The year-round shelter is a facility providing emergency housing for Elk Grove residents experiencing homelessness. The goal is to offer consistent shelter while providing compassionate care and wrap-around services for up to 35 Elk Grove residents who may be having difficulty securing housing on their own. Consistent shelter is especially critical during extreme weather conditions (e.g., hot summers and rainy winter months).

The year-round shelter will be temporarily located at 9499 East Stockton Blvd beginning in November 2024 and could operate through October 2028. The City is leasing a portion of the property for the purposes of providing shelter for unhoused adults in Elk Grove.

The City is currently working to identify a suitable permanent location for the year-round shelter. More information, including opportunities for public engagement, will be available in 2025.

Yes. From November 2023 through April 2024 the City, in collaboration with The Gathering Inn, operated the Enhanced Winter Sanctuary. It was located at 9260 Elk Grove Blvd, the former Rite Aid building and future home of the Elk Grove Library.

Over the course of six months, the Enhanced Winter Sanctuary provided services to 62 unique guests, with 20 of them (32%) successfully transitioning to permanent housing.

Yes. Two community meetings are scheduled this month to provide more information about the efforts underway to provide an alternative to homeless encampments and extend a hand up to those residents who need it most. Both meetings will be drop-in Open House events with information booths at Calvary Christian Center Elk Grove at 9499 East Stockton Blvd. 

Community Meeting #1: Thursday, September 12 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Community Meeting #2: Monday, September 16 from 12:00pm to 1:30pm

As the year-round shelter is closer to opening there will be an Open House event where the community can meet the operator and view the shelter layout before operations begin. 

Priority will be given to Elk Grove residents or people with a connection to Elk Grove. Only people that have been vetted by the City’s Homeless Services Navigators and have a referral will be accepted. No walk-up or drop-in access is allowed.

The City made the decision to use a referral-only system to reduce the burden on the neighborhood. Referral-only systems, also known as coordinated access, allow guests to be appropriately vetted and discourage loitering and unauthorized drop-offs.

Yes. Many people experiencing homelessness have pets that are very important to them. A key aspect of convincing them to participate is accommodating their pets.

The selection of an operating partner for the shelter is currently in progress. The operator chosen will be required to have a point of contact for residents or businesses and will be obligated to respond to concerns within 48 hours.

As the Year-Round Shelter gets closer to opening, contact information will be made available to the community through the City’s website and other resources.

The City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the operations of the homeless shelter and received three responses. Staff will recommend a provider at the City Council meeting on September 25, 2024. 

The City and its service provider will implement a geographical preference so that the year-round shelter serves people with an Elk Grove connection, including those staying in our community or who last lived in Elk Grove. The facility is limited to 35 guests per night and, with the help of our Homeless Services Navigators and Police Department Homeless Outreach Team, we expect those spaces will be quickly filled by unhoused individuals already in the Elk Grove area.

No. Cooling and warming centers are required to open when certain weather conditions are met by the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services (OES). Cooling and warming centers help a range of people, including those who are homeless and those who may be experiencing problems such as broken cooling/heating systems. Cooling and warming centers will not be offered in the same location as the year-round shelter. Elk Grove Cooling and Warming Centers are typically offered at the Wackford Community Center, District 56, or the Elk Grove Police Department.

The City has seen an increase in vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, many for the first time. This is especially difficult during the summer and winter months, when weather conditions have led to deaths in other communities. 

The 2024 PIT count estimates that Elk Grove has 83 unsheltered people – accounting for 2.1% of the County’s unsheltered population. That number is up from 45 in 2022, but consistent with the City’s estimation that Elk Grove is home to 100-150 people experiencing homelessness at any given time. The Enhanced Winter Sanctuary was able to successfully support 20 people in securing permanent housing and with a year-round shelter we anticipate being able to support even more people.

In response to the Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-1-24 on July 25, 2024. This Executive Order provides state and local officials the definitive authority to implement and enforce policies to clear encampments. On August 29, 2024, the City introduced an amendment to the local camping ordinance, prohibiting persons from sleeping on public property. These encampments are often dangerous, which subject unsheltered individuals living in them to extreme weather, fires, widespread substance use, predatory and criminal activity, harming their health, safety, and well-being.

Having available shelter options provides compassionate care to those who need it most and increases the effectiveness of the Homeless Services Navigators and Elk Grove Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team in addressing homelessness.

Up to 35 adults can be served each night. The facility will only serve adults. Families with minor children will continue to be served by motel voucher programs.

Once a person is approved for the year-round shelter, the maximum stay is limited to 180 days, with limited exceptions. People may be asked to leave the year-round shelter for behavioral reasons or for missing more than one night. The operator is required to notify City Homeless Services Navigators of any exits, so they may connect with the individual before leaving the site. If a person is asked to leave permanently, they will not be allowed to return, and their bed will be given to someone else.

Yes, there are restrictions. The facility will not serve: 

• Registered sex offenders 
• People with serious behavioral health challenges 
• People who wish to use drugs or alcohol on-site.

Safety and security are very important to the City. In addition to limiting access, the year-round shelter will have cameras on-site, which will be monitored by the Elk Grove Police Department. 

The service provider operating the site will also have rules around security and safety, including: 

• No weapons, alcohol, drugs, or drug paraphernalia allowed on site 
• Limited access during certain hours (e.g., locked overnight) 
• Clearly posted rules and expectations for all guests
   

The year- round shelter will be funded primarily by Measure E and when available, the City will use a mix of federal and state funding. Community polling in the development of Measure E listed addressing homelessness among the highest community priorities. Following the passage of Measure E, the City held a community forum discussing program options for addressing homelessness as part of the development of the Measure E Expenditure Plan. At this meeting, community members prioritized providing a winter shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Based on this feedback and staff recommendations, the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget and Measure E Expenditure Plan included funding for this program this year.

In the spring of 2024, the City collaborated with an online survey provider to conduct a statistically valid resident survey on the community's perspective on homelessness in Elk Grove. Of the more than 500 respondents, the majority (62%) supported temporary shelters and 77% supported outreach and social services efforts.

The City explored a number of options, including partnering with faith-based organizations to donate or lease their facilities, leasing commercial or industrial space, or using vacant City-owned property. Multiple properties were explored, but many had zoning or use limitations or did not meet the minimum requirements for a suitable and habitable shelter. The proposed site was the only option that met the minimum qualifications and timing needs.

Recognizing that in the short-term there were not many viable options, the City selected the proposed location as a temporary location. The City will continue to explore long-term options for locating the year-round shelter.

Yes. Many suburban communities, including Folsom and Rancho Cordova, operate winter shelters. Additionally, Citrus Heights, Davis, Woodland, Roseville, Sacramento, and the unincorporated County have year-round facility options. 

Unfortunately, the number of available shelter beds in Sacramento County is not adequate to offer access to all those who need it. The latest Point in Time Count (PIT) estimates there are 6,615 people living unhoused in Sacramento County on any given night. Of those, 60 percent of those are living unsheltered – which means they are living in a tent, a vehicle, or without any shelter.