Berkeley Celebrates Opening of City's First Navigation Center

CONTACT: Karina Ioffee
Office of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin
(510) 981-7102 office
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 21, 2018

Berkeley Celebrates Opening of City’s First Navigation Center

Berkeley spends more than $8 million a year on homeless services, yet despite this, the number of homeless people on our streets grows. While shelters and soup kitchens provide for people’s basic needs, they are not long-term solutions to homelessness. That is why the City of Berkeley is proud to announce the opening of Pathways, the city’s first navigation center that will offer not only housing and meals, but wrap around services such as addiction treatment, mental health and job assistance to help people get their lives on track. For those who are unable to work, counselors from Bay Area Community Services (BACS) will assist with finding affordable permanent housing options around the Bay Area.

Pathways is unique in many ways: it allows homeless people to bring their partners, personal items and even pets, things that have often prevented people from accessing services. The center will be open 24 hours a day, have security onsite and be staffed by case managers. At the start, Pathways will offer space for 45 individuals and allow stays for up to 6 months. Homelessness is a complex social problem impacting everyone in our community. Yet while it can’t be solved overnight, giving people relief from the streets while connecting them to supportive services to help them secure permanent housing is the way toward lasting change.

Please join us in celebrating this important milestone on Tuesday, June 26.

WHEN: 9 am media tour by mayor and staff; 10 am ribbon cutting

WHERE: Second Street at Cedar Street in Berkeley

WHY: California is in the midst of a homeless crisis, with close to 25 percent of the nation’s homeless now living in our state. As encampments pop up all over our cities and often have unsanitary and dangerous conditions, we must think about long-term solutions. Pathways uses national best practices by offering the homeless secure housing – regardless of sobriety – and works to address the underlying causes of individuals’ homelessness.

PLEASE RSVP BY MONDAY, JUNE 25 5PM IF PLANNING TO ATTEND