Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Matthew Philbin — landlord to the homeless

Rent control without being told to do so

Matthew Philbin at Nestor Apartments on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5.
Matthew Philbin at Nestor Apartments on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5.

Matthew Philbin just turned 30 years old on March 18. He celebrated his birthday by hopping into his lifted Dodge Ram truck and picking up one of his new tenants.

“I pick them up with their backpack, suitcase, duffle bag, shopping cart or whatever — drive them to their new apartment, and I give them their keys.”

Philbin, a South Crest resident near National Avenue, owns 86 apartment and residential care units. He’s rented out half of his units to former homeless San Diegans.

“They are people with housing vouchers from non-profit or government programs,” he said, “so I do get paid.”

Philbin purchased a property on 2nd Street in National City with 15 units. One of the tenants that moved in was a widow who had been living in a tent since losing her husband. The other was a homeless man who began taking classes at City College.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In 2014, Philbin "was the at-fault driver in a minor car accident which was ultimately dismissed by the judge.”

The sports news reporters had a field day with the incident, because Philbin’s father, Joe, was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins at the time. He was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers when they won the Superbowl XLV in 2011.

In February 2016, Matthew Philbin got married; the following October he was discharged from the Army; two weeks later, he and his wife moved to San Diego.

He bought his first property at Grant Hill which had 11 apartments — with the backing from his parents. Then in May 2017, according to the Zillow website, he sold a house in Vista for more than $1 million. With his commission, he paid back some of the loans that he borrowed from his family and friends.

Last summer, Philbin bought a property in Lemon Grove for around $750,000. The project is called the Crestline Manor, on Crestline Drive. “I’ve been trying to get the permit approved for the remodel since last summer,” he said.

Dolph Gutzman, 65, is one of Philbin’s tenants that utilizes a walker. He’s an Army veteran that was homeless for 12 years prior to moving into the Nestor Apartments in January. “My rent is $1384 and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is paying approximately $1000 of it.”

The complex is located on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5. It has 13 apartments and it appears to be an older motel that sits behind the Motel 6 which is in front of the I-5 entrance on Coronado Avenue.

Philbin purchased the property in January for $1.9 million and has spent another $150,000 on renovations, which include updated kitchens and bathrooms, paint, floors and a $75,000 solar powered electrical system.

Gutzman sometimes misses his old lifestyle of sleeping on the sidewalks in East Village. “It’s too confining inside and there are times I want to come out here and roll out my blankets,” he said.

“If someone breaks even or loses money for the purpose of helping out the most down-trodden people,” said, Rafael Bautista. “I am sure that they will be repaid in immaterial ways.”

Bautista is a is a real estate and mortgage broker who advocates for rent control in San Diego.

“Matt seems to be putting rent control in effect without being told to,” Bautista said.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Next Article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
Matthew Philbin at Nestor Apartments on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5.
Matthew Philbin at Nestor Apartments on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5.

Matthew Philbin just turned 30 years old on March 18. He celebrated his birthday by hopping into his lifted Dodge Ram truck and picking up one of his new tenants.

“I pick them up with their backpack, suitcase, duffle bag, shopping cart or whatever — drive them to their new apartment, and I give them their keys.”

Philbin, a South Crest resident near National Avenue, owns 86 apartment and residential care units. He’s rented out half of his units to former homeless San Diegans.

“They are people with housing vouchers from non-profit or government programs,” he said, “so I do get paid.”

Philbin purchased a property on 2nd Street in National City with 15 units. One of the tenants that moved in was a widow who had been living in a tent since losing her husband. The other was a homeless man who began taking classes at City College.

Sponsored
Sponsored

In 2014, Philbin "was the at-fault driver in a minor car accident which was ultimately dismissed by the judge.”

The sports news reporters had a field day with the incident, because Philbin’s father, Joe, was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins at the time. He was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers when they won the Superbowl XLV in 2011.

In February 2016, Matthew Philbin got married; the following October he was discharged from the Army; two weeks later, he and his wife moved to San Diego.

He bought his first property at Grant Hill which had 11 apartments — with the backing from his parents. Then in May 2017, according to the Zillow website, he sold a house in Vista for more than $1 million. With his commission, he paid back some of the loans that he borrowed from his family and friends.

Last summer, Philbin bought a property in Lemon Grove for around $750,000. The project is called the Crestline Manor, on Crestline Drive. “I’ve been trying to get the permit approved for the remodel since last summer,” he said.

Dolph Gutzman, 65, is one of Philbin’s tenants that utilizes a walker. He’s an Army veteran that was homeless for 12 years prior to moving into the Nestor Apartments in January. “My rent is $1384 and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is paying approximately $1000 of it.”

The complex is located on Hollister Street two blocks west of I-5. It has 13 apartments and it appears to be an older motel that sits behind the Motel 6 which is in front of the I-5 entrance on Coronado Avenue.

Philbin purchased the property in January for $1.9 million and has spent another $150,000 on renovations, which include updated kitchens and bathrooms, paint, floors and a $75,000 solar powered electrical system.

Gutzman sometimes misses his old lifestyle of sleeping on the sidewalks in East Village. “It’s too confining inside and there are times I want to come out here and roll out my blankets,” he said.

“If someone breaks even or loses money for the purpose of helping out the most down-trodden people,” said, Rafael Bautista. “I am sure that they will be repaid in immaterial ways.”

Bautista is a is a real estate and mortgage broker who advocates for rent control in San Diego.

“Matt seems to be putting rent control in effect without being told to,” Bautista said.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Syrian treat maker Hakmi Sweets makes Dubai chocolate bars

Look for the counter shop inside a Mediterranean grill in El Cajon
Next Article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader