Cambria hasn't gotten new affordable housing in nearly 30 years - but now it may

A long-delayed affordable housing project in San Luis Obispo County took another step toward reaching full funding with a new contribution from the Board of Supervisors.

Cambria Pines Apartments, a People's Self-Help Housing affordable housing complex that's been in the works for around 20 years, received yet another piece of its complicated funding puzzle on Tuesday when the Board awarded the project $1.3 million from the county's Senate Bill 1090 funding pool - funds generated from the 2018 Diablo Canyon Joint Proposal settlement.

With a total of 33 units - eight for people experiencing homelessness and 25 for families - the project would be the first new affordable housing in Cambria since the 1997 completion of the housing nonprofit's 24-unit Schoolhouse Lane property near Santa Lucia Middle School, which is adjacent to Cambria Pines' proposed location.

People's Self-Help Housing CEO Ken Triguiero said the Board's support means a lot for any project looking to close the funding gap with federal money or tax credits.

Undeveloped lot next to Santa Lucia Middle School in Cambria is slated for affordable housing seen here Dec. 30, 2024.

In Cambria, which has been deemed a "low-resource area" by the state - meaning basic amenities such as groceries and other services aren't readily available when residents need them - that kind of support means even more than most other project sites, Triguiero said.

"Really, the only way we can overcome that in terms of the location and the distance away from those kind of amenities is to counter that with showing the state that the local agency, in this case the county, thinks it's important," Triguiero said.

People's Self-Help Housing CEO Ken Triguiero speaks at the grand opening of Pismo Terrace, a 50-unit affordable housing complex at the intersection of North 4th Street and 5 Cities Drive, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.

People's Self-Help Housing aiming to wrap up funding soon

Though Cambria Pines has already jumped through most of the legal and financial hurdles needed to get approval, its still awaiting the list bit of funding needed.

Prior to the $1.3 million SB 1090 disbursement from the Board, the project had previously received around $3 million from the county through a range of funding streams, along with $1.3 million form the Housing Trust Fund of San Luis Obispo County, Triguiero said.

Another $7 million could be on the way via an application to the state's Joe Serna, Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, but Triguiero said the accumulated financial support form the county and Housing Trust Fund has already helped People's Self-Help Housing's case with the state.

Cambria Pines Apartments, a 33-unit People's Self-Help Housing affordable housing complex on Schoolhouse Lane, received $1.3 million in Senate Bill 1090 funding from the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

To cross the finish line, the nonprofit will use its support from the county and Housing Trust Fund to bolster its applications for around $19 million worth of low-income housing tax credits, capping off the full project cost of around $28.5 million, Triguiero said.

If People's Self-Help Housing's application for low-income housing tax credits is accepted by the state, the nonprofit can turn around and sell those tax credits to banks and investors to make up the remaining funding, Triguiero said.

"Where we're at now is we've got an approved project, we've got a few sources of funding already committed, and we're hoping that what the Board of Supervisors did yesterday by approving another $1.3 million will be sufficient for us to compete for the last big amount that we need," Triguiero said.

Undeveloped lot next to Santa Lucia Middle School in Cambria is slated for affordable housing seen here Dec. 30, 2024.

Project would end 3 decades without new affordable housing in Cambria

With more than 30 years between the completion of the Schoolhouse Lane affordable apartments and the earliest possible opening date for Cambria Pines Apartments, the 33-unit project would go a long way taking some pressure off of the North Coast community's working population, Triguiero said.

Within those 33 units, four one-bedroom homes, 19 two-bedroom homes and 10 three-bedroom homes are planned, with the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo providing eight project-based vouchers to keep units affordable long-term, according to data from People's Self-Help Housing.

Units will feature basic amenities such as refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers, along with a community center, learning center, laundry room, outdoor playground and walking path, according to data from People's Self-Help Housing.

Cambria Pines Apartments, a 33-unit People's Self-Help Housing affordable housing complex on Schoolhouse Lane, received $1.3 million in Senate Bill 1090 funding from the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

All told, if People's Self-Help Housing's tax credit application is successful, the project could close its financing in the spring of 2024, with construction expected to take 18-24 months from that point, Triguiero said.

In January, around 100 households were on the waiting list for the existing Schoolhouse Lane apartments and another 187 households were waiting for the yet-to-be-constructed complex, according to data provided by People's Self-Help Housing.

While the 5.88-acre project's 33 units won't completely alleviate the town's housing problems, it would help some working families live where they work - a growing problem in Cambria, Triguiero said.

"The folks that typically get on that list and wait, a lot of them already live in Cambria and they're doubled up or tripled up in homes, and they really need their own place because they can't find anything affordable, but many already work in the community, and so they want to be close," Triguiero said. "Some on that wait list are living outside of Cambria but working in Cambria, and they're making pretty long commutes, so that's why we wanted to do it, why we started down this path."

The latest local, national and international news delivered every weekday morning.