Elk Grove to open permanent homeless shelter by 2028
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Elk Grove plans to open a permanent homeless shelter by October 2028.
- Measure E sales tax revenue will fund shelter construction and operations.
- Current temporary shelter has served 74 residents since opening in January 2025.
To address its homeless population, the city of Elk Grove plans to open a permanent shelter by 2028.
Officials estimates the city has on average 100 people experiencing homelessness, said Sarah Bontrager, the city’s housing and public services manager. The city has limited beds at its temporary shelter, with 30 regular and five emergency beds.
Sacramento County’s Point in Time Count found that more than 6,000 people experienced homelessness in 2024. Two percent of that population is located in Elk Grove, the city stated, having increased from 2022.
“Elk Grove has one of the lowest rates of per capita homelessness in the Sacramento County region,” Bontrager said. “So our focus is just making sure that we are taking steps to address the challenge in our own community.”
The site for the shelter is still being selected, Bontrager added. Construction for the permanent facility will begin in 2027 and will be covered by Measure E funds, a 2024 ballot measure that uses a one-cent sales tax to fund city services. Bontrager said if it weren’t for the funding, the city would not be able to even consider building a shelter.
The city of Elk Grove previously operated a temporary shelter known as the enhanced winter sanctuary, a 24-hour shelter inside a city-owned building, Bontrager added. From November 2023 to April 2024, this shelter assisted 62 residents, with 32% receiving permanent housing.
“The city understood there was still a need for sheltering, so two years ago, we did what we called the enhanced winter sanctuary,” Bontrager said.
Bontrager said the city learned from that experience, and it helped them see they needed a more permanent option.
From there, the city began focusing on a year-round shelter model, Bontrager said. Currently, the city runs another temporary shelter located at the Calvary Christian Center. This center will be the city’s only until the permanent facility is created by October 2028, according to Elk Grove’s website.
So far, the temporary shelter has seen 74 residents since its January 2025 opening, according to city data. The center, which allows pets, offers beds to residents who have been “vetted” through Elk Grove’s Homeless Service Navigators and have had their referral approved. No walk-ins or drop-off access to the shelter is authorized, the city stated online.
