Navigation Center to Offer Crucial Support to Homeless Vallejo and Solano County Residents

Community leaders in Vallejo officially broke ground on a project to transform what is now a dirt lot into a welcoming place where people experiencing homelessness can find shelter, access supportive social and medical services and enjoy respite from the stress of living on the street.

The Vallejo Navigation Center, located at 1937 Broadway Street, will serve as a central hub for unhoused people in the city of Vallejo and Solano County and offer 125 shelter beds as well as an array of vital services, including case management services and access to social and medical resources. Additionally, people will be able to stay for up to six months and engage in job training programs, helping to empower them with the necessary skills to obtain and sustain permanent housing. The Nav Center is expected to open next winter, barring construction or weather delays.

Artist Rendering of the Vallejo Navigation Center

“At Sutter Health, we know investing in housing and improving access to health services and resources beyond the walls of our hospitals and care centers can have a positive, powerful effect on people’s lives,” said Sutter Solano Medical Center CEO Kelley Jaeger-Jackson. “We are proud to collaborate with like-minded organizations to tackle homelessness in the Vallejo community through the Vallejo Navigation Center.”

The funding and support for the Navigation Center collaborative community effort involving the City of Vallejo, the County of Solano, CAP Solano JPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, California Department of Housing and Community Development and local healthcare systems. Sutter Health was an early supporter of the project, committing the first $3 million to help unhoused Solano County residents get access to shelter and the support they need.

“The Vallejo Navigation Center has been a vision for our community for years,” said City Manager Mike Malone. “This center represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address homelessness.”

The Nav Center will serve a critical need when it opens. According to the 2022 Solano County Point-in-Time Count, there were 1,179 people living in shelters or on the streets in Solano County, 454 of whom live in Vallejo.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness in Solano County. Underscoring the complexity of the problem, among the reasons people surveyed for the Point-in-Time Count cited for their lack of shelter were lost job/reduced work hours (15%), eviction (12%), physical or mental health related (12%), divorce/break up (7%), asked to leave by a friend/family (6%) and alcohol or drug use (6%). And 37% of survey respondents reported having at least one disabling condition, such as a developmental disability, HIV/AIDS, or a long-term physical or mental impairment impacting their ability to live independently.