Irwin Jacobs gives $50 million for towers housing senior homeless at Father Joe’s

Father Joe’s Villages announced a five-year project Monday to dramatically expand housing for homeless seniors in downtown San Diego thanks to a $50 million gift from Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs.

The project would transform the nearly 40-year-old Joan Kroc Center on Imperial Avenue into a high-rise residential campus with over 500 units, of which 130 would be dedicated for seniors.

“I’m looking very much forward to seeing this whole process move ahead and ultimately see some tall buildings rising right here and then people in them,” said Jacobs at a press conference in the courtyard of the Kroc Center.

He was joined by Deacon Jim Vargas, CEO of Father Joe’s; Mayor Todd Gloria, and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.

Preliminary architectural plans for the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Family Campus call for three residential towers, the tallest of which would be 19 stories.

Homeless services would operate out of facilities on the first three floors. A new chapel incorporating the aging center’s distinctive bell tower would be constructed on a third-floor plaza.

Jacobs pointed out that the percentage of homeless people who are seniors is rising, and praised the plan to combine housing and homeless services in one place. “They get the home first, and then they get a lot of care,” he said, adding that his donation is split between construction of the residential towers and services for the homeless.

Work on the new campus would begin early next year, with the first phase opening in 2029.

Vargas said Father Joe’s, the region’s largest homeless services provider, has pledged to build 2,000 units of affordable housing. Jacob’s gift represents a major part of the effort.

“This gift will ensure that hundreds of seniors will have a roof over their heads and the opportunity to prosper,” Vargas said.

Aguirre recalled meeting a homeless 86-year-old woman during the annual point-in-time count in Chula Vista in January.

“Your gift matters so much,” she said to Jacobs. “This isn’t just a building. It’s a promise to that woman in Chula Vista that she won’t grow old alone on the street.”