Escondido approves funding for senior housing project targeting homelessness

By Gary Warth
April 8, 2026

ESCONDIDO – A proposed affordable housing development aimed at low-income seniors — including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness — moved forward this week with City Council approval of key funding.

The Valley Creek Senior Apartments project would bring 136 affordable units to a vacant 1.88-acre site at 620 E. Valley Parkway, including 14 apartments reserved for senior veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The five-story development, led by National CORE and the San Diego Community Housing Corporation, still requires additional financing before construction can begin.

To support the project, the City Council on April 8 unanimously approved allocating roughly $3 million in federal HOME Investment Partnership Program funds.

The funding includes $584,000 in expiring HOME funds from 2018 and about $2.4 million in unspent funds from 2019 to 2023.

Councilmembers considered several alternatives for the funds, including supporting a previously approved affordable housing project, issuing a new request for proposals or expanding the city’s rental subsidy program, which already receives about $1.7 million annually.

City staff recommended directing the full amount to the Valley Creek project, citing its readiness and potential impact.

During the meeting, Councilmember Consuelo Martinez said some residents had suggested the development could proceed without city funding.

That was not the case, said Ted Miyahara, president and CEO of the San Diego Community Housing Corporation, who told the council the local funding is critical to making the project competitive for state financing and tax credits.

Without it, he said, the project would likely not move forward.

The council ultimately agreed, approving the funding without opposition.