Father Joe’s Villages Friday announced it received a $2.4 million donation from First Lutheran Development Corporation to operate the Family Living Center.
First Lutheran’s grant will fund about 40 percent of the program’s budget over the next three years, according to Father Joe’s. The donation will replace discontinued Department of Housing and Urban Development dollars.
Established in 1987, the center provides short-term housing and individual support to an average of 100 parents working toward stability and permanent housing.
“We know that with the right support, these families can succeed,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s. “With changing funding priorities at the federal level and intense competition in San Diego’s rental market, these parents rely on transitional housing to build their resume and their income, so they can rent an apartment of their own.”
Seventy percent of parents and children who exit the center each year enter permanent housing without any further rental assistance, according to the nonprofit.
With a housing shortage that looks to stick around for a while, short- term housing continues to be a necessary step for many families, Vargas said.
“While creating housing is the key to helping more people off the streets for good, the solution to homelessness cannot be one-size-fits-all,” he said. “Each person working to overcome homelessness needs a unique combination of housing and services in order to achieve stability.”
–City News Service
