[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 3874

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it has been my pleasure to co-
sponsor Representative Bono's bill, H.R. 3874, which will enable the 
Palm Springs area to benefit from the conveyance of 44 acres of Bureau 
of Land Management land to Father Joe's Villages for the creation of a 
homeless shelter, a training center, and affordable housing for this 
area of Riverside County.
  I have had the privilege of knowing Father Joe Carroll for many years 
in San Diego, where he has worked tirelessly to develop an extensive 
program of services for the homeless of all ages through the St. 
Vincent De Paul Village.
  Often identified by the community for its Kitchen, which serves 4,000 
meals a day, the center goes way beyond providing the homeless with 
food to offering dental, vision, and other health services. It also 
provides high school equivalency and computer training.
  Helping the homeless find jobs not only includes coaching in job 
hunting skills and providing interview attire but begins with 
coordinating on-site psychiatric services to address some of the 
underlying needs of village members through volunteer professionals 
from the University of California San Diego.
  The Center also provides for the 24-hour care of some 200 orphaned 
children, which includes meeting not only their food, clothing, 
housing, and health needs but also houses their public schooling.
  The village offers courses in parenting, anger management, and 
counseling for unmarried couples with children as well as prenatal 
care. In sum, it invests in offering needy people full-life services 
both intensively and for an extended time to help them turn their lives 
around.
  I know that with the decades of Father Joe Carroll's successful 
experience in San Diego, this opportunity to create a new service base 
in Palm Springs will be beneficial for the community.

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