Current Center City Site
Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
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The Rady Center
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Shelter and Support Men and Women Experiencing Homelessness in the San Diego Region
Site Redeveloped as the Rady Center
- Redevelopment of one full-square block The Salvation Army owns in downtown San Diego
- 200,000 square feet: Housing, support service buildings and existing Salvation Army Silvercrest Senior Residences
Ernest and Evelyn Rady partner with Salvation Army on $100 million project to rebuild Centre City facility in Downtown San Diego
The Salvation Army is thrilled to announce the official campaign kickoff of our $100 million Rady Center development project at the Centre City facility in downtown San Diego on 825 7th Avenue.
This new Rady Center is made possible by a generous donation from Ernest and Evelyn Rady and a long-term innovative partnership with local nonprofit Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation catalyzing on the value of the land The Salvation Army owns downtown and replacing the current Centre City Corps with a nearly 200,000 square foot state of the art facility. The community and neighborhood friendly Rady Center will expand community services already provided, such as food assistance and senior meals, and will more than triple shelter and support services to get men and women off the streets and on a path to successful independent living or into permanent supportive housing. Along with interim and long-term transitional housing, the Rady Center will also offer bridge housing for men and women exiting rehab programs as well as permanent supportive and affordable housing units for rent.
In addition to providing the land, The Salvation Army has launched a capital fundraising campaign to help construct the shelter units, support services, social enterprise programming and a chapel. We are pleased to announce a $10 million lead gift from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies offered as a challenge to the community. With this recent gift, The Salvation Army has secured $21 million in gifts and pledges of the $30 million it is committed to raise for this important and critically needed project.
Especially important is that upon The Salvation Army raising $30 million for this project, a matching pledge of $30 million will be given by Ernest and Evelyn Rady which will then trigger an additional $5 million from the Radys. All $35 million will be designated as a permanent endowment for The Salvation Army’s homeless programs in San Diego anchored by the now open Rady Residence and the planned Rady Center. The impact of these projects and these generous gifts will help to reduce homelessness in San Diego for generations to come.
Ernest and Evelyn Rady put their faith and trust in The Salvation Army. “We have great confidence in this organization, so we are happy to put our resources in their hands and we look forward to a successful conclusion. I’m really proud of what we’re doing,” said Ernest.
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation will serve as the lead developer, managing the entitlement phase, financing, design, and construction, and will provide ongoing asset management at the property once open. Wakeland will seek tax credits and other public and private funding to secure the additional financing for this ambitious $100 million project. We hope to have the funds needed secured by the end of 2023 to begin demolition and construction in early 2024 and open the Rady Center in 2026.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army has been in San Diego since 1887, providing services and addressing many human needs in our community without discrimination. The Salvation Army helps the most vulnerable San Diegans with food, rental assistance, senior nutrition, and other services.
About Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation is a leader in the creation and operation of affordable housing in California, delivering high-quality residential developments that address the needs of the communities they serve. Since they started in 1998, they have created and preserved more than 7,500 affordable homes at 54 properties throughout the state, each of which showcases their commitment to building and operating high-quality housing communities with superior onsite programs and services for residents. Visit their website to learn more: www.wakelandhdc.com.
Making a difference
"We have great confidence in this organization, so we are happy to put our resources in their hands and we look forward to a successful conclusion. I'm really proud of what we're doing." -Mr. Ernest Rady, Philanthropist
- The Rady Center complex: 200,000 square feet including 110 beds for interim and transitional housing programs and up to 160 beds of permanent supportive and affordable housing.
- The Rady Center also will house support services, case management, a market, a cafe, entrepreneurship opportunities for the homeless, and much more.
- Residents will have full access to The Salvation Army’s job training programs, mentorship, rehab facilities, job placement programs, and housing specialists.
- Impact: An estimated 7,100 homeless men and women will be sheltered at the Rady Center over the next 10 years.
Cost: $100 million to be raised from private philanthropy, government support, tax credits, and partnerships.
- The Salvation Army (TSA) is capitalizing on the value of a whole city block it owns between 7th and 8th and E and F streets in downtown San Diego. We will partner with Wakeland Housing and Development, a leader in the development and operation of affordable housing to maximize how we can best serve people experiencing homelessness and serve people in need in the surrounding community who will also benefit from the services provided at the Rady Center.
- Architects: M.W. Steele Group and Joseph Wong Design Associates.
- The $50 million for The Salvation Army’s Interim/Transitional/ARC Bridge Housing will be financed through:
- $30 million- TSA must raise this amount for construction. This amount will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Ernest and Evelyn Rady.
- $11-12 million- Wakeland will secure this through new market tax credits federal, local, and state funding.
- $7.5 million- TSA contribution of (partial) land value.
- The $50 million for Wakeland’s permanent supportive and affordable housing will be financed through:
- $5 million- TSA contribution of (partial) land value.
- $45 million- Wakeland will secure this in government funding and loans.
- The Salvation Army is leading this project with a very generous 1:1 challenge grant of up to $35 million from the Radys. The $35 million will establish a permanent endowment to sustain The Salvation Army’s homeless programs at this site for generations to come.
- Your gift towards our goal of $30 million catalyzes:
- The redevelopment of The Salvation Army city block.
- $100 million of financial resources.
- A $35 Million endowment from Ernest and Evelyn Rady.
- Construction will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Radys.
- Your gift leverages the value of the land The Salvation Army owns to redevelop it to include permanent supportive and affordable housing.
- Your gift helps us stay on our timeline, secure government funding, and open these much-needed shelter and services for people experiencing homelessness and those in need in early 2027.
- Your gift towards our $30 million goal will trigger an additional $5 million gift from the Radys. The Salvation Army will use the entire $35 million match from the Radys for a permanent endowment to sustain the Rady Center’s programs for people experiencing homelessness.
The Salvation Army’s proven success at site redevelopment: The Rady Residence at the Salvation Army Rady Door of Hope Campus
- A $20 million redevelopment project completed on time and underbudget.
- 32 new units, 136 beds plus support services for families experiencing homelessness.
- Opened in November 2020, now fully occupied and providing life-changing shelter and support for families experiencing homelessness.
