Mayor Steinberg proposes 24/7 respite and navigation center for unsheltered residents
Sacramento (June 27, 2022) Mayor Steinberg said Monday that he intends to introduce a resolution to the City Council to open the former Powerhouse Science Center on Auburn Boulevard as a 24/7 respite center and navigation hub for people experiencing homelessness.
The former science center, which is owned by the city, is already being used to offer respite to unsheltered people during extreme hot and cold weather. It also houses the offices of Hope Cooperative, one of the area’s largest providers of services for people experiencing homelessness.
The City Council voted in December to approve a contract with Hope Cooperative for up to $3.26 million to operate the Outreach and Engagement Center on Auburn Boulevard for one year, serving up to 50 people at a time. The facility sits on 14 acres and has ample space for clients to meet with caseworkers, rest and eat. There are two portable restroom trailers.
The original concept was for a 24/7 facility, but the Council later voted to restrict the facility’s operations to extreme weather events.
Mayor Steinberg said that he would bring a resolution to the City Council after the July recess to allow the science center to open for overnight stays and to serve as a center for connecting people with services, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and housing.
“Given the numbers of people who are homeless, there is no excuse for allowing a city-owned asset that is not being used for anything else to lay fallow,” Mayor Steinberg said Monday. “It should be used for people who are out in the elements to come inside at night, but we want to do more than that. It’s a large campus, and the city has an opportunity to create a navigation center where, by referral, we can bring people who are chronically homeless so they can be assessed and referred to the right services and housing options.”
City staff has drafted a plan for operations that includes a good neighbor policy barring any camping around the perimeter of the fenced facility. Clients would be admitted by referral from the City’s Department of Community Response and designated community-based outreach partners. The City has already conducted extensive community outreach to ensure that the facility is a good neighbor.
