Elk Grove mayor addresses city’s homelessness response | Opinion
Over the past 25 years, Elk Grove has invested $84 million to construct 2,400 affordable housing units. In 2025 alone, Elk Grove added 770 new affordable units and another 139 are scheduled for completion in 2026. Permanent affordable housing remains a priority, and funding continues to be set aside in the current budget to support additional development. This is not a competing commitment.
Permanent housing alone does not meet the immediate needs of every individual experiencing homelessness. Many people currently living unsheltered do not yet have the income, documentation (such as a Social Security card) employment stability or health support necessary to obtain or sustain affordable housing.
Without stabilization and support services, housing placements often fail. That can create a costly and discouraging cycle for individuals and the community alike.
A shelter provides a structured environment where individuals can access case management, employment assistance, behavioral health services and pathways to income. These elements are required for people to transition into permanent housing.
In short, it is a bridge — not a replacement.
Elk Grove’s future shelter is part of a broader, coordinated strategy to address the unique needs of our city, not a solution to the region’s problem. As Sacramento County’s second-largest city, Elk Grove’s unhoused population represents just 2% of the total homeless population in Sacramento County (compared to 70% found in the City of Sacramento).
The future shelter is envisioned to include 25 semi-private bedding areas for individuals, additional capacity for couples and four separate sleeping areas for families.
Early, conservative, cost projections were prepared for this site that estimate the price for land acquisition, design and construction to be between $12 million to $14.5 million. Annual operating costs for the shelter, once it’s built, are anticipated to be similar to the city’s existing shelter, at about $1.5 million per year.
Our system of care includes a shelter, transitional housing and permanent housing solutions to address the unique individual needs and challenges faced by each person who needs our assistance.
Our new Elk Grove shelter is planned for the corner of Survey Road and East Stockton Boulevard. Comparing the costs of our facility and others in the county must take into account the costs for land acquisition and new construction.
Any fair apples-to-apples comparison must account for that difference. Moreover, our facility is being intentionally designed to meet Elk Grove’s specific needs, values and development standards. Unlike many other shelters that are temporary in nature, industrial in appearance or unwelcoming in design, Elk Grove’s shelter will be a thoughtfully planned environment that supports adults and families in a warm, functional, dignified setting.
Our goal for the project is to balance cost-effectiveness with long-term durability and architectural quality so that the building does not look or feel like a traditional shelter, but instead reflects the expectations and character of our community.
Homelessness is a complex issue that demands a comprehensive response: prevention efforts, shelter, transitional support and long-term housing working together. There is no single solution that fits every circumstance, and framing the discussion as an either-or choice oversimplifies a challenge that affects our entire community.
Elk Grove remains committed to fiscal responsibility, transparency and strategies that produce measurable results. Addressing homelessness effectively requires sustained investment across the full continuum of care, and that is exactly what our city is doing.
I encourage you to reach out to me or to Elk Grove’s homeless assistance resource team, Elk Grove HART, to see firsthand how Elk Grove is addressing homelessness, creating a critical safety net for our most vulnerable population.
Bobbie Singh-Allen is the mayor of Elk Grove.