FALLBROOK — County leaders and affordable housing developers celebrated the opening of a new affordable senior housing community and the groundbreaking of another nearby senior development, both located within minutes of each other in the “friendly village.”
Located at 528 E. Alvarado Street, Mirasol Meadows is a 53-unit apartment community for seniors earning between 30% and 50% of the area median income.
According to the California Housing Partnership, San Diego County residents must earn $48 an hour — about 2.8 times the state minimum wage — to afford median rental prices. Senior homelessness in the county also increased about 5% over the past year.
Supervisor Jim Desmond said the Fallbrook senior homes are “desperately needed.”
“This is what it looks like when we stop talking about the housing crisis and start solving it,” Desmond said.
The development includes 49 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units. Six apartments are reserved for individuals with serious mental illnesses who have experienced homelessness.
Amenities include air conditioning, private balconies, energy-efficient appliances and shared community spaces. Walking paths also connect residents to shops, cafes and restaurants along nearby Main Avenue.
According to developer San Diego Community Housing Corp., the three-story community was designed to help residents age in place.
“I feel like I’m at home already,” said Anthony, 68, one of the first Mirasol Meadows residents, who moved in with his dog, Jet.
A few months ago, Anthony feared he and Jet would end up back on the streets after learning the lease on his previous residence was ending, and his roommates planned to move away. Soon afterward, he learned he had been selected to live at Mirasol Meadows.
National Community Renaissance of California, or National CORE, will manage the property. Hope Through Housing Foundation, the Center for Senior Wellbeing, the Fallbrook Food Pantry and the County of San Diego’s Behavioral Health Services Department will provide on-site educational programs and service coordination for residents.
SDCHC and National CORE also partnered to develop Brookview Senior Villas, a three-story community at 230 W. Fig St. for adults 62 and older. The project will include 61 apartments, consisting of 56 one-bedroom units, four two-bedroom units and one manager’s unit.
SDCHC Vice President John Wurster said Brookview Senior Villas will “give respite to those who are struggling” in North County.
Thirty apartments will be reserved for extremely low-income households earning at or below 20% and 30% of the area median income. Another 12 units will be reserved for individuals diagnosed with mental illness who have experienced homelessness and are referred through the county’s No Place Like Home program.
“Homelessness might be trending downward, but we still have a long way to go in making San Diego more affordable for our seniors,” said National CORE Vice President John Seymour.
Brookview Senior Villas is under construction, but officials held a groundbreaking ceremony July 30 alongside the ribbon-cutting for Mirasol Meadows.
Both developments were financed through a public-private partnership that included tax equity and construction financing from U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance.
