Current Center City Site
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Current Center City Site
Site Redeveloped as the Rady Center
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 $23 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 2027.
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 7,900 affordable homes at 57 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.
"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 Salvation Army’s proven success at site redevelopment: The Rady Residence at the Salvation Army Rady Door of Hope Campus