ULI Homeless to Housed Case Study: LifeMoves San Mateo County Navigation Center

Resumen del estudio de caso: San Mateo County Navigation Center is a 240-unit modular, transitional shelter and provides intensive on-site support services to individuals and couples experiencing homelessness. This project is significant due to the partnership between San Mateo County and LifeMoves, a nonprofit housing provider. The unique design provides a facility where every client has their own lockable room, affording a level of comfort and security not often found in community shelters.

The construction phase of the project took nine to 12 months to complete compared to the two to three years that permanent housing requires. Moving individuals into a supportive housing unit of this type, with lockable doors and on-site services, is the next step on the journey to permanent housing. The San Mateo County Navigation Center integrates vital wraparound services for clients including an on-site dental clinic, nurse station, and drug-treatment facility. The co-location of supportive services within the shelter ensures easy and convenient access, removing logistical challenges and streamlining the process of receiving care.

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Interested in ULI's work on addressing homelessness? In 2022, the Terwilliger Center for Housing, with initial funding by philanthropist and entrepreneur Preston Butcher, launched the Homeless to Housed Initiative, which works to explore real estate solutions to the growing crisis impacting communities everywhere. Learn more about the ULI Homeless to Housed Initiative.