The temporary homeless shelter planned for X Street near Alhambra Boulevard is now expected to open in early summer.
Initially slated to open early this year, the project was delayed while the city worked to obtain a state lease for the land owned by CalTrans, an encroachment permit and approval from the Federal Highway Administration.
The shelter is intended as short-term occupancy, defined as four to six months, while permanent housing with support services is sought. The shelter will offer social services and medical care. It will have dog kennels, bike storage and shower facilities. It is intended as a low-barrier shelter to attract as many homeless people as possible.
The shelter will offer 100 beds, specifically targeting those in the immediate area of the facility.
The site will be entirely fenced with a single entrance on X Street. A dining hall will offer food prepared offsite. Beds are in a separate building. There will be classrooms and gathering space for residents.
The city will handle construction, but the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will manage operations and hire a professional operator, which will enforce basic safety measures.
For example, no camping or loitering immediately outside the shelter will be permitted.
The project was approved by the city last year with funding from the city and state and private donations.
A number of community organizations stand ready to provide services to shelter residents. The Urban League will provide workforce development assistance. The American Legion may provide food.
All shelters are coupled with social services with the goal of getting residents into permanent housing.
Progress on the X Street shelter lags development of a women’s low-barrier shelter in Meadowview, in part because the land for that shelter is owned by the city.
The so-called “navigation shelters” are one piece of a city strategy to address the homelessness crisis. Other approaches under development include scattered sites (individual houses), a cabin community, safe-places parking and dormitory-style housing.