August 9, 2004

San José Mayor Ron Gonzales hammered in a "Welcome Home" sign in front of the Villa Solera Family Apartments, a JSM Enterprises development, on Lucretia Avenue. The completion of the Villa Solera apartments realizes and surpasses Gonzales- goal of creating 6,000 affordable homes over five-years in the city of San José.

San José's Affordable Housing Program helps families afford to live in the city in which they work. Creating affordable housing has been a top priority for the city since 1999.

"San José families and children deserve to live in a home that they can afford so they can work and play in our community," said Gonzales.

Since the goal of building 6,000 affordable homes was set in 1999, the city has built 6,099 affordable homes that cater to families, seniors, single occupants, and special needs residents. In the last five years, the city has spent over $195 million and has leveraged more than $740 million in outside funds, totaling more than $935 million to help San José families live in affordable homes. The 100 apartments at Villa Solera officially opened in April 2004 and are targeted toward San José's academic population, such as teachers, students, and counselors.

"The high cost of living in this region has made our focus clear. We will continue to do everything we can to produce more affordable housing for San José's neediest residents" said Leslye Corsiglia, Director of San José's Housing Department. "We have the most aggressive affordable housing program in the State, if not the country."

In his State of the City address in January 2004, Gonzales recommitted to build another 6,000 affordable homes over the next five years.

"As long as we have families struggling to live in our community, we must do more," said the mayor. "Today we have accomplished our goal set in 1999, and we are committed to building another 6,000 affordable homes over the next five years."

From 1988 to 1998 approximately 4,000 affordable homes were created in San José. Gonzales proposed to increase that number by 50 percent over a five-year period. This led to the goal of creating 6,000 affordable homes over five years.

The 6,099 affordable homes created in San José in the last five years surpass the combined affordable housing created in all the cities within Santa Clara County over the same time period. As the region's largest city, San José recognizes its role as a leader in affordable housing creation both in the Bay Area and throughout the State of California.

San José's Department of Housing was created by the city council in 1988 to consolidate a variety of housing programs under one roof and to ensure that affordable housing in San José receives priority attention. Since its creation, the department has created programs and policies that seek to improve, preserve, and increase the affordable housing stock in San José. Aside from administering funding programs to build affordable housing, the Department maintains a policy staff and provides homeless assistance and referrals.

For more information about the San José's Affordable Housing Programs, contact the San José Housing Department at (408) 277-8486 or visit their website at: www.sjhousing.org.