Thoughts on homelessness issues and priorities set the right tone for 2015
In remarks made as part of his first State of the City address, Mayor Faulconer reiterated his support for a strategy that replaces the city’s temporary homeless shelters with a permanent year-round indoor shelter for the homeless. Specifically, the mayor said the facility would provide beds for 350 individuals every night, as well as the vital services that they so desperately need.
“I was pleased that the mayor’s vision addressed the real challenges faced by those struggling with homelessness,” said Diane Stumph, interim president and CEO. “As a major provider of services to many San Diegans who find themselves in the condition of homelessness, we have been working in collaboration with other providers and government agencies to provide essential services in more effective ways. The mayor appears to be in tune with the struggles and issues of homelessness, but there is still much work to be done to make the impact needed. We look forward to working with Mayor Faulconer’s administration and the City Council to expand on these efforts so that we can truly end homelessness in San Diego.”
San Diego is home to more than 9,000 homeless men, women and families, making it the fifth largest population of homeless in the U.S. and the third largest for homeless veterans. In 2014, Father Joe’s Villages and partner agencies provided services to more than 15,000 people, served up to 3,000 meals daily to the homeless and working poor and helped seven out of 10 people served by Village programs to exit to permanent housing.
For more information on other services and programs, visit www.neighbor.org.
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ABOUT FATHER JOE’S VILLAGES/ST. VINCENT DE PAUL VILLAGE
As Southern California’s largest residential homeless services provider, Father Joe’s Villages and partner agency St. Vincent de Paul Village have been empowering people to achieve self-sufficiency for over 63 years. What started as a small chapel serving San Diego’s impoverished has grown into a cutting-edge provider of innovative housing programs and services. Father Joe’s Villages and St. Vincent de Paul Village prepare up to 3,000 meals and provide a continuum of care to nearly 1,500 individuals every day—from infants and adolescents to adults and seniors. This includes over 200 children and over 200 military veterans. As industry thought-leaders, the two agencies offer innovative solutions to address the complex needs of the homeless, regardless of age, race, culture or beliefs. The organizations’ primary goal is to transform lives and end the cycle of homelessness. To this end they provide housing, healthcare, food, clothing, education, job training and child development in an internationally modeled “one-stop-shop” approach. The organizations’ mission is made possible only through the efforts of compassionate staff, dedicated volunteers, and generous public and private donors. For more information, please visit: https://www.neighbor.org.
