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Grand Opening of Plaza Ortiz in El Monte

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Cesar Chavez Foundation announces grand opening of high-quality affordable housing community for homeless veterans & low-income residents in El Monte named for U.S. Army Cpl. ‘Mac’ Ortiz Jr. who died during Korean War in 1950 

El Monte, Calif. (June 29, 2022) – The Cesar Chavez Foundation (CCF) held a grand opening celebration on June 29 for a new affordable housing community for homeless veterans and low-income residents in El Monte. The property is named Plaza Ysabel “Mac” Ortiz, in honor of the 19-year-old El Monte native who was killed during the Korean War and whose remains were returned nearly 70 years after he was reported missing in action. The 53 units of housing for homeless veterans and low-income households features onsite social services provided in partnership with Step Up, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit delivering compassionate support to people experiencing serious mental health conditions, and persons who are experiencing chronic homelessness so they can recover, stabilize, and integrate into the community. The property also features a new mural by artist Ignacio Gomez honoring Ysabel “Mac” Ortiz and other community heroes.  

The project houses a Si Se Puede Learning Center, Chavez Foundation’s flagship afterschool program for young residents and 6,849 square feet of space for residential services, recreational meeting space, conference and meeting rooms, and staff office space as well as to provide services and resources for homeless veterans.  

Ysabel “Mac” Ortiz joined the U.S. Army at age 17. He was serving during the Korean War, assigned to an M-19, small anti-aircraft tank with an exposed cockpit in the 7th Infantry Division when he went missing while in combat in North Korea on Dec. 2, 1950. Barely past his 19th birthday, Cpl. Ortiz’s remains were never recovered. DNA testing confirmed he was among the remains of 55 U.S. service members turned over to the U.S. by North Korea almost 70 years later in 2019. He was brought home, buried in Riverside National Cemetery, and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. 

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Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans break ground on Ybarra Village

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Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans to break ground on affordable housing project for veterans in West Adams district on April 4

LOS ANGELES – The Cesar Chavez Foundation and New Directions for Veterans (NDVets) will officially break ground on Ybarra Village, a new affordable housing community for veterans in the West Adams district of Los Angeles on April 4, 2018. This new residential community will feature 64 units with on-site supportive services for veterans provided by NDVets.

“There is an affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles and this project is critical to helping veterans in need of housing,” said Alfredo Izmajtovich, Executive Vice President of Housing and Economic Development for the Cesar Chavez Foundation. “We look forward to working with New Directions for Veterans in order to provide veterans with affordable housing and the services they require.”

Ybarra Village will feature 64 units with more than half of the units designated for homeless veterans, as well as additional units for veterans’ with special needs. The remainder of the units will be allocated for seniors, with a preference given to senior veterans. There will be a wide range of on-site social service programs for veterans provided by NDVets, including counseling, case management, job training, legal assistance and Veteran Affairs (VA) health services and benefits assistance.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that veterans are more likely than civilians to experience homelessness in their lifetime due to factors like Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” said NDVets CEO and President, Colonel (Ret.) Yvette J. Kelley. “We are grateful to the Cesar Chavez Foundation for making veterans a priority with the construction of Ybarra Village, where veterans will have a safe place to live with staff on-site to help ensure they have the necessary support and resources to retain housing.”

The property is named for Miguel “Mike” Ybarra, a U.S. Marine Corps and World War II veteran. Ybarra was active with the United Farm Workers and worked with both the union and Cesar Chavez to organize farm workers across California. He was a longtime board member of the Cesar Chavez Foundation.