Sacramento County has broken ground on a groundbreaking new homeless campus designed to provide shelter for thousands of unhoused residents.
The $42 million 13-acre Watt Service Center and Safe Stay facility aims to address homelessness by offering shelter, health services, and other essential resources in a single, centralized location.
The facility, which has been in development since 2022, is expected to open in January 2026. It will feature 225 beds in Safe Stay cabins, a 50-person Safe Parking capacity, and 75 emergency respite beds for weather-related needs.
Over 15 years, the center is projected to serve approximately 18,000 people, providing them with access to bathrooms, showers, laundry, food, mental health support, addiction treatment, and employment services.
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Janna Haynes, of the County’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing, told KCRA3 News: “We wanted to do something that is not only larger, but a large-scale campus to provide more than just the shelter.
“It’s really everything you need, not only for your day-to-day life, but to hopefully end your homelessness.”
The $42 million project, largely funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, represents a significant investment in tackling homelessness in Sacramento, where an estimated 6,615 people are currently unhoused. This figure has decreased by 29% since 2023, thanks to initiatives like this one.
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As well as housing and services, the center will include Safe Parking spaces, the first of their kind in the city. These secure, monitored spots will provide individuals and families living in their cars with a safe place to park.
District 3 County Supervisor Rich Desmond said: “We know a lot of people who are unsheltered actually are living out of their cars.
“Maybe a family that’s barely hanging on but still needs that vital transportation to get their kids to school or get to work.”
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A 2017 study found that the average cost of supporting an unsheltered individual in the community—factoring in public systems like jails, shelters, and emergency services—was approximately $45,000 annually. By comparison, the cost per person utilizing the Watt Service Center is expected to be less than $3,600 annually.
Desmond told ABC10: “If you break down the funding, it’s actually not that expensive.
“It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than letting someone stay out in the community unsheltered, where they are extremely expensive in terms of the emergency response from fire, our emergency rooms, and law enforcement.”
A key feature of the project is its holistic “wraparound services,” designed to help individuals transition out of homelessness.
Emily Halcon, Director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing, highlighted the center’s size and integrated resources, adding: “The really great thing about this site in particular, that we don’t have at any other shelters, is the sheer size and the ability to really wrap everything people need.”
Officials also plan to employ formerly unhoused individuals at the facility, creating opportunities for meaningful employment.