Veterans, transition-age youth and additional San Diegans who lived in their cars, in shelters or on the streets now have their own furnished, affordable rental homes with access to supportive services at a former motel that the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) converted into studio apartments at Pacific Village, which celebrated its grand opening Thursday.  

Pacific Village is the result of collaboration among the Federal, State, County and City governments, SDHC and supportive services providers to offer a life-changing opportunity for a new home for unhoused San Diegans. The Mayor and City Council strongly supported and engaged with SDHC on efforts to secure State Homekey funds, including allocating $5.9 million in City funds toward the purchase and rehabilitation of Pacific Village.  

“Pacific Village shows what’s possible when every level of government works together to turn vacant properties into homes for people who need them most,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “By transforming an underused motel into homes with on-site support, we’re giving people a real chance to regain stability and rebuild their futures.”  

The housing units at Pacific Village are among 608 new affordable rental apartments for unhoused San Diegans that have been created since 2020 through SDHC collaborations with the City and the County, with Homekey funds awarded by the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The San Diego Housing Commission now owns and operates more than 550 of those units.  

“The best way to address homelessness in San Diego is to create homes for our most vulnerable residents,” Council President Joe LaCava said. “The opening of Pacific Village demonstrates once again how collaboration between Federal, State and local government delivers solutions to address this crisis in San Diego and throughout the country.”  

"Addressing homelessness has been one of my top priorities since I was elected to the City Council, and I have always welcomed shelters, service providers, and affordable housing projects in my District,” said City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, who represents Council District 2, which includes Pacific Village. “This project, which adds 62 affordable units for formerly homeless San Diegans in District 2, demonstrates the great progress we can make toward addressing homelessness through collaboration at all levels of government. I am grateful to the San Diego Housing Commission and our partners at the County, State, and Federal government for their contributions toward making this project a reality."  

The County of San Diego also allocated $5.9 million in capital funds for Pacific Village and committed close to $5 million over five years toward the necessary behavioral health supportive services for Pacific Village residents, subject to County Board of Supervisors approval in annual budgets.  

“People who have experienced homelessness have often suffered significant trauma in their lives,” said Kimberly Giardina, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency. “In this partnership for Pacific Village, the County has committed nearly $11 million to provide housing and behavioral health supportive services that will help residents overcome that trauma and achieve greater successes in their lives.”  

The State awarded $16.85 million in Homekey funds to the Pacific Village project. Since 2020, the State has awarded more than $105 million in Homekey funds to SDHC collaborations. Pacific Village is the last SDHC collaborative development to be completed with those funds.  

“Through this Homekey project, many veterans, youth, and others who are struggling will have the stability of housing security and a connection to opportunity that can transform their future,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “Through the City’s demonstrated commitment to Prohousing policies that advance development of housing for all income levels, it also earned a well-deserved incentive that contributed heavily to making Pacific Village a reality.”  

The San Diego Housing Commission oversaw the conversion of the property into studio apartments, owns and manages Pacific Village and administers the federal rental assistance that supports housing stability for Pacific Village’s residents.  

“Throughout this process, our main focus has been on the people for whom Pacific Village is now home,” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said. “Living without shelter and security is a traumatic experience. We cannot overstate the importance of turning your key in the lock for the first time, walking into your own apartment, or going to sleep in your own bed feeling safe and secure. Our residents have been able to experience those moments here at Pacific Village. That is what we are celebrating today.”  

All Pacific Village residents have access to services that include outreach and engagement, mental health services, healthcare/physical health services, behavioral health services, substance use services, case management, care coordination, life skills training, education and employment services, assistance obtaining benefits and essential documentation, and transportation services. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides case management and clinical services for the 15 veterans with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers who reside at Pacific Village. Through a contract with the County of San Diego, Telecare provides supportive services for the additional residents, including transition-age youth. 

“When we welcome residents into their new homes like these apartments—sometimes after they have spent years in shelters, their cars or on the street—it is an adjustment. We are here to help them through that transition and to address a variety of challenges they may have experienced in their lives,” said Jordan Garcia, a Team Supervisor with Telecare. “Offering supportive services is essential to the opportunity to achieve stability in a new home.” 

The rehabilitation of the former motel site to create Pacific Village included:  

• Installation of kitchenettes in all units. 

• Addition of fire sprinkler and alarm systems. 

• Upgrades to existing building systems to extend useful life and accommodate new kitchenettes and fire systems.  

• Upgrades to life safety systems.  

• Security additions, including the installation of cameras and perimeter fencing 3 • Plumbing fixture replacement.  

• Roof replacement.  

• Installation of rooftop solar panels to offset electric energy use to the benefit of the entire property, as well as battery storage for the property, which will be brought online soon.  

• Painting of the interior and exterior of the building.  

• Accessibility upgrades, including path of travel to units and common areas.  

• Termite fumigation and repairs. 

Residents began moving into their new rental homes at Pacific Village on September 8. SILLMAN served as the architect, and LDCo was the general contractor for the Pacific Village rehabilitation. This project is funded in whole or in part with HOME Investment Partnerships Grant American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funds that HUD provided to the City of San Diego, which SDHC administers.