SAN DIEGO -- Like most fathers, Alfonso Moreno wants to make sure his smiling, 7-month old son, Seth, has the best care possible. But as a homeless San Diegan, Moreno faces a challenge: where to get care, and how to afford it.

Thanks to a Project QKids program at The Saint Vincent De Paul Villages, Moreno doesn't have to worry about either problem.

"One of the main reasons why he's so healthy is because he gets the care that he gets," Moreno said. "Every other week he goes in and gets weighed, checked ... his eyes, his ears, his teeth get checked."

Seth is part of Saint Vincent's "Project Safe Child," a program offered to San Diego children under the age of five.

Funding comes from The First 5 Commission of San Diego, KGTV/Channel 10's partner in Project QKids. The commission is committed to improving the lives of San Diego children by making sure they're ready to begin school at age five.

Project Safe Child serves both homeless families, and families that don't have medical coverage. It offers prenatal care, pediatric care, parenting classes, and developmental testing.

"The concept is that from the moment of conception to basically five years old -- we found out and studies showed over again -- if you take care of the health of the child that you're going to have a healthier adult," explains Father Joe Carroll.

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Medical Care, Education Offered To Homeless

That means making sure pregnant women receive free prenatal care, and have a copy of their medical records on-hand when they go into labor. It means offering Well Baby checkups, and weekly checks of an infant's development. It also means offering children a safe place to explore -- through crawling and toddling.

Father Joe said doctors don't always see the physical and mental development they expect in homeless children.

"Physically they fall behind because mom spends a lot of time holding them, especially young babies," Father Joe said. "They're afraid to let them go. Well, the baby's got to learn to crawl. The baby's got to learn to stand up. But if you're holding them all the time ... the child's development falls apart."

Catching up later isn't an option.

"The further behind you fall in development, obviously, affects your adulthood," Father Joe said.

That's why Saint Vincent De Paul and Project Safe Child are a relief to Seth's mother. Susan Sheldon is one of Saint Vincent's long-term residents now. But she spent the beginning of her pregnancy on the streets. Sheldon said being homeless made it difficult to take care of herself and her unborn child.

"Sometimes getting food and stuff wasn't easy. I mean we have the lunch line here when you're out on the street and then you have to hike to other places for dinner and stuff," she said.

Sheldon did the work needed to get into Saint Vincent's long-term residence because she knew having Seth there would be better for him. Looking down at her son's dimples, it's easy to see why. Sheldon said she "just want the best for him."