San Diego School District Could Accelerate Workforce Housing Program

The San Diego Unified School District is considering a proposal to build 1,000 units of workforce housing on five of its properties to help struggling teachers and staff access affordable housing.

As Kristen Taketa explains in Governing, the move could house 10 percent of the district’s employees. “School districts around California are increasingly pursuing the idea of building affordable housing for employees as a way to improve recruitment and retention amid a worsening housing crisis.”

The district already engages in real estate development, with about 50 low-income employee households living in a district-owned development in Scripps Ranch.

There are two proposed funding models for financing district-owned housing: low-income tax credits combined with long-term bank mortgage and state and local funding; or a permanent loan that could reduce the cost of construction per unit. “The district has also set aside about $206 million in bond funding from its Measure U, which voters passed two years ago, just for housing.”