SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Father Joe’s Villages offers services to many military veterans in need, as well as those in the community who don’t have a place to call home.
This year, the San Diego-based organization decided to dedicate units from its downtown affordable housing facility for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa, on 14th Street and Commercial Street, is named after a woman who became a saint to many.
“A woman who devoted her entire life to taking people off the street and making sure they had dignified surroundings,” said Deacon Jim Vargas of Father Joe’s Villages. “That’s exactly what we provide at Saint Teresa Calcutta.”
The new affordable housing community is a 14-story building that will feature 407 units. Eighty of them are designated to house veterans in our community, and all of the units will be fully furnished.
“You have a kitchenette; you have the cabinetry. The refrigerator is there. The microwave is there,” said Vargas. “They are fully contained units, the bathrooms. So, it’s a place that people can call home.”
According to the latest homeless count, 2,500 veterans were either in a shelter or living on the streets of San Diego in 2019.
Vargas said Father Joe’s Villages serves many veterans year-round.
“Veterans are obviously very near and dear to our hearts. We serve veterans all the time. Just this past year, we have served over 1,400 veterans,” said Vargas.
The facility will also have support services to help with behavioral health and substance abuse.
Vargas said residents will begin to move in starting in January.
