St. Vincent de Paul Village - Summer 2002

1. Village Breaks Ground on Villa Harvey Mandel
   By Staff Writer
2. Security Team Saves Lives
   By Staff Writer
3. HUD Secretary Tours St. Vincent’s
   By Martha Lepore
4. Children’s Benefit Honors Bill O’Reilly and Community Leaders
   By Martha Lepore
5. The Graduates’ Challenge: Stay Clean and Sober Every Day
   By Martha Lepore

Village Breaks Ground on Villa Harvey Mandel
By Staff Writer

   Even as San Diego’s housing market continues to tighten, new Village apartments will soon give hope to working poor.

   Father Joe’s Villages broke ground on an affordable apartment project on March 4, 2002 at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 17th Street. The six-story building will offer 90 studio apartments and five 1-bedroom units. Villa Harvey Mandel is named after the Villages’ late vice president, who recognized the need for low-income housing downtown and put the wheels in motion for the residences.

   Joining Father Joe for the ground-breaking were HUD representative Jerry Wilson, council member Byron Wear, San Diego council candidate Kevin Faulconer, George Jordan from Assembly Member Juan Vargas’ office, Mandel’s widow Toby and daughter Talia, St. Vincent’s Chairman Mark Riedy, and other special guests.

   “There is a great need for housing in San Diego,” Wilson said at the ceremony. “A lot of HUD money went into this project because of Harvey Mandel. This is truly an inspirational way to remember Harvey.”

   The apartments are expected to rent for an average of $450 per month and provide permanent housing to single adults on fixed incomes. Father Joe’s Villages will honor a request by Center City Development Corporation and the City of San Diego to reserve 25 units for individuals coping with mental illness. Villa Harvey Mandel will cost between $8.5 million and $10 million to build.

  The building will resemble a rustic villa and will offer five apartments fully accessible to those with disabilities. The 60,405 square-foot building will feature a color scheme of sand, lavender, and dusty greens. Villa Harvey Mandel’s 16th Avenue wall will display a 50-by-40 foot mosaic of Village volunteers. Its resident lounge will open to a courtyard, and laundry facilities will be located on each
residential floor.

   Father Joe says the new construction represents only the beginning of a
downtown development boost in which developers must recognize the need for affordable rental units. “San Diego is a desirable place to live,” he explains. “Unfortunately, when you’re faced with a situation of high demand and low supply, which is the case in the San Diego housing market, home sellers and landlords can name their price and they usually get what they’re asking for. The result is the working poor are literally left out in the cold,” he continues. “Now they will have an option other than the streets.”

   Residents of Villa Harvey Mandel will have access to all services offered at the Village’s main Imperial Avenue campus, including medical and dental care, and counseling. The villa is located next to Village Place Apartments, the Village’s 44-unit affordable living complex.