One-Year Navigation Center Pilot Overview

Per direction in the 2025 Tahoe Truckee Homeless Action Plan, the Tahoe Truckee Homeless Action Coalition is advancing a one-year Navigation Center pilot (Center) to provide a small, year-round space where people experiencing homelessness can access interim beds and stabilizing support services. The Center is set to open in early 2026.

The 3,000-square-foot Center will offer six interim housing beds and 10 year-round shelter beds, giving community members a safe place to stay while connecting with case management, healthcare, and housing navigation services.

Neighborhood outreach took place in October-December, 2025 and will continue throughout 2026.

In October 2025, funding requests were approved by local elected boards including the Town of Truckee, Tahoe Forest Hospital District, and Nevada County. In addition to local public funding, community philanthropic funding stepped in to fill the gap required to bring the project to fruition.

This pilot project represents an important first step toward a permanent, locally supported homelessness response system. By testing this model, the Coalition aims to learn what works, build community trust, and ensure that every person in the Tahoe-Truckee region has a pathway to stability and housing.

Please reach out to the Nevada County TTHAC Coordinator to learn more: Jazmin Breaux, 530-807-7792, Jazmin.Breaux@nevadacountyca.gov. 

Navigation Center Pilot Ribbon Cutting - Open to all!

Friday, February 13, 2026, 3:30-5:00 PM
12315 Deerfield Drive, Truckee

  • 3:30-4:00: Tours, coffee and refreshments
  • 4:00-4:30: Ribbon cutting and program speakers
  • 4:30-5:00: Final tours and community connection

Please park in the dirt lot across from Taco Bell.

Fast Facts

The following project highlights are subject to change and are based on estimates only.

Proposed Location: 12315 Deerfield Drive, Truckee (behind Taco Bell) — centrally located, fenced commercial property, leasing conversations initiated between Nevada County and landlord to lease the property for one year. 

Proposed Operator: Volunteers of America Northern California & Northern Nevada (VOA NCNN) pending contracting agreement — a trusted nonprofit serving 3,500 people nightly across the region. Northern Nevada – VOA NCNN

Volunteers of America has operated shelters and Navigation Centers across Northern California and Nevada since 1911, serving 3,500 people nightly.
Comparable sites show strong outcomes—up to 50% of participants move to stable housing and emergency-room use drops dramatically.

Opening Target: Winter 2026

Pilot Duration: One year (2026)

Facility Size: Approximately 3,000 square feet

Goal: Provide a safe, well-managed, 24/7, 365 days a year resource for people experiencing homelessness—reducing public impacts while helping individuals stabilize and move toward permanent housing.

Why Here, Why Now:

  • Each winter, unsheltered residents in our region face life-threatening conditions. North Tahoe-Truckee region currently has no year-round shelter; emergency options have been temporary and weather-dependent in the past.
  • Extensive community feedback collected over the past three years supports the Navigation Center model.
  • The site at 12315 Deerfield Drive is centrally located, close to transportation, food, health care, and jobs. Since 2023, TTHAC partners have been working to identify an appropriate site (over forty properties looked at).

Services:

  • Provided 365 days a year, 24/7
  • Capacity to serve up to 25 people at time
  • 16 total beds: 6 individual interim housing cubbies + 10 shelter beds
  • Day services for people needing case management or hygiene support, not living at the Center
  • Professional staff on-site (minimum 2 staff per shift)
  • Restrooms, hot showers, laundry, mail service, and secure storage
  • Case management helps participants access housing, jobs, health care, and benefits

Lead Agency / Lease Holder: Nevada County is willing to lease the site, allowing the project to proceed under Town of Truckee Development Code §18.02.025, which expedites implementation as a County activity.

Estimated Budget: $1.38 million (Year 1)

Funding Requests in October/November: 

  • Town of Truckee – $360,000
  • Tahoe Forest Hospital District – $360,000
  • Nevada County – $360,000
  • Placer County – $75,000
  • Community Philanthropy – $230,000

Estimated Timeline Highlights:

  • Funding secured by December 31, 2025
  • Lease signed by January 2026
  • Contract with operator (Volunteers of America) secured by December 
  • Tenant improvements and hiring completed by January/February 2026

Community Benefit:

  • Replaces the inconsistent, weather-only warming shelter with a professional, stable operation
  • Reduces emergency room visits and law enforcement calls
  • Builds trust and provides a pathway to permanent housing
Proposed 1-Year Navigation Center Pilot Overview Handout

Past Coalition Meetings

Recent Press About the Navigation Center Pilot

120-Day Community Engagement Plan