Father Joe\u2019s Villages, a San Diego nonprofit that provides services and housing to homeless people,\u00a0unveiled 33 affordable studio apartments at its complex in the East Village on Monday.<\/p>\n
The studios range in size from 500 to 600 square feet according to Father Joe\u2019s, and will cost its occupants approximately $850 per month in rent. The recently renovated units\u00a0are furnished with a microwave, refrigerator, closet, dresser, light fixtures, accessories and laminate hardwood floors.<\/p>\n
All 33 units were spoken for before they were even ready, said Father Joe\u2019s President and CEO Jim Vargas. Move-ins have begun and are expected to be complete by mid-November.<\/p>\n
Father Joe\u2019s representatives said all of its housing resources, whether temporary or permanent, are almost always at full capacity. The new units are filled with 19 women and 14 men who were referred from other programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just shows you the need is there and this fills that need,\u201d said Vargas.<\/p>\n
The organization\u2019s leaders said studio apartments, what they call \u201csingle-room occupancy\u201d units, were plenty a decade ago, but have dwindled. With it, they said, came fewer\u00a0options for those looking for a place to live.<\/p>\n
As housing and rental costs rise<\/a> in San Diego, Father Joe\u2019s believes the $850 price tag for a recently renovated studio downtown is within reach of those they serve. Rent for a similar unit in San Diego, according to the organization, is more than double that amount.<\/p>\n The housing crisis comes\u00a0amid the state and federal governments\u2019 fiscal belt tightening, particularly for housing and homelessness. Several organizations across the county are bracing for the end of one-time grants<\/a> and other sources of income relied upon for a better part of this decade.<\/p>\n