Refugee and immigrant families arrive in San Diego after uprooting their entire lives — fleeing violence, instability, and uncertainty in search of safety and the chance to rebuild a sense of home. Many find that home in historically under-resourced neighborhoods, the same communities long shaped by redlining and disinvestment. Over years, residents organize, advocate, and fight for the investment their neighborhoods deserve — and that investment often works. But as conditions improve, rising costs and gentrification displace the very families who fought hardest to get there. The result is a cruel cycle: families who have already lost one home once are now losing a second one, not to the forces that first drove them from theirs, but to the success of their own resilience.
The Global Village emerged from an extensive, community-led planning process — engaging thousands of community members from across the County, local leaders, and community-based organizations who know the challenges our families face. It is a model for community ownership and stewardship. The land, assets, and resources serve the communities who create the value, not speculative investors.
144 large family units right-sized for multi-generational families.
Health and wellness services located close to the families who need them.
Kitchen, food courts and maker stalls to support small refugee and immigrant business start-ups. A smaller version already operates on the site.
Nonprofits and county services on-site providing wraparound services.
Safe and culturally competent childcare and parental support.
Shelter and resource center for climate disasters and emergencies.
Rather than establishing a top-down vision, a local coalition of refugee and immigrant-led organizations put forth a Community Visioning process of multilingual outreach, democratic participation, and the direct involvement of refugee and immigrant families representing dozens of cultures and lived experiences. What developed was a community-led master plan integrating affordable family housing, entrepreneurship opportunities, social services, community gathering spaces, and cultural programming.
