Elk Grove’s homeless shelter is coming in 2028. Here’s where it could be
Elk Grove officials are advancing plans to build a permanent homeless shelter designed to address homelessness within the city, not the broader capital region.
That was the message delivered Wednesday afternoon at a community meeting focused on three proposed sites for a permanent homeless shelter.
“We’re not trying to solve Sacramento’s problems. We’re not trying to solve Stockton’s problems. We’re trying to solve Elk Grove’s problems,” Jason Behrmann, Elk Grove’s city manager, said.
The three proposed locations for the city’s permanent homeless shelter are on Dwight Road north of Laguna Blvd., 9296 E. Stockton Blvd. and the corner of Survey Road and East Stockton Boulevard.
The city, alongside nonprofit homeless services group The Gathering Inn, currently operates a temporary shelter at 9499 E. Stockton Blvd. in a Cavalry Christian Center building. The lease on that building is set to expire in September 2028.
The new shelter does not yet have an operator. The city will begin the process of looking for one next year, said Sarah Bontrager, the city’s housing and public services manager.
What will the new shelter look like?
The new shelter will be able to house up to 20 people, plus five emergency beds and space for up to four families. Families will be housed separately from individuals, with separate entrances and common areas. Pets will be allowed at the shelter.
The space will also be “trauma-informed,” according to city officials and those with NJA Architecture, the architectural firm designing the shelter. That includes outdoor spaces and natural light, and calming colors such as blues and greens inside with areas for quiet time.
The shelter will be open only to Elk Grove residents or those with deep ties to the city, verified through a vetting process, and who receive referrals from the city’s homeless services navigators or police officers.
The city will encourage guests to focus on “what’s next,” said Bontrager, including getting permanent housing, employment and other services like health care and mental health care. The shelter will help facilitate those connections, Bontrager said.
In the results of a city survey shown at the meeting, residents ranked “proximity to sensitive uses” like homes, schools, day care facilities, parks and community centers their No. 1 concern. The city stressed that safety would be a main priority.
A minimum of three staff members will be onsite at all times. On-site cameras will be monitored by the Elk Grove Police Department, and there will be an overnight curfew for guests.
Registered sex offenders or people with serious behavioral health or substance abuse challenges would not be allowed at the shelter, and walk-ins would be prohibited. Weapons would also be banned.
How much will it cost? How will it be funded?
The Survey Road and E. Stockton Blvd. site would cost between $12 million to $14.5 million, including $750,000 to purchase the site, $1.7 million to $2 million in site development, $7.2 million to $8.5 million in “hard” construction costs and $2 million to $3 million in “soft” costs, such as fees, permits and insurance.
The East Stockton Boulevard site would cost approximately $16 million to $21 million, including $2 million to purchase the site, $4.5 million to $7.5 million in site development, $7.2 million to $8.5 million in “hard” construction costs and $2 to 3 million in “soft” costs.
Estimations for the Dwight Road sight were not yet available, since multiple parcels are being considered in that area.
The shelter would be funded primarily by Measure E, the one-cent sales tax overwhelmingly passed by Elk Grove voters in 2022, earmarked for issues identified as important by the community, including homelessness, reducing crime and maintaining traffic. The city said it would use additional local, state and federal funding when available to fund the site.
When will the new shelter open?
The goal is to open the shelter in fall of 2028, Bontrager said. The temporary shelter could operate through October 2028, when the building’s lease ends, while the city works to open a permanent location.
What does Elk Grove’s homeless shelter look like currently?
The current shelter is located at a building leased from Cavalry Christian Center at 9499 E. Stockton Blvd. It can house up to 30 people consistently, for up to 180 days, plus five emergency short-term beds. Families experiencing homelessness are provided with a voucher to stay at a motel through a partnership with another nonprofit group, the Elk Grove Homeless Assistance Resource Team.
It has served 95 people since its opening in November 2024. Of those 95, 14 have transitioned to permanent housing, 12 found new or better jobs and 54% were referred to behavioral or mental health services.
How many people are homeless in Elk Grove?
The 2024 Point-in-Time count of people experiencing homelessness in the county, performed by nonprofit group Sacramento Steps Forward, found 83 people in Elk Grove were unhoused. However, the city says that staff estimates that number to be closer to 100 to 150 people, based on information from the city’s homeless outreach team and the Police Department, claiming one of the lowest rates of homelessness in Sacramento County.
The city says there has been a 65% reduction in homeless encampments since the opening of the temporary shelter and the introduction of the city’s anti-camping ordinance. The ordinance — passed in 2024 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which allowed anti-camping enforcement — banned sleeping and camping on public property.
What’s next?
The City Council will consider the three site locations at a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 6:43 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to fully break out cost estimates for two proposed sites, including land purchase, site development, hard construction costs and soft costs.
