Iron Anchor Foundation — veteran transitional housing and supportive services in San Diego
Stabilize. Heal. Empower. Transform.
Holding the Line for Those
Who Held the Line for Us.
Iron Anchor Foundation is building transitional housing and supportive services for veterans experiencing homelessness in San Diego — small in scale, clinical in rigor, and rooted in one neighborhood.
Program in development · Launch targeted for late 2026Start here
Funders & grantmakers
We are a California 501(c)(3) preparing a VA Grant and Per Diem transitional housing program, with program design, budgets, and governance documentation available for review.
Review our organizationVeterans
Our housing program is not yet open. If you need housing or support today, the VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans is available 24/7 at 1-877-424-3838.
Get help nowReferral & service partners
We coordinate with San Diego’s veteran services network and the coordinated entry system, and welcome conversations with VA staff, case managers, and community providers.
Connect with usThe program
Housing first. Then a plan. Then a handoff.
Our model follows the VA Grant and Per Diem framework: safe transitional housing paired with individualized service plans, evidence-based clinical screening, and a structured transition to permanent housing.
Phase one
Stabilize
Intake through coordinated entry, immediate housing placement, and baseline clinical screening to understand each veteran’s needs.
Phase two
Build
An individualized service plan for every resident — benefits enrollment, health and mental health linkages, employment support, and life-skills work.
Phase three
Anchor
A managed transition to permanent housing with follow-up support, so the exit from our program is a landing, not a cliff.
About the organization
Small, accountable, and built to federal standards.
Iron Anchor Foundation was incorporated in California in 2026 and holds federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. We are veteran-founded and governed by an independent board with documented conflict-of-interest policies.
We are deliberately small: a single-site program in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood, designed to the standards of the VA Grant and Per Diem program and federal grant compliance requirements — because veterans deserve programs built to last, not built to launch.
Our path to scale runs through three federal programs — the VA Grant and Per Diem program, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), and HUD-VASH. We are in active development against these funding sources and do not yet operate under them.
Organizational documents, program design, and budget materials are available to funders and agency partners on request.
- Status
- 501(c)(3) public charity
- EIN
- 42-2603349
- Founded
- San Diego, California · 2026
- Focus
- Veteran transitional housing & supportive services
- Program tracks
- VA GPD · SSVF · HUD-VASHIn development — pursuing funding
Working alongside
The VA San Diego community · San Diego’s coordinated entry system · Veteran service organizations across the county
Partnership listings will be added as formal agreements are executed.
For referral partners
How to refer a veteran
Our housing program is not yet accepting intake · Expected to open late 2026
We’re building relationships with VA staff, case managers, and community providers now, so that referrals move smoothly the day we open. Here is how the pathway works.
Confirm the veteran’s needs
Our program serves veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in San Diego who are working toward permanent housing. Veterans with a discharge that qualifies them for VA services are the best fit.
Route through Coordinated Entry
Placements into VA Grant and Per Diem housing flow through San Diego’s Coordinated Entry System and the VA. Enrolling the veteran there is what connects them to our program once we’re operational.
Let us know
Tell us a referral is coming at info@ironanchorfoundation.org. Establishing the relationship early means no delay when a bed opens.
A veteran needs help today? Do not wait for our program to open.
VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans (24/7): 1-877-424-3838 · Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.