San Diego County launches affordable housing dashboard

New tool tracks units under construction and already completed

Apr. 3, 2026 at 4:53am

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An abstract, blurred image of apartment buildings and homes in warm, hazy tones, conveying the challenges of finding affordable housing in San Diego.The new affordable housing dashboard aims to provide more transparency around the region's housing supply, but experts say a more comprehensive approach is needed to address San Diego's affordability crisis.San Diego Today

San Diego County has launched a dashboard that tracks affordable housing inventory, showing units under construction and those that have already been completed. The tool aims to provide more transparency around the region's affordable housing supply, though experts caution it may not capture the full picture as it only includes units financed by the county and not other local jurisdictions.

Why it matters

Finding affordable housing has become a major challenge for many San Diegans, with rents pricing out middle-income residents and forcing difficult decisions even for those living in designated affordable complexes. The new dashboard is an attempt to better understand the affordable housing landscape, but its limitations mean more comprehensive regional data is still needed.

The details

The dashboard shows units under construction through those already completed, providing a snapshot of the affordable housing inventory. However, Stephen Russell of the San Diego Housing Federation notes the tool only covers units financed by the County of San Diego, and does not include affordable housing built by other cities like San Diego. Russell says the dashboard needs to be expanded to the entire region to be truly useful.

  • San Diego County launched the affordable housing dashboard in April 2026.

The players

Devin Newcomb

A Hillcrest resident who pays just over $1,400 per month for an apartment in an affordable housing complex, the lowest rent he could find in the area.

Stephen Russell

President and CEO of the San Diego Housing Federation, who commented on the impact of new affordable housing developments and the limitations of the county's dashboard.

UC Policy Lab

Research organization that found Californians who leave the state are about 50% more likely to own a home within seven years, as the high cost of living drives middle-income residents out.

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What they’re saying

“The places that we were looking at [were] like $2,500 a month, you know, close to $3,000, so this was definitely a nice change of pace.”

— Devin Newcomb, Hillcrest resident

“To really be useful, I think that inventory needs to be expanded in the entire region, and then maintained. How well they maintain it is another question.”

— Stephen Russell, President and CEO, San Diego Housing Federation

“What we're seeing is that middle-income trench leaving because they want to be able to buy a home they want to be able to raise their kids in something other than an apartment.”

— Stephen Russell, President and CEO, San Diego Housing Federation

What’s next

The county plans to regularly update the affordable housing dashboard to provide the most current data on the region's inventory.

The takeaway

While the new affordable housing dashboard is a step in the right direction, experts say it needs to be expanded to include data from all local jurisdictions to truly capture the full picture of the housing landscape in San Diego. Addressing the region's affordability crisis will require a more comprehensive approach.