutting, look for the trustee national core management team and make sure you see the building. So thank you all for coming today.