SAN DIEGO – Father Joe’s Villages continues to lead the way in championing ways to house those most in need, and that includes people experiencing homelessness who are also in need of help with addictions.
Next year, the largest homeless services provider in Southern California will transform its Paul Mirable Center, a four-story building that has offered beds to 350 persons living on the street, into a 45-bed detox facility and 250-bed sober shelter.
The facility will also include education and employment opportunities, “where people progress in order to continue their healing and really be able to then move forward,” said Father Joe’s Villages CEO Deacon Jim Vargas.
“We of course will continue to work with them on the health side but then we’ll also expand to employment, and then individuals can work with our employment center for jobs,” Vargas said. “At Father Joe’s Villages we offer vocational training, and within that we have different disciplines.”
Disciplines include culinary arts, facilities management and property management. Father Joe’s Villages also has an Education Center with certificate bearing programs.
CEO
Father Joe’s Villages
“We have relationships with business leaders in the area with whom we work actually, to be able then to position people into employment,” Vargas said. “That’s an important element because marketable skills provide a job that leads to income and self-sufficiency.. And that’s what we want – we want people to be able to be self-sufficient.”
A development group has not been announced yet, but the project’s construction is expected to cost $1.5 million, with the revamp of the detox facility funded entirely by philanthropy.
Vargas said that individuals experiencing homelessness and seeking sobriety need a safe, stable and sober environment to recover and successfully progress to sober living.
The group reports that in 2023 alone, more than 375 unsheltered individuals lost their lives to fatal overdoses. Just as sobering, since 2019, nearly 1,800 people in San Diego County have died of fentanyl-related deaths.
With addictions on the rise, along with the number of overdoses in San Diego also growing, the need has never been more important, Vargas said.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office reports that there is an increasing amount of those experiencing homelessness dying due to drug-related causes.
‘Astronomical’ Need
“The need is astronomical, and that’s without exaggeration,” Vargas said. “And it has just grown exponentially over time. Just a few years ago there were less than 100 individuals on the street, homeless and unhoused, who were dying on the streets. The number is now 375 who have died from drug overdose, of the 600 who have died on the street.”
The nonprofit’s detox facility will be for those low-income individuals who are unhoused and who are in need of outside help.
“I’ve had this weighing on my on my heart now for at least the last couple of years,” Vargas said. “We have over 10,000 individuals last point in time count who are homeless in the County of San Diego – 60% of whom are unsheltered and on the streets. And we know that about 40% of those who are homeless have some level of substance use disorder.”
Currently, Father Joe’s Villages’ Paul Mirable Center has 80 beds for women and 270 beds for men – all bunk beds. Vargas said that the congregate setting of the center will change.
“We’re converting the second floor and building out into individual rooms, that is rooms that will house up to four individuals,” Vargas said. “That will be more conducive to their to their healing. Congregate living is not good because there’s too much interaction, and not enough concentration on healing.”
Vargas credited San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo’s effort to update the city’s Land Development Codes to eliminate barriers and red tape for building behavioral health facilities across San Diego.
He said that because of the code changes, Father Joe’s Villages will able to provide 45 detox beds when the new facility for low-income patients, which he said represents a 2,250% increase in the current number of Medi-Cal eligible beds in the city of San Diego – currently two.
Philanthropic Donation Match
Philanthropists Scott and Carol Manning, a married couple who reside in La Jolla, are pledging to meet individuals and businesses with matching funds as part of the fundraising effort, up to $75,000.
“It is up to local individuals and businesses who care about our community and neighbors in need and want to help them begin their path to sobriety,” said Scott Manning, who after retiring from a career in international healthcare business became a lecturer in San Diego State University’s school of business.
“What also makes the facility even more compelling is the comprehensive services at Father Joe’s Villages beyond detox, including a sober living facility, mental healthcare, employment assistance and sustainable housing.”
Carol Manning lost her brother to addiction and said that she and her husband immediately committed to supporting the program as soon as they first heard about Father Joe’s Villages’ plans to establish a detox facility and sober recovery center.
“Many of us have had a loved one who struggles with substance use and can understand how this leads to unemployment and homelessness,” she said. “This is personal for us as loved ones in our family have also struggled with substance abuse. We want to provide a caring and loving environment that will give families and neighbors in San Diego County the best chance to achieve desired sobriety and life goals.”
The Mannings believe that it is important for not only individuals, but also businesses to care about helping those experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
“There are many reasons for businesses to be concerned about homelessness, including the negative impact on community health and economic stability,” Scott Manning said. “By supporting initiatives that alleviate homelessness, companies can build a positive reputation, foster stronger community relations, and contribute to a more equitable and supportive society.”
St. Vincent de Paul Village, Inc. (dba Father Joe’s Villages)
FOUNDED: 1950
CEO: Deacon Jim Vargas
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Nonprofit
REVENUE: $65 million
EMPLOYEES: 500
WEBSITE: my.neighbor.org
CONTACT: 619-HOMELESS (466-3537)
SOCIAL IMPACT: Father Joe’s Villages is the largest homeless services provider in Southern California
NOTABLE: CEO Deacon Jim Vargas a deacon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego serving the community of Mary, Star of the Sea in La Jolla
