District 10 photo
By Bob Highfill
District 10 public information officer
The Henry and Carol Zeiter Navigation Center soon will provide shelter and services to families experiencing homelessness in the city of Stockton.
On Sept. 17, the navigation center celebrated its pending opening with an open house where local officials and representatives from numerous agencies gathered to tour the three-story facility that will accommodate 17 families, a fast-growing segment of the homeless population.
“Last month, we turned away 87 families and 160 kids,” said Krista Fiser, Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary’s Community Services, which operates San Joaquin County’s largest homeless shelter program. “This is pretty much the norm month after month after month.”
Caltrans District 10 has been a valuable partner in this landmark achievement. The navigation center and existing adjoining shelters and dining room are underneath the Interstate 5 and State Route 4 (Crosstown Freeway) interchange on property owned by Caltrans. District 10 has an air space lease agreement with St. Mary’s Community Services, which operates the facilities.
“There’s something very rewarding about being involved in a project like this, an altruistic benefit,” said Stephen Woodfill, District 10 Right of Way office chief. “At Caltrans, our top priority safety – whether it’s building a bridge, construction round-abouts, or improving the roadways, it’s about safety. However, when you’re involved in a community partnership project like this, it just hits differently because you get to see the benefits both immediate and long-lasting.”
The navigation center will provide safe, secure lodging and wraparound services for mothers and their children – some 68 individuals in total. Just feet away from the navigation center, the Pathways project is under construction and will add 268 beds for chronically homeless individuals.
Already on the St. Mary’s campus, adjacent to the navigation center and the Pathways development, are the longstanding men’s, women’s and family shelters, as well as St. Mary’s Dining Room, which serves three meals a day year-round.
District 10 photo
Once the navigation center and Pathways are operating, St. Mary’s Community Services will be one of if not the largest single-site shelter program in California with 609 beds, Fiser said.
The nearly 12,000-square-foot navigation center, made of repurposed shipping containers, stands three stories tall with offices on the first floor and two floors of living space. The facility is some 10 years in the making and is slated to open this fall.
“The Henry and Carol Zeiter Navigation Center is more than just a building, but a beacon,” said Danielle Mondo, President of the Board of Directors of St. Mary’s Community Services. “It is a promise that no one in our community will have to navigate life’s toughest storms alone.”
According to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, a total of 4,732 people in San Joaquin County were experiencing homelessness, an increase of 104 percent from the 2022 count. The figure includes 1,263 people in emergency shelters or transitional housing, and 3,469 living on the streets, in cars or other places unsuitable for habitation.
In addition to consulting with St. Mary’s Community Services in matters related to the airspace lease agreement, District 10 provided a letter of support to the county’s proposal for a California Interagency Council on Homelessness Encampment Resolution Fund Grant.
In 2023, the county received an $11.1 million ERF grant to fund outreach, service coordination, case management, and housing stabilization services. The grant is targeted to address District 10’s highest priority homeless encampment, which surrounds the St. Mary’s campus underneath the State Route 4 and Interstate 5 interchange.
District 10 is committed to being a good partner with agencies who share a vision in line with Caltrans’ core values of collaboration, equity, innovation, integrity, people first, pride, and stewardship.