Irwin Jacobs pledged $50 million to Father Joe’s Villages earlier this week. This donation from the Qualcomm cofounder is the largest in the organization’s history.
That funding will be used to help build three towers downtown, atop the current Joan Kroc Center at Father Joe’s headquarters. President and CEO of Father Joe’s Deacon Jim Vargas said they’re still in the early stages, but they expect each tower will have about 10 stories to house over 500 affordable units and 77 shelter rooms.
The “Joan and Irwin Jacobs Family Campus” is estimated to cost over $300 million —Vargas said they’re working to gather additional funding.
He said Jacobs’s donation will do more than build units. At a news conference Monday, he said the money will also support a new senior care program with case management, employment services and more.
“It helps us with the programs we have for seniors, things like assisted living, which typically homeless services providers don't provide,” Vargas said. “Hospice care, we find that a lot of people, or older people on the streets unfortunately, who have aged and it's taken a toll on them and they need end of life care.”
Out of the 500+ new affordable units, 150 will be reserved for seniors.
The most recent count of people experiencing homelessness locally found that one in every three people were aged 55 and older.
“For those approaching retirement age, the impact of homelessness can even be more drastic,” Vargas said. “Instead of a comfortable retirement surrounded by loved ones, hundreds of seniors are entering their golden years worrying about where they will be able to safely sleep at night.”
County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre represents the area where the reconstructed campus will be. She said the demand for affordable housing in San Diego only continues to grow.
“We are seeing people now struggle with the cost of living, struggle to keep a roof over their head,” she said. “My constituents, I hear all the time, they’re concerned that many of them are on fixed income, many of them may be at risk of losing their healthcare because of HR 1. And the issue of housing insecurity is growing”
Aguirre said the city is working to expedite the permitting process for this project to avoid delays in breaking ground.
At Monday’s press conference, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the average review process time for affordable housing projects is currently nine days, when it used to be years.
Vargas also said Jacobs’s donation creates predevelopment and construction deposit funds that will allow them to “move more aggressively.”
“This is how a single act of generosity becomes the permanent engine for housing in our region,” Vargas said.
The current Joan Kroc Center at Father Joe’s Villages is one building with three stories for temporary housing and support services. Health services, including dental and behavioral health, are also available next door. The center has been serving San Diegans experiencing homelessness for decades.
The Joan Kroc Center at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 15th Street in downtown San Diego will be completely torn down to make way for the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Family Campus.
Temporary residents staying at the Joan Kroc Center will have to be relocated in early 2028 to prepare for construction and will be moved to Father Joe's Tucson Campus on Fifth Avenue and Ash Street. Vargas said they will be offered the same services and will be moved back after construction.
Vargas said the plan is to break ground on the first of the three towers in 2028. They hope to start on the second by late 2028 and the third in 2029. The finished campus will also have a new stand-alone chapel.
Vargas said they’re aiming to have the project completed by 2032.
