Townspeople

Our mission is to provide access for low-income people, especially those living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, or other special needs, to affordable housing and other human services. The goals of the organization are to:
* provide access to affordable housing to previously homeless individuals and families
* provide case management and access to comprehensive supportive services tailored to meet the needs of the individual or family
* assist the client in achieving residential stability and quality of life

Tenants of Townspeople live in a community with full access to services that will meet their specific needs, while encouraging independence and growth. Townspeople offers different levels of support, depending on the service needs of the individual or family. Services are offered through a coordinated effort among the owner, property management staff, on-site service staff, case managers and the tenants themselves – ensuring a healthy living environment for all tenants.
The overall philosophy of service delivery is focused on helping tenants to maximize their ability to live independently. The service philosophy of both Townspeople and its service delivery partners is based on providing compassionate, individualized, voluntary services designed to help tenants meet their own goals for self-sufficiency and self-determination.

Townspeople is proud of its thirty-three year history of providing housing and services to those in our community most in need and most vulnerable. This rich history has allowed us to develop the internal expertise and capacity to provide services to individuals with complex, multi-layered needs. Additionally, this history has helped to establish a wealth of knowledge about the resources available in the community to augment services Townspeople can provide. We have developed mutually beneficial, cooperative relationships with like-minded organizations with complimentary missions. The work of Townspeople staff, combined with these community resources will result in Vista del Puente clients having access to services tailored to meet their individual needs culminating in residential stability and quality of life. Townspeople's capability to accomplish its goals is further demonstrated by the fact that in recent years, Townspeople has been awarded and successfully fulfilled contracts by the County of San Diego, Department of Housing and Community Development for Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) to provide Short Term Rental, Mortgage and Utilities assistance (STRMU), Information & Referral Services, Emergency Housing, Supportive Housing Services/Case Management and Housing Operations Support. Additionally, Townspeople was awarded a sub-contract with the San Diego Housing Commission for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re- Housing Program (HPRP). Further funding contracts and services include Supportive Housing Program funds from the State of California, Department of Housing and Community Services, Permanent Supportive Housing funds (36 units) from the Housing Commission and the County of San Diego. Townspeople also administers and provides information on 9 Section 8 Project Based Vouchers, and other rental subsidy contracts and/or vouchers and their eligibility and waiting list requirements.

Townspeople has become one of the premier owners, developers, property managers and service providers targeted to homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the County. Townspeople has acquired three affordable housing communities totaling 66 units. Because Townspeople acts as both owner, manager and service provider we are able to provide coordinated services and have been able to achieve the high rate of residential stability (tenancy of 1 year or more) among our tenants of 85%. Townspeople is currently in the process of developing 52 additional units of affordable housing with its Vista del Puente new construction project. 38 of the units will be targeted to homeless individuals and families with HIV/AIDS and 26 of those will be for previously homeless veterans. The development is anticipating receiving an allocation of tax credits in September 2016 which will be the last piece of funding necessary to complete the project. We anticipate starting construction in March of 2017 with completion and occupancy achieved in the summer of 2018.