Victorville cuts ribbon on Wellness Center, a ‘haven of hope’ for the unhoused

Before Christmas, nearly 90 unhoused clients will move into the City of Victorville’s Wellness Center, which celebrated its grand opening on Friday.

The facility is the first low-barrier, non-congregate emergency shelter to offer interim housing and wraparound support services with a medical and recuperative care clinic on-site.

“This is a haven of hope, healing and opportunity that will break the cycle of homelessness and improve the quality of life for so many in our community,” City Manager Keith Metzler said.

Metzler added that city officials needed to address the whole spectrum of issues that lead to homelessness and to provide all necessary support services. With a $28 million Homekey Grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the city was able to bring its vision to reality.

“It was clear that we needed to build something monumental if we were really going to have positive impact on our community," Metzler said.

Blueprint for California

Mayor Debra Jones told the audience that beyond the concrete and buildings, the wellness center is “a home,” and a “haven of wellness and self-discovery” for those looking for “new beginnings.”

Apple Valley Mayor Scott Nassif, who attended the outdoor ribbon cutting with much of the town council, thanked and congratulated the Victorville city leaders for their accomplishment.

Nassif said he believes the city's wellness center will be “a blueprint” for many cities as they address the issue of homelessness in California.

One of the center’s most unique features will be the inclusion of medical services and recuperative care, an extremely challenging component of wellness for individuals who lack proper shelter and access to ongoing medical care, city officials said.

The campus

The campus includes 110 separate units with a minimum capacity of 170 beds increasing the number of shelter beds in Victorville by 56%.

Units vary in size including single, double, and family. The center includes community spaces, a dog kennel, a community garden, an industrial kitchen, and recreational sports courts.

The housing units and support service buildings comprise 25,920 square feet of new construction.

The city retained the services of two nonprofits to operate the Wellness Center, those include Hope the Mission and Symba Center.

Hope the Mission, run by founder, CEO, and president, Ken Craft, will serve as the shelter operator of the Wellness Center. Their services will include client intake coordination, hygiene services, laundry, meals, security, janitorial services, transportation, and peer engagement.

Symba Center, a local non-profit under the direction of Dr. Shawn Smith, will provide wraparound services including recuperative care, medical and behavioral health services, job readiness and placement, financial literacy, case management, housing navigation, and substance-use-disorder counseling.

Welcoming clients

The Wellness Center is constructed with a low-barrier-to-entry, housing-first approach. This means that clients will be able to bring their pets with them to the center, which encourages them to take advantage of the helpful resources offered.

With a $50,000 grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the city constructed a pet kennel where clients can leave their pets when they work or have other business.

IKEA donated furnishings such as bedding, desks, and chairs valued at $10,000 for the seven family units at the Wellness Center

Admission to the center will be primarily through referrals from the city’s Homeless Engagement Team, which is composed of five code compliance officers who visit the homeless where they congregate.

Additionally, local hospitals will be able to discharge Victorville’s unhoused residents directly to the Wellness Center medical clinic to receive the recuperative care they need to recover while freeing much-needed hospital beds, city officials said.

With expenses reimbursed through Medi-Cal, the medical clinic and recuperative care will be self-sustaining services.

Break the cycle of homelessness

City leaders envisioned its Wellness Center four years ago with the help of its Homelessness Solutions Task Force.

“Our Victorville Wellness Center is the result of tremendous collaboration from our community, including task force members and service organizations who helped us envision a center of hope and healing to break the cycle of homelessness,” Jones said.

While the center was under construction, the city used revenue from Measure P, the one-cent sales tax approved by Victorville voters in 2022, to fund the operation of its Interim Wellness Center.

The interim shelter had been operated by High Desert Homeless Services, and served as a working model for the new services framework now used at the Victorville Wellness Center.

Homeless numbers

Victorville has the second-highest concentration of homeless persons in San Bernardino County.

The county experienced a 26% increase in homelessness in the past year, according to the latest Homeless Point in Time Count taken in 2023, the Daily Press reported.

More than 76.9% or 3,226 of the 4,195 homeless adults and children in the county were counted within Barstow, Victorville, Colton, Fontana, Ontario, Redlands, and San Bernardino.

Victorville topped this year’s High Desert homeless chart with 607 people, an increase of 152 or 33% over last year.

The wellness center is located at 16902 First Street in Victorville.

For more information about the wellness center and Victorville’s strategy to reduce homelessness, visit VictorvilleCA.gov/HomelessnessSolutions. To reach the Homelessness Solutions Task Force call (760) 955-5104.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville opens Wellness Center, a ‘haven of hope’ for the unhoused