ABOUT THE WELLNESS CENTER CAMPUS

The Wellness Center Campus is the first non-congregate care facility of its kind in San Bernardino County, and it plays a critical role in helping sheltered and unsheltered individuals stabilize and rebuild their lives. The innovative design of the campus allows the Wellness Center to serve several functions by providing the following:

• A low-barrier, Navigational Center
• Recuperative care facility
• Medical Clinic
• Interim housing, and
• Wraparound supportive services

Supportive services includes case management, care coordination (medical, mental health and dental), job training/placement, legal services, and housing navigation. The Wellness Center provides a recuperative care facility and an onsite medical clinic that is available to members of the community who are Medi-Cal and/or Medicare eligible.

UNIQUE & INNOVATIVE

This unique and innovative campus provides individuals a level of privacy, comfort, and security in a designated living unit (single, double, and/or family occupancy). Campus features include:

• Multiple restrooms & showers for men and women (family units have private restrooms)
• Medical clinic (3 exam rooms)
• Cafeteria & Dining Hall
• Recreation/Lounge Area
• Various Office Spaces
• Private Interview Rooms
• Personal Storage Bins
• Kennel areas & dog walk

CAMPUS HALLMARKS

The Wellness Center Campus is located on approximately 4.5 acres of City-owned land and it provides 170 beds to accommodate men, women & families. Bed arrangements can fluctuate based on the needs of our community.

• Family Units (21 beds)
• Single-Bed Units (32 beds)
• Double-Bed Units (64 beds)
• Recuperative Care Beds (approximately 53 beds)

Community Buildings:  This is the epicenter for supportive services at our Wellness Center Campus.

The City of Victorville has the second-highest concentration of homeless persons in all of San Bernardino County.  California's housing crisis has forced cities to address major social issues like homelessness without adequate resources and infrastructure to resolve the problem.  Cities are being sued in Federal Court for "punishing' or "criminalizing' the homeless and must provide adequate shelter before they can truly address the issue of enforcing anti-camping ordinances.  In order to restore balance back to our community and public spaces like parks, libraries and recreation centers, we must have adequate shelter, beds and a collaborative solution to direct homeless individuals to resources and housing.

THE CITY'S ROLE

• The City of Victorville agreed to construct the Wellness Center Campus on 4.5 acres of City owned land using modular construction. The site is located at 16902 First Street Victorville, CA 92395.
• The City contracted with a professional organization(s) to oversee operations and provide immediate shelter and recuperative care services.
• The City identified contingency and grant funds to support annual operations of the Wellness Center Campus and continues to work with the County and other entities for additional financial support.
• The City continues to form strategic partnerships to further support operations.

PROJECT FUNDING SOURCES 

The City applied for and secured various funding to help with the construction and operation of the Wellness Center Campus.

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA)
• American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
• Project Homekey
• Measure P

WELLNESS CENTER CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY

The following are key milestones about the project:

• September 2021, the City Council approved Resolution No. 21-101 authorizing staff to pursue funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for HomeKey Program funds to construct and operate the Wellness Center (the “Project”).
• December 2021, the City was notified by HCD of an award in the amount of $28,004,058 under Homekey Round 2 for the Wellness Center project, of which $23,612,058 was awarded to fund capital construction costs and $4,392,000 for operational expenses.
• March 2022, City Council approved approved the initial construction contract for the construction of Phase 1 of the Project to Angeles Contractors Inc.
• April 2022, construction for Phase 1 started. The scope of the Phase 1 construction included the following: the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA) Interceptor through the project boundaries; grading of the site; a storm water detention basin; and underground utilities for storm drain, sewer, domestic water, fire suppression, electrical and gas. The project was separated into two construction phases to start site construction as soon as feasible to comply with Homekey grant deadline.
• April 2022, the City Council approved contracts with Connect Homes for the manufacturing of 46 modular shelter units, and Urban Bloc for the manufacturing of five modular bathroom units.
• June 2022, the City Council approved a second contract with Connect Homes for the manufacturing of modular units for four community buildings. The manufactured buildings progressed on schedule at the factories.  As of September 2022, Connect Homes completed all of the shelter buildings within their factory and were gearing up to start the manufacturing of the community buildings. Urban Bloc also progressed on the 5 community bathroom buildings. Attached are the progress reports with pictures from both Connect Homes and Urban Bloc.
• August 2022, the City Council approved the Phase 2 construction contract for the remaining site work to Angeles Contractors Inc. The scope of the Phase 2 construction included: a sewer lift station and grease interceptor; street improvements, a fire access road, a parking lot; building foundations; anchoring the modular buildings to the foundations; electrical wiring; utility connections to the buildings; finishes on the community buildings; food service equipment in the cafeteria building; wood decking for porches and patios; accessible concrete sidewalk and paths; irrigation; landscaping; fencing; gates; and other miscellaneous improvements.
• February 2023, 46 of the Connect Home modular shelter units and the five Urban Bloc modular restroom units were installed onto foundations.
• March 2023, the remaining 24 Connect Homes community building units were delivered to the site and set on foundations. The animal kennel building was also set down at the Wellness Center Campus.
• June 2023, the Wellness Center Wraparound Services Provider and the Shelter Operator were selected and approved by City Council.
• December 8, 2023, a ribbon cutting ceremony and public tours of the facility were conducted. 
• December 12, 2023, the Wellness Center started serving their first clients.

THE RESULT

The safety and security of residents and businesses is the City's primary goal.  This Wellness Center Campus proves beneficial in providing life-changing resources necessary to drastically reduce homelessness and positively transition people back into society.

CONTACT

For additional information, please contact our Homelessness Solutions Manager, William Lamas at wlamas@victrovilleca.gov or our Homelessness Solutions Coordinator, Edward Amaya at eamaya@victorvilleca.gov.