Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place, the city council and key stakeholders recently held a non-public virtual groundbreaking ceremony for the new Veterans Village of Cathedral City that will soon be located at the corner of Vega Road and Landau Boulevard. You may view the virtual event here:
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.
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. Not only will the veterans 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. Organizations offering services to the veterans who will live at the Village will come from Mental Health Systems, Loma Linda Veterans Administration, Riverside Continuum of Care, and the nearby Salvation Army.
Key stakeholders that spoke at the groundbreaking included Cathedral City Mayor Raymond Gregory, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, John Bigley of Ikaika Ohana and Urban Housing Communities, Caron Bayor from Loma Linda VA, John Callaghan from Mental Health Systems, Sean Johnson from CalVet, and Captain James Parks of the Salvation Army. The American Legion, Post 519 Color Guard presented and retired the colors. Other key community leaders in attendance included former Mayor John Aguilar and family members of the late Mayor Gregory S. Pettis. This project started through a conversation with Lori Zito of Urban Housing Communities and Mayor Pettis realizing the need for this type of housing for our homeless veterans in the Coachella Valley.
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.
