Elected officials, County of San Diego leaders and other dignitaries gathered Friday to welcome residents to their homes at a new affordable housing community in Chula Vista. They joined local nonprofit Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation at the grand opening ceremony for Casa Anita, which Wakeland developed to address a growing need for affordable homes in the South Bay.
Rents at the 96-unit property range from $530 to $1920 per month and are structured so residents pay roughly 30 percent of their income toward rent, freeing up their household budgets to pay for other essentials like healthcare, food and transportation.
Casa Anita is Wakeland’s third affordable housing community in Chula Vista, and one of its most unique, according to the nonprofit’s President and CEO, Rebecca Louie.
“Wakeland designed Casa Anita to serve a truly broad range of people who need affordable housing – from low-income working families to individuals and families with children who have experienced homelessness,” says Louie. “High housing costs and homelessness are such pervasive issues in our communities right now, and we are so proud to be a part of the solution in Chula Vista.”
To that end, 24 of the 96 apartments at Casa Anita are “supportive housing” – permanent homes set aside for individuals and families who have experienced homelessness. These rentals are paired with robust healthcare and social services from the County of San Diego’s service providers that help residents rest, recover and thrive.
One of the new residents is Sarai Herrera, a working single mom who had never been able to afford a place of her own before now. With the security of an affordable rental home, she says, “My daughters and I are looking forward to making new memories together as a family…even the basic things like doing the dishes are special now.”
Resident Almalik Raswl is a disabled Vietnam Veteran who lived in his truck for nine months before moving to Casa Anita. Now safely housed, he can finally access the healthcare he needs. “Now I can relax, " says Raswl. “I can get back to the things I enjoy, like fishing and meditating. And I’m going back to school to pursue my goal of becoming a paralegal.”
Designed by Rodriguez Associates Architects + Planners and constructed by Sun Country Builders, Casa Anita has a contemporary design with five three-story garden-style residential buildings and an adjacent one-story community room arranged around a central courtyard with tot lot and BBQ area on a two-acre site. Financing for the $42.3 million development came from a mix of public and private sources, including the City of Chula Vista, the County of San Diego’s Innovative Housing Trust Fund and No Place Like Home program, Wells Fargo, the California Community Reinvestment Corporation and the State of California’s Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
“Casa Anita is an excellent example of the partnerships that go into affordable housing developments to serve some of our region’s most vulnerable residents on their path to self-sufficiency,” said Chula Vista Mayor John McCann. “The City is proud of contributing to this partnership with Wakeland, the County of San Diego, and other funders to bring this project to Chula Vista and provide affordable homes and critical services for residents.”
Casa Anita is fully leased-up, but people who think they may qualify for affordable housing can go to wakelandhdc.com/leasing-
