RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Ten years after Mather Veterans Village opened as the Sacramento region’s first permanent supportive housing community for homeless and disabled veterans, residents, public officials and community partners gathered Friday, June 26 to celebrate a decade of stability, service and belonging.

The anniversary event honored 16 veterans who have lived at Mather Veterans Village since its first decade began. Speakers described the campus as more than housing, pointing to the services, partnerships and community support that have helped veterans remain housed and rebuild their lives.

Chris Flaherty, CEO of Nation’s Finest, opened the program by focusing on two words he said define the mission of the community: “Welcome home.”

“Regardless of if you happen to be civilian or military, veteran or visitor, we all have an ideal we call home,” Flaherty said. “For many, especially those who have worn the uniform, home is not a place. Home is an ideal.”

Friday June 26, marked the 10-year anniversary of Mather Veterans Village. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes

Mather Veterans Village, located on the former Mather Air Force Base property, was created through partnerships among Nation’s Finest, Mercy Housing California, Sacramento County, the City of Rancho Cordova, CalVet and other public and private supporters. Over the past decade the village has combined affordable housing with supportive services such as health care connections, behavioral health resources, benefits assistance, employment support and transportation.

CalVet Secretary Lindsey Sin said the anniversary was not only a celebration of housing, but of lives changed.

“Today is much more than just about a place to live,” Sin said. “It’s about lives rebuilt, hope restored and a community that continues to grow.”

Sin said the village began as a vision for the Sacramento region’s first dedicated housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. She said state investments, including about $11 million through California’s Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program, helped expand affordable housing opportunities at the site.

State Sen. Roger Niello and Assemblymember Josh Hoover attended the event and presented recognition for the village’s 10-year milestone. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes

She also pointed to a more recent $31.5 million investment supporting the fourth phase of Mather Veterans Village, which is expected to bring additional permanent supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness.

“Housing alone is not enough,” Sin said. “Housing is a foundation. Lasting success comes from pairing housing with comprehensive supportive services.”

Rancho Cordova Mayor Garrett Gatewood said the project carries special meaning because of the city’s military history and its connection to the former Air Force base.

“Rancho Cordova was not just a fitting location for this village,” Gatewood said. “It was the right location.”

Rancho Cordova Vice Mayor Linda Budge and Mayor Garret Gatewood accept a partner award from Nation’s Finest. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes

Gatewood said Mather Veterans Village represents the city’s commitment to veterans who have faced hardship and needed more than shelter.

“Not just a roof, not just four walls, a real home,” Gatewood said. “A place for dignity, a place to support, a place where veterans can look around and say, ‘I belong here.’”

State Sen. Roger Niello and Assemblymember Josh Hoover also attended the event and presented recognition for the village’s 10-year milestone. Hoover said the upcoming celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday was a reminder of the sacrifices made by service members.

“It is truly an honor to be here,” Hoover said. “So that we can really stand behind our commitment to our veterans when they return home.”

Program Manager Troy Lynch accepts a partner award on behalf of Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes

Rich Ciraulo, regional director of housing development for Mercy Housing California, said the anniversary marked more than the passage of time.

“What we’re really celebrating isn’t just time,” Ciraulo said. “It’s what’s been built here over that time: stability, community and a place where people truly belong. The need is still real, and this community continues to rise to meet it.”

He said that commitment is reflected in plans for a fifth phase of Mather Veterans Village, which is currently in the early stages of feasibility and design.

The most personal remarks of the morning came from Army veteran Sheila Austin, one of the original residents honored during the ceremony.

Nation’s Finest presented a partner award to Mercy Housing California at the 10-year celebration of Mather Veterans Village. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes  

Austin said Rancho Cordova has always been part of her life. Her father, James C. Nixon, served more than 20 years in the Army, and her family was stationed in places including Turkey, the Philippines and North Dakota. But Rancho Cordova, she said, was always home.

Like her father and nephew, Austin joined the Army at 17. After her service, she worked, paid her bills and cared for her family. But financial hardship eventually cost her an apartment.

“Sometimes life throws you a curveball,” Austin said.

Austin said her youngest son was about 13 when she became connected with transitional family housing. A case manager later connected her to Mather Veterans Village for permanent supportive housing.

“I am very grateful my son and I have called Mather Veterans Village home for the last 10 years,” Austin said. “I have a stable place where we can live safely and a comfortable place for my grandkids to come visit their grandma.”

Nation’s Finest took time to recognize community partners that helped make Mather Veterans Village a reality. Photo courtesy of Aaron Yabes

Austin said the village has given her more than housing. It has given her safety, stability, access to nearby care at the VA hospital and a community of neighbors and staff who support her.

“Mather Veterans Village did not just give me housing,” Austin said. “They gave me a place I can call home. They gave me my life.”

The program also included partner awards, recognition of the veteran honorees and campus tours.

For Flaherty, the ceremony was centered on the veterans seated in the front row and the thousands of others served through the work of Nation’s Finest and its partners.

“You are honored as the veterans that have called Mather Veterans Village home for the entirety of its first decade,” Flaherty said. “It is for you that we gather here this morning.”