San Mateo County Navigation Center Project
The San Mateo County Homeless Navigation Center Project is a $57 million initiative to provide 240 safe, temporary living spaces for individuals and couples experiencing homelessness in Redwood City. The center is designed to serve as a bridge to permanent housing, offering intensive on-site support services such as case management, employment assistance, and healthcare navigation.

The Navigation Center opened its doors in October 2023, and is expected to serve up to 260 San Mateo County residents per year. The center features two- and three-story rows of prefabricated modular units, each with its own private bedroom and bathroom. Clients also have access to a shared dining area, an electric commercial training kitchen, a community center, and other amenities such as a dog run and barbecue area.

The Navigation Center is a key component of San Mateo County's plan to end homelessness. By providing safe, supportive housing and comprehensive services, the center helps clients stabilize their lives and move into permanent housing as quickly as possible.

The Navigation Center is a unique approach to addressing homelessness. Unlike traditional shelters, the center offers private sleeping quarters, allows couples to stay together, and permits pets under certain guidelines. This helps to create a more home-like environment for clients, which can be essential for their recovery and well-being.

The Navigation Center also provides a wide range of on-site support services, including:

• Case management to help clients develop and achieve their housing goals
• Employment assistance to help clients find and maintain jobs
• Healthcare navigation to help clients access medical and mental healthcare
• Other social services, such as substance abuse treatment and financial counseling

By providing these essential services, the Navigation Center helps clients address the underlying causes of their homelessness and build a path to a more stable and fulfilling life.

You can visit the county webpage here [https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/navigation-center] and also watch a short video below.

Goodness Village Livermore
Goodness Village is a permanent supportive housing community for formerly unhoused individuals in Livermore. It is an independent nonprofit that incorporates collaboration between the City of Livermore, Alameda County, and CrossWinds Church. Goodness Village provides residents with safe and affordable tiny homes, as well as supportive services such as case management, job training, and mental health counseling.

Construction on Goodness Village began in 2022, and the first residents moved in in early 2023. The community currently consists of 24 tiny homes, each of which is equipped with a kitchenette, bathroom, and sleeping area. Residents share a community kitchen, dining room, and laundry facilities.

Goodness Village is more than just a place to live. It is a community where residents can come together to support each other on their journey to self-sufficiency. The Village offers a variety of programs and services to help residents achieve their goals, including:

• Case management: Case managers work with residents to develop individualized plans to address their needs and goals. This may include helping residents find employment, access healthcare, or obtain housing assistance.
• Job training: Goodness Village offers a variety of job training programs to help residents develop the skills they need to find and maintain employment.
• Mental health counseling: Goodness Village provides mental health counseling to residents who need it. This counseling can help residents cope with the trauma and stress of homelessness, as well as manage any mental health conditions they may have.

Goodness Village is a unique and innovative approach to addressing the homelessness crisis. It is a community where residents can come together to support each other on their journey to self-sufficiency. Goodness Village is a model that other communities can learn from as they work to address the homelessness crisis in their own communities.

My experience of Goodness Village is that it is a very cost-effective and stable model - the housing is robust but comparatively inexpensive, and they provide very necessary services.

For more information on Goodness Village, watch this video.

Clean Start Pittsburg
The Bay Church in Pittsburg believes the solution to homelessness is more than housing. In fact, they offer an essential but economical foundational service - a mobile “Clean Start” trailer. This vehicle provides hot showers, toilets, and hygiene services to unsheltered individuals and families. And because it is mobile, it can easily be moved to different locations, which they do on a regularly scheduled basis.

I find this type of service hugely compelling because it provides a foundational level of very needed service in a very cost-effective way.

Watch this video for an introduction: