The Stockton Shelter for the Homeless will host a ceremony Friday for the start of construction on a new Navigation Center in Stockton that will provide temporary housing and services to unhoused people.
The event will take place at 411 S. Harrison St. at 10 a.m. and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.
The creation of the center will make 180 beds available for people and families to use.
Stockton’s Navigation Center will be open and staffed 24 hours a day and residents living onsite will not be required to line up to receive a bed or leave during the day, according to the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless.
The center will include a reception area, offices, a drop-in center, isolation areas, laundry facilities, case managers, streamlined social services, and housing navigation.
The three-story building will have dormitories for men, women, families, couples, and allow people to bring their pets with them.
“The Navigation Center is a testament to the power of partnerships and will be a game changer for developing long-term solutions to tackling homelessness,” JoLyn McMillan, CEO of the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless said in a press release.
Funding for the $5 million center came from contributions from the City of Stockton, San Joaquin Continuum of Care, and San Joaquin County.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
