1. The Clinic that Volunteers Build
2. Father’s Joe’s Villages® at a Glance
3. St. Vincent de Paul Village Thrift Store/Warehouse
4. St. Vincent’s Opens Newest Affordable Housing Complex
5. San Diegans Receiving Benefits Through St. Vincent de Paul Village Faith-Based Initiative Grant

St. Vincent’s Opens Newest Affordable Housing Complex
By Staff Writers

   Close to 500 supporters, politicians and staff members attended the grand opening of St. Vincent de Paul Village’s second affordable housing complex, Villa Harvey Mandel (VHM), on May 31.

With ceremonial scissors (from left) Toby Mandel, Betsy Morris, Mark Riedy, Bob Filner and Linc Ward go to work at the dedication of the Villa Harvey Mandel.

   Among the guests celebrating the completion of the project were Congressman Bob Filner, HUD official Joseph Lisante, and San Diego Housing Commission CEO Betsy Morris. A representative for County Supervisor Ron Roberts presented Father Joe Carroll with a $50,000 check to help pay for furniture. Also joining ceremonies were Harvey Mandel’s widow Toby, daughter Talia and nephew Scott.

   Following a blessing of the building led by Father Gil Gentile and the chaplaincy team, guests toured the Villa and enjoyed a buffet luncheon prepared by the Village’s Culinary Arts Program.

   The six-story, 90-unit VHM provides housing to the elderly, disabled, those living with mental illness and other individuals on fixed incomes. Eighty-five studio apartments and five 1-bedroom units comprise the building, and rents range between $399 to $511 – amounts well below the San Diego region’s average monthly housing cost.

   " We’re providing a solution for a rental market that has all but eliminated the ability of individuals living on fixed incomes to find affordable housing," says Father Joe Carroll, president of St. Vincent’s. "Villa Harvey Mandel is a blend of affordability, quality and
convenience."

   The units vary in size from the 326-sq. ft. studio model to the 540-sq. ft. one-
bedroom option, with many of the west-facing apartments offering views of the Coronado Bridge, Petco Park and downtown San Diego.

   " Affordable housing doesn’t mean we’ve sacrificed aesthetic features," Father Joe says. "We worked closely with groups such as Centre City Development Corporation who understand our desire to build structurally impressive facilities that positively impact the community landscape."

   In addition to Centre City Development Corporation, the VHM was developed in partnership with San Diego Housing Commission, City of San Diego, The
Richman Group, Federal Home Loan Bank, Bank of America, Community Bank, Neighborhood National Bank and Chelsea Investment Corporation.

   The studio apartments are available to single adults with an annual income of no more than $22,350. Two people are allowed to live in the one-bedroom units as long as their combined annual income is under $25,500. The building is situated just north of Village Place, a 46-unit affordable housing complex opened in 1997 that is also owned by St. Vincent’s.

   The new structure is named after Harvey Mandel, the late St. Vincent’s vice-
president who succumbed to cancer in 2001. The design team led by James Holmberg III included Don Reeves, Judy Starr and Sillman Wright Architects. VHM was built by Sundt Construction, Burkett & Wong Civil and Structural Engineers, Lynsys Electrical Engineering, and TMAD Mechanical and Plumbing Engineers. Deneen Powell Atelier was the landscape architect.