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Longtime residents of Mather Veterans Village were honored with Ten Year Housing Stability Awards on Friday, June 26, 2026. The Sacramento region\u2019s first permanent supportive housing development for homeless and disabled veterans hosted the celebration for its tenth anniversary.<\/p>\n
Camryn Dadey<\/p>\n
cdadey@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The Sacramento region\u2019s first permanent supportive housing development for homeless and disabled veterans celebrated its 10th anniversary Friday, honoring residents who have lived at the complex since it opened.<\/p>\n
Mather Veterans Village \u2014 a partnership between Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, Mercy Housing California<\/a> and Nation\u2019s Finest<\/a> Veterans Services \u2014 has 100 permanent housing units and 47 transitional units<\/a> for homeless veterans at the former Mather Air Force Base, which opened in 1918 and closed in 1993.<\/p>\n At a ceremony Friday, 16 veterans who have lived at the village since its opening were presented with 10-Year Housing Stability Awards, honoring their resilience, perseverance and dedication to building and maintaining stability.<\/p>\n Army veteran and resident Sheila Austin said she grew up in Rancho Cordova after her father was stationed at Mather. After serving in the Army, she worked a variety of jobs before falling on hard times and losing her apartment. She later connected with a case manager at Nation\u2019s Finest, who helped her secure a spot as one of the first residents at Mather Veterans Village.<\/p>\n Austin said the feeling of safety and community has been invaluable to her success, as well as the development\u2019s location just blocks from the Department of Veterans Affairs Sacramento Medical Center.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore, I would spend two to three hours on a bus just to get to a doctor\u2019s appointment,\u201d Austin said. \u201cNow I can just take a short walk down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n Austin said she now spends her days cooking and participating in outings with other residents to museums and sports games.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a stable place where my son and I can live safely,\u201d Austin said. \u201cI have a comfortable place where my grandkids can come and visit their grandma and cook Saturday morning breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris Flaherty, CEO of Nation\u2019s Finest, said the celebration held close to America\u2019s 250th birthday created a \u201cspecial connection\u201d to the nation\u2019s past. He said the importance of home for veterans is more than just a building \u2014 it is a place to feel safe.<\/p>\n \u201cFor many, especially those who have worn the uniform, home is not a place,\u201d Flaherty said. \u201cHome is an ideal, one that heals us, one that sustains us, one that defines us.\u201d<\/p>\n The housing development provides wraparound services, including case management, counseling, support navigating resources, assistance accessing behavioral health treatment and employment, and organized social events.<\/p>\n \u201cLasting success comes from pairing housing with comprehensive supportive services, helping veterans access health care, behavioral health services, employment, benefits, transportation and the trusted relationships that allow people to move forward with confidence,\u201d said Lindsey Sin, secretary of California\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, and Assemblymember Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, also presented a resolution recognizing the anniversary, saying the celebration so close to the country\u2019s 250th birthday was an honor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that none of that would have been possible without the sacrifice, without the service of all of our veterans,\u201d Hoover said.<\/p>\n An estimated 8% of people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento County, about 550 people, are veterans, according to the 2024 Point in Time Count<\/a>. Nationwide, an estimated 5.3% of people experiencing, or about 33,000, are veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n Seventy more units are under construction<\/a> and expected to be completed in 2027 as part of Phase 4 of Mather Veterans Village, and a fifth phase is also in the works. The development is expected to eventually house more than 5,000 homeless veterans, Rancho Cordova spokesperson Maria Kniestedt said.<\/p>\n Rancho Cordova Mayor Garrett Gatewood said the city remains committed to continuing its support of veterans in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cThis community was built on service, shaped by the military base\u2019s legacy and committed to making veterans know that they are important to us,\u201d Gatewood said.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/RB_Veterans_Village_7.jpeg\" "\\"RB_Veterans_Village_7\\"")
The first phase of Mather Veterans Village in Rancho Cordova, shown here in 2016, houses formerly homeless military veterans on the former Mather Air Force Base. Randall Benton Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n Community leaders break ground on Rancho Cordova\u2019s Mather Veterans Village, providing 70 more housing units for low-income and homeless veterans in the county, on Thursday, April 9, 2026. From left to right: Natalya Sachuk, Chris Flaherty, MaryLiz Paulson, Cari Scott, Mika Klinsmann, Tiffany Bohee, Garrett Gatewood, Levette Randolph Miller, Pat Hume, Ami Bera, Robert McGarvey and Linda Budge. Camryn Dadey cdadey@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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