In Walnut Creek, where affordable housing is in short supply, a senior living community opened up for the first time in a while.

There are a lot of applicants–for just a few spots.

By the early afternoon, several dozen seniors had applied or inquired about applying for affordable housing in-person and online at Montego Place Senior Apartments in Walnut Creek.

“It’s very frustrating,” one applicant identified as Maggie said.

Some applicants say they’re applying everywhere for apartments that offer 100-percent affordable housing units like Montego Place.

But they are having little luck because of the stiff competition.

“From Walnut Creek to Concord now to Pittsburg,” Maggie said.

Affordable means tenants pay no more than 30 percent of their annual income on rent.

In order to qualify, a single person must make below $40,700.

Applications are being accepted for the next week before the waiting list for consideration is narrowed down to 30.

“Took me two-and-a-half years,” resident Mary Paris said.

Ninety-one-year-old Paris has lived in Walnut Creek for 15 years now.

She likes the proximity to hospitals and public transportation.

And she feels the frustration others are experiencing in the desperate search for housing.

“Sometimes, we pass away,” Paris said. “Other times, they find an opening someplace else, so the list, you know, is open. You just have to be patient.”

That, for some, is easier said than done.

“Could be four, five, six, seven years,” Maggie said. “Yeah, I don’t even know if I’m alive then.”

Before the summer, the City of Walnut Creek stated 560 affordable housing units were available with more than 140 others currently being built or are in the pipeline.

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