Sacramento’s newest homeless shelter is now providing safety, security and sanitation to approximately 30 people who had been living in tents nearby.
The X Street Navigation Center, located near Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard, officially opened to guests on Sept. 21. Since then, it has steadily been increasing its number of guests.
Launched by the City of Sacramento in partnership with Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), the center, which is operated by Volunteers of America, eventually will reach its full capacity of 100 people as coordinated outreach and engagement with encampment inhabitants in the surrounding area continues.
This outreach and relationship building is taking place daily, with teams managed by the City’s Department of Community Response actively referring people experiencing homelessness to the center, said Bridgette Dean, director of DCR.
Following referral and an intake process, guests at the center have a warm bed, three meals a day, access to laundry machines and warm showers. In addition, staff at the center engage every day with guests to help identify and provide services that meet their individual needs and help them prepare to move into more permanent housing.
“As a community, we are making an immediate difference,” said Vice Mayor Jay Schenirer, who was a driving force behind the center. “First and foremost, we’re making a difference in the lives of unhoused individuals by providing shelter and wrap-around services. Second, we hope to see a visible difference in neighborhoods who have patiently waited for meaningful shelter options – and are directly impacted by trash and vandalism.”
As a strong “good neighbor” policy is critical to the success of the shelter, Downtown Streets Team has been contracted to work at the center and will be cleaning and maintaining the campus and streets within a three-mile radius starting mid-October. DST will also engage center guests to participate in these cleanup and outreach efforts.
The X Street Navigation Center is a collaborative effort made possible by a $5 million grant from Kaiser Permanente plus other funds from the State and City. The City of Sacramento administers the funding through the Department of Community Response.
For more information about this center, please visit https://www.shra.org/x-street-navigation-center/. Soon at this website SHRA will provide weekly and monthly update reports on the center.