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By: Anthony Pura
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa is beginning to take shape at the corner of 14th and Commercial Streets in downtown San Diego.
Father Joe’s Villages broke ground on the project in January 2020, and construction crews have started putting up exterior walls and said the project is on schedule. The ribbon-cutting is expected in February 2022.
When completed, the 14-story building will offer more than 400 units and house more than 500 people dealing with homelessness.
“This is not a shelter,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, CEO, and President of Father Joe’s Villages. “This is permanent housing, so the individuals that will be residing here… these will be their apartments.”
“You have to be within a certain income level to qualify, and the people on the streets are well within that income level, and also it helps those people, not those at risk of homelessness, not fall onto the streets,” he added.
Supportive services will be offered to help with things like behavioral health and substance abuse. Vocational training will also be available. Vargas says the services will help residences from falling back into the streets.
Tamera Kohler, the CEO of The Regional Task Force on the Homeless, says housing ends homelessness, and 400 units will have an impact.
“If we have upwards of 7,500 to 8,000 individuals experiencing homelessness any given night, 400 units dedicated to housing the population can make a relative dent. Not a major dent, but an important investment,” she said.
