Construction begins on 175-bed campus for Sacramento's homeless
SACRAMENTO — The City of Sacramento announced on Friday that construction has begun on a small home village for the homeless that will feature 175 state-provided sleeping cabins.
The site will be located at 6780 Stockton Boulevard and will be the first in the state to break ground under the Newsom administration's small homes initiative, the city said.
WellSpace Health owns the property, which was vacant office space. The tiny home village will be a temporary solution until WellSpace builds a new regional medical campus there that would offer medical, dental, and behavioral health services, mostly for Medi-Cal recipients.
The new tiny home village is part of an initiative announced by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year. Those plans aim to bring more than 1,200 of these units to four cities across California. Other cities include Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose.
Another 175 beds are expected to be placed in Sacramento at Cal Expo at a future date. The state announced Friday that San Jose was also making significant progress on their small home campus.
"This project shows how state and local governments can support each other in addressing our crisis of unsheltered homelessness," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in the state's announcement of construction beginning Friday. "Our 175-bed campus will be much more than an emergency shelter. It will provide all the services and support needed to get more people healthy and housed."
The Governor's Office said the Stockton Boulevard campus, which is funded by the Encampment Resolution Grant, is expected to be completed by late summer. Guests will only be allowed to enter by referral only. Walk-ups are not allowed.
California's Department of General Services has been working on the site since March 7, clearing out the grounds and planning for utility layouts, the city said.
A safe stay site with temporary housing for the homeless last August at Florin and Power Inn Roads. That site offered 100 sleeping cabins that could accommodate up to 125 people for up to 90 days.