San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
I AM HUMBLED BY THIS COMMUNITY’S KIND SUPPORT
Jim Vargas
As CEO of San Diego’s largest and oldest homeless services provider, I am humbled by the opportunity God has given me to serve San Diegans most in need. St Vincent De Paul Villages, now called Father Joe’s Villages, has incredibly dedicated staff who work each and every day with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. We are fortunate to help meet the diverse challenges individuals face, and, because of the larger community’s commitment to address this critical issue, provide the services desperately needed.
Father Joe’s Villages comes from humble beginnings — originally serving simple peanut butter sandwiches to the hungry out of a warehouse, to now hosting a comprehensive campus that includes shelters, child care, medical facility, employment center, public kitchen, showers and affordable housing. This fantastic transition was possible through the dedication of our community as a whole.
Thousands and thousands of volunteers have given their time, talent and love to help neighbors in need. Local nonprofits and faith communities have stood with us to address the issue, including Congregation Beth Israel, which for 40 years has partnered with us in our
This photo from July shows the corner of 16th Street and Imperial Avenue in Downtown, long a center of encampments. meals program. Donors have given generously to keep our doors open and allow us to find new innovative ways to assist individuals to self sufficiency. Everyone has had a role to play in making a difference to address homelessness.
St. Vincent De Paul Villages rapidly took off in the 1980s thanks to the contributions of incredibly kind and generous donors. If you have lived in San Diego for the past few decades, you have probably heard about the “hustler priest” Father Joe Carroll, who on television asked you to donate your cars, boats and planes to the Village. He was an incredibly active force in the community, ele
vating the issue of homelessness with our local leaders and the public, and a dynamic fundraiser.
It is through his relentless advocacy and plea to the public that we have grown into the comprehensive campus we are today. The first big contribution came from the Copley Foundation, which believed in the vision of Father Joe to turn our small peanut butter operation into a shelter with wrap-around services. Over the years we have had many generous donors who have given large sums to build what we now have. Joan Kroc, who was owner of the Padres at the time, helped build our center that houses women, children and families.
What homelessness looks like has changed over the years and requires us to adapt solutions to meet the evolving needs. We know that economics — rising rents, food prices and cost of living — is the root cause of homelessness. In 2023, more and more women, children and families are falling into homelessness than ever before.
With that in mind, Father Joe’s Villages embarked on an affordable housing initiative in 2017. Our most recent, Saint Teresa of Calcutta Villa, is contiguous to our Village campus and provides homes for over 500 individuals. This requires a new generation of generous donors to step up to the plate and help. Local families like the Epsteins, Casters and the Jacobs, and many more, have contributed to build this desperately needed housing.
Although those large gifts are invaluable, our smaller donations have always mattered just as much, in some ways more. Sometimes we receive donations through the mail, in paper envelopes with a stamp, holding a five-dollar bill. People give what they’re able, even when they have little themselves, because they know someone else needs it more. We honor and recognize that meaningful contribution.
Donors give because they feel called to do something about the growing humanitarian crisis on our streets. They want to make an impact and support the mission of organizations like ours. Only through their charity is Father Joe’s Villages able to provide meals, clothing and shelter to our neighbors experiencing crisis.
We welcome anyone who wants to be part of the solution, whether it’s giving of your time, talents or treasure. Each one of us can participate. During this season of thanks and reflection, I encourage you to think of how you can bless others, as you and your family have been blessed. Come join us. Help our neighbors in need. When the community comes together we can be a force to end homelessness, one life at a time. Visit neighbor.org for information on the works of Father Joe’s Villages and how you can make a difference.