Home(less) Viewing: Real Estate Show Aids Shelter
Hollywood may never come knocking at the door of Father Joe Carroll or the St. Vincent de Paul-Joan Kroc Center in downtown San Diego. But cable TV did.
Carroll, who is president of the homeless shelter, announced at a press conference Tuesday that he is the host of “The Real Estate Show,” which made its debut Saturday night. Between the showcasing of San Diego County homes, Carroll will showcase the services the center provides to the area’s homeless.
The program, which will reach about 172,000 homes in the county on cable Channels 15, 4 and 11, is being produced by MCA Mortgage Counselors of America, a division of Shaughnessy’s Inc. Owners Jim and Susie Shaughnessy of Ramona believe the partnership is a way to honor the memory of their daughter Colleen, who worked with the needy in Cleveland before she died in 1983.
“What we are trying to do is carry on the idea that Colleen lived by, and help the people,” Susie Shaughnessy said. “We want to use our attributes to do what we can to help in her name.”
Carroll said being host of the program is a chance not only to remember the work of Colleen Shaughnessy, but also to promote the work of the center and inspire others to help the homeless.
“Somehow we can reach out in Colleen’s name and make a difference in a child’s life,” Carroll said, adding that viewers “may not want to buy a home and (will) send a donation instead. It’s a vehicle for me to inform people about the opportunities we provide.”
Real estate agents, in order to advertise homes on the show, agree to donate a minimum of $100 to the Colleen Shaughnessy Fund for the Homeless at the St. Vincent de Paul center, said Bill Pelley, chief executive officer of the MCA mortgage company. An agency also must refer $500,000 worth of home-buyer loans to MCA, and the company will contribute to the fund after paying its production costs, Pelley said.
“It’s a win-win situation,” he said. “Father Carroll wins, we win, the real estate agency wins and the home buyer
wins. Everybody involved wins, and it’s done through private enterprise.”
On the show, viewers see homes ranging in price from $300,000 to $2.5 million, in locations such as La Costa, San Marcos and Solana Beach. Between homes, Carroll takes the viewer on a brief tour of the facilities of the St. Vincent de Paul center, its school and medical facilities and its kitchen, which feeds 2,000 people a day.
Also included is a one-minute segment written by 12-year-old Dagney Tucker, the niece of Colleen Shaughnessy, who encourages young people to reach out to homeless children.
“I want to try to help the young children across America,” said Dagney, an aspiring actress, at the press conference. “I want to set up a pen pal thing so they can write to me and give ideas about what they can do to help homeless children.
“They don’t need money, they need love, hope and friendship. They’re not different, they’re just down on their luck. I’m trying to get that across and help these children.”
