SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A $6.9 million plan to open up a navigation shelter was approved on Tuesday by the Sacramento City Council.
The shelter will open on 29th and X streets in the summer and can house up to 100 people at a time, with a priority given to those experiencing homelessness in Oak Park, Curtis Park, and the Broadway and Alhambra corridor.
Those who receive a referral to apply for the shelter will have access to recovery assistance, financial counseling and receive assistance for permanent housing.
Maria Perez, who was placed in a senior housing complex in Carmichael after experiencing homelessness for more than 10 years, spoke about her experience of staying at a navigation center to the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday.
"I have a couch and a bed," Perez said. "My children have come out, and we've had family time. I haven't had family time in 10 years. I'm just thankful to have a normal life again."
Sacramento Vice Mayor Jay Schenirer described the proposed shelter in a statement as a two-year project in the making.
"We really want to do something a little different with this Navigation Center where it is really owned by the community," Schenirer said. "There are so many community-based organizations within walking distance of this site that can really participate in the life of the Navigation Center."
Most of the shelter's funding comes from a $5 million grant from the Kaiser Foundation, while the rest comes from state funds and Measure U. The shelter has enough funding to operate for the next two years.
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