San Mateo Co. Moves Forward With Homeless Navigation Center

REDWOOD CITY, CA — San Mateo County’s plan to combat homelessness moved forward Tuesday when supervisors unanimously approved a land swap agreement with Redwood City that is expected to lead to the development of a 240-bed shelter east of Highway 101 off Maple Street.

The navigation center, expected to break ground in 2022, will provide short-term housing and other services for people experiencing homelessness.

“By building a navigation center from the ground up, it really allows us to build a facility with services that are proven to break the cycle of homelessness,” County Manager Mike Callagy said. “A safe navigation center where individuals are treated with dignity and respect will provide people with the stability they need to transition to more permanent housing.”

As of 2019, over 1,500 residents in San Mateo County were experiencing homelessness, a crisis that was worsened by the pandemic, according to county officials. The largest number of those residents were in Redwood City.

“This is an historic day in San Mateo County,” said Supervisor Warren Slocum, whose District 4 includes Redwood City. “We are one major step closer to creating 240 safe spaces for people experiencing homelessness and offer hope and dignity to get them on their way to permanent housing.”