New $6.8M Merced County ‘Navigation Center’ to provide resources for homeless

Merced County elected officials gathered Wednesday to unveil the area’s $6.8 million new “Navigation Center” to help provide shelter and resources for homeless members of the community.

The 15,000 square-foot facility was constructed from modified shipping containers to save money and cut down on construction time, according to the county. It’s scheduled to open Monday, and will be managed by Merced County Rescue Mission.

Merced Mayor Matt Serratto, who also serves as chairman of the Merced City and County Continuum of Care, said the day marked a positive transition. “This is the day we can step forward. For so many years this has been the biggest issue in the state of California (and) continues to be so in so many ways,” he said.

“Today I see hope. We have a big long road ahead of us, a lot of challenges, but again (we are) working together, coming together and being smart and throwing our resources together to make an impact.”

Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, said many elected officials sometimes have different ideas about how to solve homelessness, which can get in the way of progress.

“But I think we can work together. I think we will get beyond our different perspectives to make (Merced County) a better place,” he said.

The 1411 B Street center is a “low-barrier” emergency shelter — meaning the main priority will be housing people, with minimal restrictions — regardless of their life circumstances.

The location will provide meals and includes onsite supportive services and case management to link clients with permanent, affordable housing units as quickly as possible.

Staff will also work to help remove barriers to sustainability — such as a lack of income — and assist with overcoming behavioral health challenges, according to a news release. The average anticipated length of stay is six months per participant.

“Right now I think the counties are just a beautiful example of working together,” said Bruce Metcalf, chief executive officer of Merced County Rescue Mission.

“A year and a half or two ago the county contracted with us to establish many navigation centers that are located throughout. We have one in Livingston, we have a couple in Los Banos, working on one in Winton. Now (we have) this navigation center.”

The center also includes kitchen and dining facilities, laundry, classroom, clinic, and office space for support service providers.

Due to COVID safety requirements, the center will initially open with a 66-bed capacity, with room for 75 beds.

The Merced County Rescue Mission has also established a Navigation Center Advisory Committee to work with partners, including businesses and organizations in the neighborhood, as a component of its “Good Neighbor Policy” to ensure community involvement and coordination to maximize the program’s positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood, according to the release.

This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 1:21 PM with the headline "New $6.8M Merced County ‘Navigation Center’ to provide resources for homeless."