Father Joe’s Jacobs Family Campus and the Neil Good Day Center closure
San Diego ended funding for the Neil Good Day Center, which closed September 30, 2026, as Father Joe’s Villages announced a $350 million East Village campus that will replace the Joan Kroc Center now absorbing the day center’s services.
The city-funded Neil Good Day Center in East Village closed Wednesday after the city declined to renew its funding in this year’s budget; the city had paid nearly $950,000 of the center’s $1.7 million annual operating cost. Operator Father Joe’s Villages moved the services two blocks to its Joan Kroc Center, opening Thursday at its own expense, with capacity for 160 people against the day center’s 200-plus a day and no belongings storage. The city said it funds about 2,600 sheltering options across nearly two dozen programs and is working with Caltrans, which owns the land, to return the property.
The Joan Kroc Center absorbing the services is slated for demolition, with residents relocated in early 2028, to make way for the Jacobs Family Campus announced September 28.
Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs announced a $50 million gift to Father Joe’s Villages, the largest in the organization’s history, toward a three-building, 18-story complex at Imperial Avenue and 15th Street expected to cost about $350 million and break ground in 2028. Developer Arete Development said the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Family Campus would have more than 500 affordable units, including 150 for older adults and 77 for transitional housing. The project has a little more than 14% of its funding secured; Mayor Todd Gloria said the city would consider a request for funds and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said it was too early to say whether she would seek county money.
The project requires demolishing the Joan Kroc Center; KPBS reported its residents would be moved to Father Joe’s Fifth Avenue and Ash Street facility in early 2028, with a targeted completion in 2032.