Veterans Village of Cathedral City to Break Ground

 Veterans Village of Cathedral City is a $27 million facility to house homeless and low-income veterans

CATHEDRAL CITY — A virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the Veterans Village of Cathedral City is set for Friday, April 9, 2021 at 10 a.m.

The ceremony will start with presentations at the Salvation Army’s outdoor courtyard. They will then walk across the street to the actual construction site for a groundbreaking.  The Veterans Village will consist of 48 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units along with amenities including a 3,000 square foot community center, swimming pool, volleyball court, bocce ball courts, BBQ area, community garden, and outdoor seating.  Located at the corner of Landau Boulevard and Vega Road in Cathedral City, the veterans will have access to an on-site service coordinator and case manager services from Loma Linda Veterans Administration.

“For nearly six years, there has been a village of people who have worked tirelessly to put all the pieces together to build a village that our veterans can be proud to call home,” Mayor Raymond Gregory said in a prepared statement.  “Not only will they have the supportive services they need to live a full and healthy life, but they will do so on land donated by the city that has spectacular mountain views.”

Additional organizations offering services to the veterans will come from Mental Health Systems, Riverside Continuum of Care, and the nearby Salvation Army.

Key stakeholders scheduled to appear include Cathedral City councilmembers and staff, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, staff from the Office of Congressman Raul Ruiz, principles from Managing General Partner and Developers of Ikaika Ohana and Urban Housing Communities, Construction General Contractor Doug Wall, representatives from Loma Linda VA, Mental Health Systems, CalVet, Salvation Army, Riverside Continuum of Care, American Legion Color Guard, and community leaders including former Mayor John Aguilar and family members of the late Mayor Gregory S. Pettis.

“It is exciting to see construction begin on Veterans Village of Cathedral City, which will provide crucial access to affordable housing for veterans,” Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia said in a prepared statement.  “We appreciate the developers and all the partners who came together on this, especially present and previous Cathedral City leaders for prioritizing and generously funding this project. All our veterans deserve a safe place to call home, and I am glad we were able to secure State and County support to help bring this veterans housing opportunity to our community.”

Financial support for the project comes from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, Citibank, RBC, Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention funds through Housing and Community Development (HCD), County of Riverside, City of Cathedral City, and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia’s office.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and limited capacity, the public is unable to attend the ceremony; however, it will be filmed and later released for public viewing.