San Diego has just broken ground on a new homeless shelter in downtown San Diego. Operated by The Salvation Army, the Rady Center will be a fresh start for a historic block; the new 200,000-square-foot center will replace a 50-year-old Centre City Corps facility. Following its recent groundbreaking, let’s break down what this shelter will offer and how it will help the community at large.
What it will offer
The new Rady Center will offer a 200,000-square-foot campus that provides housing, shelter, and other services for people experiencing homelessness. The center is estimated to cost between $130 million and $180 million, and has received a generous $50 million donation from Ernest and Evelyn Rady. More than $31 million was also raised through a “Homeless to Home” public campaign, and the City of San Diego is pitching an additional $5 million toward the project.
Future benefits
Opening in two phases, the first phase will bring an emergency and stabilization wing that will offer 124 short-term shelter beds, while the second phase will open a permanent housing wing offering 90 permanent affordable housing units. The site will also feature an on-site medical and health clinic, as well as spaces for job training, resume building, and computer literacy.
In a time when federal funding has slowed, the new Rady Center will serve as relief to the overcrowded homeless service providers of San Diego and will help hundreds, if not thousands, when it opens.