EAST VILLAGE (KGTV) — Father Joe's Villages has opened a new day center in San Diego's East Village, after the city of San Diego cut nearly $1 million in funding, forcing the old location to close.
The new center, located at Father Joe's main campus at 15th and Imperial Avenue — just blocks away from its former home — has been open for two weeks, and the nonprofit says the transition has been a success.
People lined up Wednesday morning to get inside the new Father Joe's Day Center, a place considered a lifeline for many people experiencing homelessness, including Sabrina Nichols.
"I like it very much. It is, it's very, it's, it's really good," Nichols said.
At the center, people have access to showers, shelter from hot and rainy weather, and can get connected with case managers. Nichols said losing the center would have had serious consequences for people on the streets.
"It would have been terrible," Nichols said. "There would have been terrible things going on in the streets".
Father Joe's says it spent $120,000 to $150,000 to transform the space within its main campus. Director of Coordinated Services Paul DeLessio said the adjustment took many months of planning and execution, but has gone well.
"The clients have really adjusted to the new space. We've really adjusted to the new space, DeLessio said. "As you know, we were able to transfer most of the services from the old space to the new space".
The new space is much smaller than the old location — about a third of the original size — and that has created some challenges for clients/
"We had space for things outside and some stuff inside, and we had a storage facility there also. We don't have that here, and so places for people to put things is the biggest challenge when people show up with things," DeLessio said.
Despite the smaller footprint, the center now acts more like a one-stop shop. Its location on Father Joe's main campus puts it closer to other services, including the public lunch line and health center.
The biggest challenge going forward will be funding. Father Joe's is now covering the full cost of the center and is counting on donors to come through.
"We don't spend a lot of money ever. We get donations for things. We don't buy new, and we don't have to," DeLessio said. "So we're used to scrimping and saving, but any support that we can get obviously is very valuable".
Nichols called the center a lifesaver and said she believes it is an important resource that needs to stay.
"It's been the difference between me being alive and dead," Nichols said. "So it's really nice that they donated the money to the, to the place and, and, and uh. Or getting it going for, for actual help for everybody," Nichols said.
Father Joe's says it is now working to secure funding for next year. Without city funding, the new center is estimated to cost about $1.1 million to keep the center up and running.
