San Diego adds $16.5 million to Bridge to Home as seventh funding round opens

New funding package targets “gap financing” for affordable housing construction

The City of San Diego has announced a new $16.5 million infusion into its Bridge to Home initiative, a program designed to accelerate affordable housing by filling financing gaps that can prevent projects from moving from approvals to construction. The funding coincides with the opening of the program’s seventh funding round for qualified affordable-housing developers.

City officials said the $16.5 million is composed of $12 million in former redevelopment funds—restricted to housing-related uses such as site improvements and construction—and $4.5 million from California’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA). PLHA funding is intended to support the construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of housing for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, as well as households at or below 30% of area median income.

How Bridge to Home works and what the city says it has delivered

Bridge to Home, launched in 2021, operates as a gap-financing program. The city uses periodic notices of funding availability to invite proposals, then evaluates applications based on criteria that include project feasibility and community benefits. City materials for the latest round state that certain project attributes can increase competitiveness, including on-site child care, locations in moderate-to-high resource areas, and teams that include emerging developers.

City figures indicate that, across 28 projects supported since 2021, five projects totaling 390 affordable homes have been completed. Of those completed units, 146 include supportive services and are set aside for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

• Jacaranda on Ninth (Downtown)
• Ventana al Sur (San Ysidro)
• The Iris at San Ysidro (San Ysidro)
• Serenade on 43rd (City Heights)
• PATH Villas El Cerrito (El Cerrito)

The city also reports that 18 additional Bridge to Home projects are under construction or have received City Council approval for program funding, representing 1,667 affordable homes. Within that group, 276 homes are described as including supportive services. Separately, the city has stated that 188 homes without supportive services would serve vulnerable individuals and families at 30% to 40% of area median income.

What happens next: Round seven timeline and decision factors

For the newly opened seventh round, the city set an application deadline of April 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. Proposals are expected to be evaluated on feasibility and community benefit measures, with stated incentives for developments that incorporate amenities and partnerships aligned with city priorities.

The city has framed the latest funding as a way to move more affordable developments closer to construction by addressing financing shortfalls that can delay projects even after planning milestones are met.

Context: prior rounds and recent recommendations

In December 2025, the city announced it was recommending $15 million for four projects that would create 528 affordable homes, pending City Council action on individual project agreements. The city described those recommended projects as including supportive-service units and community-serving components such as child care and open space. The new $16.5 million commitment extends the city’s use of Bridge to Home as a recurring mechanism for accelerating projects through targeted, project-level funding.

As Round seven begins, the central question for policymakers and residents will be how quickly awarded projects can convert financing commitments into completed homes, particularly for developments serving extremely low-income households and people facing homelessness.