On Thursday afternoon, Maria, Katrina and I took an alternative housing tour of the various affordable housing options in San Diego. When I visited these sites, I felt like I was on House Hunters, listing the positive (and negative) aspects of each facility. Each facility has their unique aesthetics, smells and amenities. For this segment, I will give a brief review of some of the places we’ve visited, and provide insights on whether this would be an ideal living situation for someone who’s looking for affordable housing.
Potiker Family Senior Residence:
The building was old, and the interior was dark (almost eerie). I liked how there was a small vegetable garden to provide fresh air and green space for the seniors. The facility was surrounded by high rises and other living facilities. There was a local Albertsons, which would make it possible for seniors to access should they need food/pharmaceutical products. Outside the facility, we could see lots of seniors walking around the area, indicating that the area contains an active senior population.
Sara Francis Hometel:
We were lucky enough to receive a tour of the facility by the manager. He showed us some of the rooms, and I was shocked. When he told us that a 100 square foot room costs $700/month, I was even more shocked because one can get a double room in La Jolla for less than $600. The rooms were so bare, there wasn’t even a kitchen, and some rooms didn’t have a private bathroom. The smells were also horrific, and the facility in general did not seem like a welcoming place for seniors to live in. With this in mind, I don’t think it’s worth using the allowance given by Social Security to live in this establishment.
Celadon:
The exterior does not look like an affordable housing facility, but a high-rise apartment. I noticed that with a lot of these affordable housing facilities, they place great emphasis on security, having security features by the entrances of each facility. Here, they don’t hesitate to incorporate innovative technologies into their building design.
North Park Senior Apartments:
This was one of the nicest apartments ever. Although we weren’t able to look at the rooms, we took a walk around the neighborhood as well as the facility. The area was quiet, there were no weird smells, and the facility was surrounded by high-value homes and upscale condominiums. Again, I was shocked at the fact that this was categorized as an affordable housing home, because it didn’t look like that whatsoever. I guess my vision of affordable housing is run-down, beat-up and limited in space, kind of like the Sara Francis Hometel. My favorite part about visiting this place was going up the balcony and watching the sunset with Katrina and Maria. Being on the balcony felt so rustic, and the elements of greenery put a nice “homey” touch to it. This is a place definitely worth considering for a senior to live in.
Potiker Family Senior Residence:
The building was old, and the interior was dark (almost eerie). I liked how there was a small vegetable garden to provide fresh air and green space for the seniors. The facility was surrounded by high rises and other living facilities. There was a local Albertsons, which would make it possible for seniors to access should they need food/pharmaceutical products. Outside the facility, we could see lots of seniors walking around the area, indicating that the area contains an active senior population.
Sara Francis Hometel:
We were lucky enough to receive a tour of the facility by the manager. He showed us some of the rooms, and I was shocked. When he told us that a 100 square foot room costs $700/month, I was even more shocked because one can get a double room in La Jolla for less than $600. The rooms were so bare, there wasn’t even a kitchen, and some rooms didn’t have a private bathroom. The smells were also horrific, and the facility in general did not seem like a welcoming place for seniors to live in. With this in mind, I don’t think it’s worth using the allowance given by Social Security to live in this establishment.
Celadon:
The exterior does not look like an affordable housing facility, but a high-rise apartment. I noticed that with a lot of these affordable housing facilities, they place great emphasis on security, having security features by the entrances of each facility. Here, they don’t hesitate to incorporate innovative technologies into their building design.
North Park Senior Apartments:
This was one of the nicest apartments ever. Although we weren’t able to look at the rooms, we took a walk around the neighborhood as well as the facility. The area was quiet, there were no weird smells, and the facility was surrounded by high-value homes and upscale condominiums. Again, I was shocked at the fact that this was categorized as an affordable housing home, because it didn’t look like that whatsoever. I guess my vision of affordable housing is run-down, beat-up and limited in space, kind of like the Sara Francis Hometel. My favorite part about visiting this place was going up the balcony and watching the sunset with Katrina and Maria. Being on the balcony felt so rustic, and the elements of greenery put a nice “homey” touch to it. This is a place definitely worth considering for a senior to live in.