Accessibility and Website Information Skip Site Wide Navigation Skip to Content City Seal | HomeCity of San Diego | Home
Search City of San Diego

Assistance Programs

Condominium Conversion Tenant Assistance

  • Condominium Conversion Tenant Assistance Program - When San Diego's rental vacancy rate is below 7 percent, occupants of housing units being converted to condominiums who receive a notice to vacate and who have an income below the area median income are eligible for relocation/down payment assistance equal to 3 months current rent. (San Diego Housing Commission)

Developer Financing and Incentives

  • Redevelopment Funds to Construct New Affordable Housing - The City of San Diego is seeking proposals from qualified developers and development teams to construct new affordable housing units Citywide. This $55 million program seeks proposals for residential or mixed-use developments; housing that is all low-income or mixed-income; multi- and/or single-family dwelling units; and rental and/or for-sale units. (Redevelopment Agency)
  • Affordable Housing Development Financing Program - Information for developers regarding affordable housing financing. The Housing Commission provides low-interest loans and other incentives to help developers acquire, rehabilitate and build affordable housing. (San Diego Housing Commission)

First-Time Homebuyer Assistance

  • Down Payment/Closing Cost Assistance Grant - First-time homebuyers earning 100 percent or less of the San Diego Area Median Income (AMI) can apply for a grant equal to four percent of the purchase price (not to exceed $7,500), to be used toward the down payment and closing costs. The grant is recoverable if the buyer sells or rents the home within six years. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program - First-time homebuyers purchasing houses or condominiums within San Diego city limits can receive a tax credit equal to either 15 or 20 percent of the mortgage interest they pay each year on their federal income taxes. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Calhome First-Time Homebuyer Mortgage Assistance Program - Qualified first-time homebuyers earning 80 percent or less of the AMI, as adjusted for family size, can purchase homes in the City of San Diego with the help of a deferred second trust deed loan of $19,350. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Downtown First-Time Homebuyer Program - A program that assists first-time homebuyers earning 120 percent or less of the AMI to purchase a home in downtown San Diego. This program provides financing, in the form of a second trust deed loan, not to exceed $75,000. The loan is for 30 years at zero percent interest and has no monthly payments for the first five years. (Centre City Development Corporation, San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Shared Equity Program - First-time homebuyers earning 80 percent or less of AMI can purchase homes in the City of San Diego with the help of a "silent second" trust deed loan for 25 percent of the purchase price or $70,187, whichever is less. No monthly payments of principal or interest are required. Maximum purchase price or appraised value is $280,749. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • First-Time Homebuyer Shared Equity Program in Southeastern San Diego - First-time homebuyers in southeastern San Diego can apply for a shared equity loan. Applicants cannot earn more than 120 percent of the San Diego AMI (for example, $76,080 for a family of four). Interest-free loans are available up to $40,000. (Southeastern Economic Development Corporation)
  • Down Payment Grant Program - Assistance with partial down payment costs up to $5,000 is provided in the form of a cash grant to eligible first-time homebuyers who are in the process of purchasing newly-constructed homes in targeted areas within southeastern San Diego. The grant is available to homebuyers with household incomes up to 120 percent of the San Diego area median income. (Southeastern Economic Development Corporation)
  • Home in The Heights (PDF) - The City will fund silent second mortgages for first-time homebuyers of up to $15,000 per property within the City Heights Redevelopment Project Area to qualified borrowers displaced by school projects. The Home in the Heights loan can be combined with San Diego Housing Commission funds provided by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department that can provide an additional $40,000 or with Price Charities funds that can provide an additional $25,000. (Redevelopment Division)
  • Homebuyer Training Programs - Programs to teach first-time homebuyers how to purchase a home.

Property Rehabilitation and Assistance

  • Property Rehabilitation Programs - Program to help lower-income (60 - 80 percent AMI) homeowners and rental property owners make needed repairs to older housing. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • HOMEWORKS! Purchase/Rehabilitation Program - For buyers wanting to purchase and renovate older homes in targeted areas of the city. Program options include deferred loans, tax credits and down payment assistance. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • City Heights Redevelopment Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program (PDF)- For very-low and low-income homeowners within the City Heights Redevelopment Project Area. The program includes Home Repair Loans of up to $10,000 and Exterior Enhancement Loans of up to $5,000, or a combination of the two, for owner-occupants of one- and two-unit properties. (Redevelopment Division/Housing Commission)
  • Housing Rehabilitation Program - Available to homeowners in targeted redevelopment project areas that require assistance with interior and exterior enhancements to their home. The Exterior Enhancement & Home Repair Grants are provided to interested homeowners of owner-occupied, one and two-unit properties with gross household incomes up to 80 and 100 percent of the San Diego Median Area Income. A low-interest, fully-deferred Housing Rehabilitation Loan is provided to interested homeowners that have substantial home repair needs and occupy a one or two-unit property with a gross household income up to 80 percent of the San Diego Median Area Income. (Southeastern Economic Development Corporation)

Rental Assistance

  • "Housing Choice Voucher" Program - Also known as "Section 8", this program helps low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities with supplemental rent payments from the Housing Commission paid directly to private landlords. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Publicly-Owned Housing - The Housing Commission owns and operates approximately 1,800 attractive, well-maintained homes throughout the city. (San Diego Housing Commission)
  • Other affordable rental housing - Information about affordable rental housing - including information about emergency housing, Single Room Occupancy hotels, and lists affordable housing complexes built by developers through city programs. (San Diego Housing Commission)