A long-awaited project breaks ground to help support the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our community and our country. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and other local partners gathered on October 30 to celebrate the start of Mather Veterans' Village.
Mather Veterans' Village (MVV) Phase I is the first of three phases that will provide homeless veterans with critically needed housing and supportive services adjacent to the Sacramento Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center. MVV is the result of years of collaboration between Mercy Housing California and Veterans Resource Centers of America (VRCA), Sacramento County, City of Rancho Cordova, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, and the Sacramento VA Medical Center / VA Northern California Health Care System.
Sacramento County donated the 3.69 acres for the project via a 99-year no-cost lease. A conservative estimate of the property’s value is more than $500,000. As the owner of the property, Sacramento County worked with the United States Air Force, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure that the Air Force conveyed it to the County in a manner that allows for veteran housing.
More than 100,000 veterans call Sacramento County home and the MVV is located on a portion of the former Mather Air Force Base. Mather Field has been an important part of the Sacramento County community since 1917 when it opened as Mills Field to serve as a training camp after the U.S. entered World War I. It went on to serve as a key training facility and stop-over location during World War II and continued to operate as an Air Force base until 1993.
Since it re-opened for civilian use in 1995, Mather has become home to Sacramento County’s Mather Airport, the VA Hospital and numerous businesses and organizations that provide 6,600 high value jobs. The Airport alone contributes $150 million annually to the local economy.
“Sacramento County played a key role in helping advance the Mather Veterans' Village Project, and through this effort honors and supports our veterans for their service to our country and the Sacramento Community,” said Supervisor Nottoli.
View video of the groundbreaking event.