Wakeland CEO Ken Sauder with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer at Atmosphere's Grand Opening

June News Round-Up

June 13, 2017
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ATMOSPHERE OPENS IN DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
City officials, partners and residents gathered on May 31 to celebrate the grand opening of Atmosphere, Wakeland’s largest new construction development to date. The 12-story high-rise brings 205 new homes to downtown San Diego, serving a broad range of people who need affordable housing by combining traditional affordable units with 51 permanent supportive homes for people who have experienced homelessness.
 
Speaking at the event, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer expressed the need for more developments like Atmosphere, saying, “Atmosphere is the perfect example of what we need to build more of in San Diego, in every single neighborhood across the city.”
 
You can see more highlights from the event in this clip from KUSI-TV.
 
A WAKELAND WINNER: TRACEY DAVIS
Big congratulations to Wakeland Resident Services Manager Tracey Davis, who is this year’s winner of the coveted San Diego Housing Federation Ruby Award for “Outstanding Service to Residents.”
 
Tracey oversees the site coordinators and programs at 18 Wakeland housing communities, traveling long distances to make sure that residents from San Diego County to the Bay Area can learn something new in a computer workshop, get help with their resume or enjoy a holiday celebration with their neighbors.
 
She is a tireless worker who consistently amazes us with selfless gestures that go above and beyond expectations – such as the time she personally cooked eight turkeys with all the trimmings so the residents at one of Wakeland’s senior communities could have a nice dinner on Thanksgiving.
 
“This award is priceless to me!,” said Tracey. “It was gratifying walking across the stage to receive an award for doing work I absolutely love!”
 
ST. PAUL'S VOLUNTEERS PITCH IN AT TALMADGE GATEWAY
Nearly 70 volunteers organized by St. Paul’s Senior Services turned out earlier this month to make beds, set up kitchen appliances and wrote “welcome home” notes for the incoming residents at Talmadge Gateway, San Diego’s first permanent supportive housing development for medically frail seniors who have been homeless.
 
Opening in July, this new community is the result of a partnership between Wakeland and City Heights Community Development Corporation, with comprehensive on-site services provided for residents by St. Paul’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
 
Volunteers at the event set up 59 studio apartments for the new residents, who will be moving in later this summer. Afterwards, they enjoyed lunch and toasted the new property during a special ceremony that included a blessing and remarks from St. Paul’s CEO Cheryl Wilson and City Councilmember Georgette Gomez.

A NEW FACE AT WAKELAND
Wakeland is excited to welcome Shonda Herold to the team as our newest project manager. Shonda previously worked as Housing Project Manager with the City of Riverside and was an instrumental part of bringing to life Wakeland’s Home Front at Camp Anza, a community of 30 new homes designed for veterans that is located on the historic former site of a WWII U.S. Army training camp.
 
She will now oversee three Wakeland projects that are currently in development in Riverside County.
 
“Shonda was a diligent advocate for our previous project in Riverside and Wakeland is so happy to have her on our staff,” said Wakeland Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Louie. “She has a great understanding of the affordable housing landscape in the Inland Empire and an unmatched talent for finding new resources and connections to aid our work in this region.”