Construction is expected to begin next month on Stockton’s Navigation Center and Men’s Expansion, a joint project between the city of Stockton, San Joaquin County and Stockton Shelter for the Homeless.
Stockton Shelter for the Homeless was founded by philanthropic business and government professionals in 1986 to provide a non-denominational emergency shelter in Stockton. In November 2020, Stockton city council voted to fund an expansion of the nonprofit’s campus at 411 South Harrison St. under the crosstown freeway with $2.3 million in state Homeless Housing Assistance Prevention Program funds. San Joaquin County and the county’s Continuum of Care also provided around $1 million each.
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The $5 million, three-story, 11,000 square-foot structure built with shipping containers will house a multitude of amenities and services, including a men’s and women’s dorm, a men’s only navigation dorm, couples and isolation rooms, family rooms, restrooms and showers, laundry, office space and drop-in and navigation services.
Stockton Shelter for the Homeless CEO JoLyn McMillan said building permits are in the final stages before approval, and the nonprofit is actively seeking state grant money for additional financial sustainability. Service partners are also in the works.
“We are working with behavioral health, San Joaquin County partners and private partners right now to bring them into the navigation center to provide services,” McMillan said. “We’re looking at having up to 40 partners come in with us.”
Navigation centers are outcome-based shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness, designed to foster a transitional period to reunite occupants with the community and reacquainted with mental health. Connections to employment, housing and behavioral health and medical services are all on-site where occupants are allowed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When completed, the new building will house 180 beds. Those looking to use the shelter must provide some proof of locality in Stockton or San Joaquin County. How big of an impact those 180 beds will have in comparison to the number of homeless on Stockton’s streets will become clearer when the city’s point in time survey results — and unsheltered headcount conducted in January for the first time in three years after missing the past two-year cycle due to the pandemic — are released later this spring.
Rapid Program Management is the project management firm charged with getting the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless expansion open, which will be their 16th navigation center built. Rapid Program Management President David Renard said the Bay Area, family-owned firm applies their experience in disaster response and recovery to homeless and emergency shelter construction, specializing in keeping construction costs down and budget for services up.
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“If we lower capital costs, we can invest more money in services to make sure the facility is sustainable and running for years to come,” Renard said. “We’re also providing a third more beds at half the cost of these other (Northern California) city-run developments.”
Stockton Shelter for the Homeless’ campus sits on Caltrans land. Part of the plan for the shipping container model is to be able to move to a different site if the need arises.
Renard said there will be opportunities for local employment on the Navigation Center and Men's Expansion project. The earliest tentative date to break ground is May 9. The site is expected to be up and running by October 2022.
Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow.