Title
Board of Supervisors’ Ad Hoc Committee on Housing and Homelessness Programs in concert with the Chief Administrative Office, Health and Human Services Agency, and the Sheriff’s Office recommending the Board direct staff to:
1) Develop a plan for housing with integrated behavioral health treatment at 330 Forni Road, replacing the existing model for a housing first/low barrier Navigation Center, using discretionary resources already allocated to the Navigation Center and Behavioral Health funding; and
2) Develop a plan to transition the temporary navigation center, at 299 Fair Lane, into the facility at 330 Forni Road, which may include reducing the capacity of the facility, including continued security efforts around the Government Center.
FUNDING: State and Federal Housing and Homelessness Funding, State and Federal Behavioral Health Funding, and General Fund from American Rescue Plan Act Lost Revenue.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On July 1, 2021, the City of Placerville requested the County identify two members of the Board of Supervisors to discuss issues relative to homelessness within city limits with two members of the Placerville City Council. On July 13, 2021, with Legistar file 21-1125, the Board appointed Supervisors Thomas and Hidahl to the “Two-by-Two” meeting. Over the next months, the Board directed that staff explore the development of an emergency homeless shelter to reduce fire danger from active encampments, particularly following the Caldor Fire and its devastation. On November 9, 2021, with Legistar file 21-1668, the Board of Supervisors directed HHSA to work with El Dorado Opportunity Knocks (EDOK) to assess potential sites for a Navigation Center with an emergency shelter component, or a Pallet community, to be run by a professional service provider.
On September 20, 2022, with Legistar file 22-1693, the Board decided to utilize the dormant juvenile hall located at 299 Fair Lane as a temporary navigation center until a permanent one could be constructed at 300 Fair Lane, Placerville. The Board also directed staff to prepare architectural and design drawings, as well as cost estimates to construct a permanent navigation center at 300 Fair Lane.
On February 7, 2023, the temporary navigation center opened at 299 Fair Lane. In the first two years of operation of the navigation center, there have been 339 participants at the navigation center. In the second year of operation, the average length of stay was 62 days and of the 60 beds, on average 93% were filled. 35% exits from the Navigation Center were to permanent housing, nine percentage points higher than the state average of average of 26% for all homeless programs, not just Emergency Shelter. Over the past two years, staff have learned a lot about the needs of the homeless population in El Dorado County. Navigation center participants are on average 50 years old with the largest subset of all participants being between the ages of 55 and 64 years old.
The Board approved an Agreement for Services with Vanir Construction Management, Inc. for the development of Criteria Documents for the permanent navigation center on June 6, 2023, with Legistar file 23-0478. Vanir worked with staff, service providers, and other stakeholders to develop a site plan for a facility which is an approximately 7,763 square foot facility. The facility includes a large congregate dormitory setting that accommodates approximately 60 beds, a lobby/welcome center, multi-use community bathrooms and showers, staff restrooms, client support & administrative/office areas, dining areas, a laundry facility with dog wash capability, storage areas, and a non-cooking kitchen facility.
To increase the number of individuals served who move into permanent housing, the County determined a need for transitional housing that serves as the next step after the navigation center where residents can live more independently while still receiving support services. On May 21, 2024, with Legistar file 24-0940, the Board directed staff to develop a permanent navigation center with stand-alone transitional housing units at 300 Forni Road, an approximately one-acre site adjacent to the Placerville Jail and pause all progress on developing a permanent navigation center at 300 Fair Lane. Additionally, the Board directed staff to develop a temporary family area at the temporary navigation center with the option to include temporary transitional housing, if feasible, at 300 Fair Lane to serve the community while developing the permanent navigation center site. The Board also directed staff to continue to conduct outreach meetings with the City of Placerville, businesses and residents near the proposed site, and other stakeholders for input on program and site design for the permanent navigation center; and to negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Placerville to mitigate the impacts of the navigation center and coordinate City and County efforts and return to the Board for approval of the MOU.
After approval of the 300 Forni Road navigation center project in May 2024, staff have developed an updated topographic site survey, surveyed underground utilities including fire and domestic water and sanitary sewer, and performed a conceptual test fit analysis. The facility at 300 Forni Road cannot be fully constructed until the completion of the Jail Expansion Project that is currently underway. It is currently estimated that the Jail Expansion Project will be complete by Fall 2026. The County would need to contract with an architect to develop plans and specifications for a 60 bed stick-built facility and go out to bid. This process could take six to eight months. Once the bid is awarded, it is anticipated that the actual hard construction could take approximately twelve months.
Additionally on May 20, 2025, with Legistar file 25-0939, the Board authorized the application and eventual approval of a California Department of Health Care Services Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Program Round 1 grant, in the estimated award amount of $24,000,000 for an infrastructure expansion to provide improved management for complex mental health and substance abuse cases at a centralized, easily accessible location. This expansion is termed the Service, Outreach, Access, and Response (SOAR) Project. The project will be at 299 Fair Lane, where the temporary navigation center is currently. The SOAR Project will provide the essential funding needed to facilitate the relocation and expansion of HHSA’s current psychiatric health facility (PHF), currently located at 935B Spring Street, Placerville and renovate the lower floor of the property to house County staff from Outpatient Mental Health, Veterans’ Services, Self-Sufficiency, Substance Abuse, Public Guardian, and Protective Services. The BHCIP funding must be spent by June 30, 2030. The project will require a major overhaul of the site, and the site must be vacant before construction can begin, due to safety concerns and project costs. In order to reduce the risk of losing funding or not completing the project on time, the temporary navigation center would need to vacated by late 2027 for construction of the SOAR project.
Based upon the timelines of the Jail Expansion Project and the SOAR Project, the build of the permanent navigation center wouldn’t be able to potentially begin until Fall 2026 and would need to be completed and operating by late 2027. This means the County has a little more than a year from the start of the build to being completely up and running at the 300 Forni Road navigation center.
Since the May 2024 approval of the current plan, there have been changes at the state and federal level that could impact the project. In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson et al. that the enforcement of generally applicable laws restricting camping on public property does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. This ruling reinstated an enforcement tool local jurisdictions could use in addressing camping on public property and changed how governments can address homelessness. Prior to the Grants Pass decision, local jurisdictions were restricted in criminalizing camping on public property when access to alternative shelter was unavailable. However, there remain additional legal considerations that current court cases continue to grapple with that could limit the ability of the County to enforce camping restrictions on public property in the future. For example, in November 2024, a Federal Judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the City of Vallejo from clearing the camp of a homeless individual on city-owned land due to her disabilities and inability to find alternative shelter (a subsequent temporary injunction was issued in February 2025 based on her inability to find alternative shelter). Lower courts have issued temporary injunctions delaying encampment closures due to substantive due process considerations in which the clearing of an encampment during severe weather and pandemic conditions, e.g., exposed individuals to harsher, more dangerous conditions compared to remaining at the camp. There have been prior efforts by legislators at the state and federal level to restrict enforcement of camping and parking restrictions unless alternative shelter is available or offered.
Current funding for the operation and build of the navigation center includes state and federal housing and homelessness funding. Currently this funding requires that the housing and homelessness services provided must have a housing-first approach which is a low barrier, client-centered service model. On July 24, the White House issued an Executive Order stating a change in policy allowing for the allocation of Federal homelessness funding to programs that do not have a housing first approach. Staff are closely monitoring how this will be implemented, but operational guidance was not available as of the drafting of this item.
In addition, state and federal funding for housing services is decreasing. The State’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 Budget does not fund the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program in the 2025-26 fiscal year, and plans for just $500 million in 2026-27, down from the $1 billion in HHAP funding in each of the last four budgets. Federal funding for housing and homelessness programs is currently being decided, but there are early indications of significant changes and possible reductions to federal funding for all housing and homelessness programs. Due to these changes in funding, staff are not planning for any additional funding for the build of the navigation center or the continued operation of the navigation center. Based upon approved allocated funding there is $5.5 million available for the build, which would leave the County with enough funding for approximately 15 months of the operation of the facility.
Based upon current funding and project timelines, a 60-bed, stick-built navigation center with additional transitional housing units is not feasible. As a result of funding uncertainty, timeline restraints, and changes in judicial rulings and federal and state policy around the clearing of encampments despite bed space availability, it is prudent the County revisit how the County would like to address emergency housing shelters.
The Housing and Homelessness Ad Hoc met with staff to discuss the changes outlined above and the concerns with the current plan. From this discussion the Housing and Homelessness Ad Hoc is recommending the Board direct staff to:
1) Develop a plan for housing with integrated behavioral health treatment at 330 Forni Road, replacing the existing model for a housing first/low barrier Navigation Center, using discretionary resources already allocated to the Navigation Center and Behavioral Health funding; and
2) Develop a plan to transition the temporary navigation center, at 299 Fair Lane, into the facility at 330 Forni Road, which may include reducing the capacity of the facility, including continued security efforts around the Government Center.
This new concept will have an emphasis on serving families with tiny homes/units and provide congregate/individual housing with a focus on serving homeless individuals and families willing to accept the behavioral health and social services needed to achieve self-sufficiency. We have learned over the last two years of running the temporary Navigation Center that an individual’s ability to maintain housing increases exponentially if they are willing to engage in services. In order to meet this objective, staff will need to develop programming and facility requirements.
In order to meet the objective of sustainability and meet project timelines, staff anticipate this facility will have a smaller capacity than the current temporary Navigation Center. In addition, staff will be considering modular, or more temporary building types in order to create something that is flexible based on need and funding forecasts. Staff are waiting for board direction before exploring details around alternative size and build options.
The Health and Human Services Agency of El Dorado County if directed by the Board, will leverage from multiple funding streams including but not limited to the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), Opioid Settlement Funding, Realignment and other discretionary local resources as appropriate to align services with local interests and policy direction.
If the Board directs staff to pursue this option, staff will do the following:
- Develop a programming plan for this facility including facility, staff, and service needs.
- Develop a funding plan for the new facility using funding that does not require low barrier, housing first operations.
- Explore alternative buildings options for 300 Forni Road that may reduce project cost and build time, including modular or sprung structure buildings;
- Discontinue the exploration of a temporary transitional unit space for use until 300 Forni Road is developed, due to budgetary constraints;
- Develop a plan to transition the temporary navigation center, at 299 Fair Lane, into the facility at 330 Forni Road, which may include reducing the capacity of the facility, including continued security efforts around the Government Center; and
- Return to the Board with the updated plan for approval.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could direct that staff continue the current board-directed plan for a 60-bed emergency shelter with family units, requiring additional funding. If the Board directs the development of a 60-bed facility, it is likely General Fund resources will need to be allocated for the build and ongoing operation of the facility. Alternatively, the Board could direct that staff discontinue the operation of an emergency shelter.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
See above.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
See above.
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended and provide direction to staff.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
$4,000,000 has been included in the Accumulative Capital Outlay (ACO) budget for the navigation center. Actual costs and funding sources will not be known until a revised plan is approved by the Board. Staff continue to look for new funding and explore all options to fund the construction of the site.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
By approving this item, the Board will be working toward the strategic plan priority to “Develop a continuum of support and housing opportunities for unhoused individuals.”
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency
Emma Owens, Principal Management Analyst, Chief Administrative Office