St. Vincent de Paul Village has postponed its Tuesday, Oct. 16 plans to break ground on a new 95-unit affordable housing complex.

St. Vincent’s received word late yesterday that longtime Village Vice President Harvey Mandel passed away early Tuesday morning after a long and courageous battle with cancer. As a tribute and gesture of appreciation, St. Vincent’s decided earlier this year to name the new development in
Mr. Mandel’s honor.

President of the Village, Fr. Joe Carroll, decided to hold off on any plans to break ground out of respect for the Mandel family and to ensure the event would not conflict with pending funeral services.

"Harvey was an innovator and a strong voice for the homeless within the city government," Fr. Joe says. "We’ve not only lost a leader in the development of new projects and government relations, we’ve lost a dear friend."

A St. Vincent’s news release announcing the Oct. 16 ground breaking was disseminated yesterday just prior to word of Mr. Mandel’s passing. A new date will be selected in the coming days.