REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Travis Hopkins, City Manager
VIA: Travis K. Hopkins, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Steve Holtz, Deputy Director of Community Development; Jessica Kelley, Homeless Services Manager
Subject:
title
Approval of Agreement with Mercy House to Operate the City's Homeless Navigation Center
body
Statement of Issue:
The City of Huntington Beach's Homeless Navigation Center is a 24/7 shelter that provides unhoused adults with a safe place to stay, along with meals, case management, and support services designed to help them transition off the streets and into stable housing. The program is voluntary and structured, with clear behavioral expectations and individualized housing-focused plans for every participant. Residents must have a verifiable connection to Huntington Beach, such as prior residency, employment, or family ties. Individuals who are homeless in Huntington Beach but do not have local ties are referred by the City's Homeless Outreach Team to alternative shelters in Orange County.
Since opening in 2020, the Navigation Center has served 990 individuals - equivalent to more than 35 people per square mile in Huntington Beach over the past five years. The facility has operated near capacity, averaging 158 residents per day in 2024, with a peak census of 168. Without this resource, many of those individuals would likely have remained unsheltered in vehicles, parks, or other public spaces, increasing emergency response demands and placing added strain on public safety staff and community services.
To ensure continuity of services and align with the City's updated performance and fiscal expectations, staff recommends entering into a new agreement with Mercy House, the current shelter operator. The agreement was competitively procured through a Request for Proposals (RFP) and incorporates key programmatic and cost-saving adjustments designed to strengthen ser...
Click here for full text