Open space.  Trees and freshly-cut yards.  Modern architecture.  This does not sound like affordable housing. 

But then, the Villages at Cabrillo is unlike any traditional affordable housing unit.  Sandwiched between business complexes and Cabrillo High School, off of Pacific Coast Highway west of the 710 Freeway, the Villages look and feel more like a campus, perfect for its purpose: helping troubled veterans get back on their feet.

Villages is a part of U.S Vets, the nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to assisting at-risk veterans.  Their main method of help is providing those in need with affordable housing and job-searching skills, and the Villages at Cabrillo is their crown jewel.


A sand volleyball court adds to the serenity of Villages at Cabrillo.

When the Navy left Long Beach in the early-mid 1990s, more than 130 acres of servicemen living quarters known as Cabrillo Savannah Naval Housing was left vacant.  Some of it became industrial buildings and some of it came Cabrillo High, but in 1996, U.S. Vets claimed 26 acres for a veterans community that would become Villages – the nation’s largest facility of its kind.  Villages at Cabrillo opened in August of 2000, with room for a few hundred.

It immediately made a difference in Long Beach, stricken with a homeless epidemic.  A partnership with the VA Medical Center was set up, and round-trip shuttles are provided from Villages to the hospital three times per day for veterans with medical appointments.

Today, Villages at Cabrillo provides housing and job search opportunities for more than 800 residents, most – but not all – of which are veterans.  Plans are in the works for two new buildings that will provide room for another 300, and construction is already underway for 81 units reserved for families.  Now, moving closer and closer to practically becoming a city, the Villages at Cabrillo will house more than 1,200 in a few short years.

“People were so frustrated with the Navy leaving, but to know that it’s veteran housing now, it’s ok,” says Jerlene Tatum, Community Development Advisor.  “It’s a jewel on the Westside.”

But it sometimes takes convincing for others to see that jewel.  Director of Community Development Steve Peck has been with Villages since its inauguration, and has spent many of the years since fighting the stigma of “affordable housing.”  Part of that may have to do with the campus being isolated, as fences that line the perimeter make outsiders wonder what goes on inside.  Tatum herself admits to knowing little about the project before coming to work there less than a year ago.  Peck remembers preparing for the opening in 2000 by speaking at community events to raise awareness.

“People would politely listen, and didn’t really know what to think,” he says.  Even the City Council was a tough sell.

“They reserved their judgment until they saw what it was we were going to do.  It was really at the eleventh hour that people got on board and got behind us.”


A remnant of the property’s Naval past.

The greatest hurdles have been the misconceptions associated with affordable housing.  More and more units have been made available to the needy in recent years, always accompanied by grumbling from some who perceive it as a handout to the less-deserving.  Nothing could be further from the truth at Villages, where there are no handouts and there are certainly no candidates more deserving.  In fact, Villages is much more like a growth program than affordable housing.  The mission is to help residents become independent and re-integrate with society.  The mission is to make them want to leave Villages.

“Our ultimate goal is to have each resident stay here a maximum of two years before moving back into the community,” says Peck, a former Vietnam vet himself. 

A steady succession of programs are used to assist the veterans as they look to re-enter the workforce, from substance abuse support and post-traumatic stress relief to job search techniques and skills assessment.  When looking for job prospects, they’re required to produce five new contacts per day.  The constant monitoring is of massive help to those most in need, but independent residents grow tired of having to report their progress and submit to random drug tests and will eventually move out.  Another life changed.

“We want them to aspire to something higher, they stay busy and are very proactive,” Tatum says.  “The idea that veterans are in need, that’s scary.  These are people that sacrificed for our freedoms, and we need to give back.”

She knows, first-hand.  Tatum’s family has a long history of service, and her three uncles met and married their wives on the old Cabrillo Savannah Naval Housing land that Villages at Cabrillo now stands on.  She was on the path to becoming an officer in the Marines before her husband – an Army man himself – put a stop to that idea.  It was through his father, a Vietnam vet, that Tatum found out about Villages, as he would often stop by the campus before visiting his son and daughter-in-law.  Like so many others, it helped him get back on the right track.


Director of Community Development Steve Peck has been with Villages since its inception in 2000.

Peck can’t keep track of all the veterans that have improved their lives through Villages, but he wonders if others in the community recognize its impact.  U.S. Vets estimates that one in three homeless people are veterans, and with the number of those reintegrated into society by Villages – which stays at a constant 95% capacity – it’s mind-boggling to wonder how many homeless veterans have been turned around.  Peck wonders if residents make the connection between his work and a smaller homeless population.

“Anyone who does anything with homelessness in the city knows that we’re here, but it’s still a very well-kept secret,” he says.

That might change in the future, as Villages prepares to add 81 larger units in several buildings that are currently under construction and will likely be finished by the end of the year.  Those units will be made available to families who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, which represents a rapidly growing number of veterans in need as effects from the war take their toll.

“We’ve heard a lot of young families have been disrupted by this war, and we hope to get some of them in here,” says Peck.  “It would be a great place for a family – a very supportive environment.”

That very supportive environment includes all of the features listed above, as well as an LBUSD school on site that serves children living in Villages.  It’s just one example of the many amenities offered in addition to reduced-rate housing.  Many programs and services are made available by other non-profits that run out of Villages, including the Salvation Army.  These organizations provide specialized help in everything from food and clothing to support and financial assistance. 


Looking out from the third floor of one of the buildings.

One of Villages’ greatest contributions is assistance provided to homeless women.  Women make up 3% of the general homeless population, but 12-15% of Villages’ residents are female, which Peck points out is “unusually large.”  Many have experienced physical or sexual abuse and are offered sexual trauma treatment within the program.

Villages is not only a jewel, but a social service marvel for rapid growth and quality assistance.  Prospective residents must prove that they have been clean and sober for 60 days before being accepted.  A full 80% of those in the jobs program find work within 90 days.  The VA Medical Center has 17 employees stationed at the campus.  The list of achievements and accomplishments goes on and on.  But the real reward can’t be measured by numbers or statistics.

“We want to create a continuum of care so they can move seamlessly from one program to another,” says Peck.  “The goal is to get them back to the workforce.  They sooner they can do that, the sooner they’ll begin feeling better about themselves.”


Flags proudly fly high.

By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor