Catholic Charities Santa Rosa Caritas Village Update

Have you been downtown lately? If not, you’re missing something big! The entire site for Caritas Center is nearly prepped for construction.

Even bigger, the community has brought us to a new milestone for the Capital Campaign: we have reached $25.5M!

Their generous donors continue to inspire me every day as we work towards our campaign goal of $28M. Thank you.

Caritas Village will combine Caritas Center (a housing-focused service center, emergency family shelter, childcare and preschool center, community clinic and medical respite shelter all owned and operated by Catholic Charities) and Caritas Homes (128 units of permanent affordable housing to be constructed and managed by Burbank Housing.)

Caritas Homes is on track as a priority project for Burbank Housing, with construction of Homes Phase 1 expected to begin in summer of 2021.

In September Catholic Charities signed a construction contract with Wright Contracting, a well-respected firm that is responsible for major components of notable resources such as Cardinal Newman School, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Redwood Empire Food Bank, and Sonoma State University, just to name a few.

I’m humbled and grateful to share that despite the pandemic, wildfires, and other upheaval this year, our community has stepped up with amazingly generous gifts to the Caritas Village Campaign this year. This November we reached $25.5M raised toward our $28M goal.

You can click here to see a complete list of campaign donors, and we are so glad many of you are included among those on the list. . 

We are seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, and we are now turning to the community at large to help us close the gap.

Caritas Village has been an enormous undertaking, and I have found it helpful to stay focused on an important number: one. One child, saved from the perils of homelessness, restored to a safe and healthy home and a radically different future. One veteran, struggling with PTSD and physical disabilities, able to get much-deserved medical care and permanent housing. One grandmother, recovering from serious surgery in a comfortable bed rather than under a freeway.

Each of these is ONE of over 1,200 people per year for whom Caritas Village will be a place to find home…

We have come this far thanks to our community’s generous and compassionate heart.