Catholic Charities recommended to operate Gardner Community Center with $1M Google grant

The City of San Jose advanced plans on Dec. 16 to reactivate the Gardner Community Center by awarding operational responsibility to Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, subject to final contract execution.

Councilmember Mulcahy told the council the recommendation emerged from a competitive request-for-proposals process that drew 26 applicants; 21 met minimum qualifications and the selection process included review of two protests. "Today, I'm pleased to welcome Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County as the recommended partner," Mulcahy said. Fred Buzzo, director of advocacy and community engagement for Catholic Charities, told the council the organization intends to center community input in running the center.

Google has committed a one-time $1,000,000 operational grant to help launch programming, Mulcahy said. Staff and council emphasized that a formal agreement still must be executed before services begin.

Public comment included multiple Gardner neighborhood residents and representatives who urged swift activation of the center and thanked staff for the RFP process. Several commenters said they expect Catholic Charities to provide programs for children, families and seniors once the center reopens.

Why it matters: The Gardner Community Center has been mostly closed since the Great Recession; reactivation aims to restore neighborhood programming and services in District 6 and surrounding areas.

What's next: Staff will pursue contract negotiations and return with execution documents; council approved moving the item forward as part of the consent calendar.