VeteranNotes

Public records and federal oversight reports show that for several years, Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) struggled with major safety issues. Both staff and residents frequently raised red flags about an unsafe environment and persistent drug activity on campus. In 2022, management practices faced heavy criticism when an employee was fired the very day a local news outlet published their report detailing these hazardous conditions.

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The VA Office of Inspector General later documented multiple resident overdose deaths, including five in 2022 and more in 2023 and 2024. These tragedies, paired with severe staffing shortages and operational breakdowns, brought intense regulatory pressure. Ultimately, state authorities stepped in and revoked VVSD’s residential substance-use treatment license.

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Following the shutdown of on-site addiction treatment at VVSD, the City of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission partnered with Father Joe’s Villages to repurpose the facilities. Father Joe’s Villages stepped in to run 130 of these new beds to make up for other shelter closures in the city. Meanwhile, VVSD managed the rest of the beds for veterans. To ensure resident safety under this new shared management, an independent compliance team and a senior official were stationed directly on-site.

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Today, the situation shows real signs of a turnaround under this strict oversight. Regionally, data shows ongoing progress in lowering veteran homelessness, an effort VVSD continues to support through its expanded housing and case-management teams. On campus, local volunteer groups have also rolled up their sleeves to complete critical structural repairs and accessibility upgrades.