City Council Approves $4 million Grant to Father Joe’s Villages to Build New Affordable Housing

On April 11, the City of San Diego voted unanimously to award Father Joe’s Villages a $4 million Community Development Block Grant to build a new affordable housing development to help alleviate the region’s homelessness crisis.

The grant will be used to fund land acquisition costs for the future housing community, which will be located at 17th Street and Commercial Street and is expected to be completed in 2026. It will provide 107 units of affordable housing in proximity to Father Joe’s Villages’ comprehensive services.

This community will bring Father Joe’s Villages closer to its goal of providing 2,000 units of affordable housing in San Diego through the Turning the Key initiative. Other Turning the Key communities, such as Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa, have already helped hundreds of individuals, families and veterans leave homelessness for good. As the homelessness crisis grows, housing remains a critical component to supporting the health and safety of our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Please consider the following statement from Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe’s Villages:

“We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for this $4 million award from the City of San Diego, which will help us fund a new affordable housing community specifically for people experiencing homelessness in our region. 

Additionally, we would also like to thank the San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria for their leadership in this area.

The growing homelessness crisis in San Diego is, at its core, a housing issue. Together, we can address this crisis head-on with new affordable housing and by offering communities like this, which represent a tangible hope for the most vulnerable among us.