The indoor community space at the Roseville Road shelter-and-service campus has been redesigned to better support guest engagement and well-being, thanks to a collaboration between the City of Sacramento, First Step Communities and IKEA.
The result of a public-private partnership, the improvements aim to foster connection and access to supportive services for people experiencing homelessness, the groups said.
“We’re grateful for the strong partnership that made these improvements possible,” said Brian Pedro, director of the City’s Department of Community Response. “Creating a safe and supportive space is essential to building trust with our guests and connecting them to the services and housing that can help them move forward.”
As the shelter’s operator, First Step Communities, worked with IKEA to redesign the indoor community space. Valued at approximately $12,000, the upgraded area features new paint, a TV lounge, a reading area with bookshelves, game storage and a large seating space for meals and gatherings.
“Thanks to IKEA’s generous donation of furniture and labor, the Roseville Road shelter’s common room has been transformed into a beautiful, calming space that restores dignity, safety, and belonging for our guests,” said Joseph Pacheco, executive director of First Step Communities. “This new environment offers more than comfort – it creates a foundation for healing, connection and hope during a critical moment in each client journey.”
As part of the partnership, IKEA also provided art supplies in advance, allowing shelter guests to create original artwork. Those pieces were later framed and now hang throughout the renovated space.
“At IKEA, we have a vision to create a better everyday life for many people,” said IKEA Loyalty Manager Nicole Arneson Shoob. “With trauma-informed design, there is an opportunity and a responsibility to use our unique strength, which is our home furnishing expertise, to create environments that nurture and heal and to support those who are vulnerable and in need. When we learned about the need at the Roseville Road campus, we were eager to put our strength in this area to use and make a difference in the community we are a part of.”
The Roseville Road shelter-and-service campus, supporting unhoused adults, is part of the City’s overall strategy to provide shelter, housing, and supportive services and to help people improve their circumstances and resolve their experience of homelessness.
Opened in January 2024, the non-congregate campus currently includes approximately 100 Pallet homes and trailers. In October 2024, the City secured $12.35 million in state funding to expand the site by 100 additional sleeping cabins.
Click here to learn more about the City’s comprehensive response to the homelessness crisis.
