‘We need to have this’ Palm Springs City Council approves additional $5M for delayed Navigation Center

Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved an additional $5 million to build the long-awaited Homeless Navigation Center on Thursday night.

Less than a year ago, the center's anticipated opening was spring of this year.

“I really want to emphasize the huge need here," said Mayor Grace Garner. "That's why we need these services so badly and it is frustrating, but we are doing everything we can to make this project successful.” 

The new budget increases the use of city funds more than doubles, from 10% to 21%.

In February, city council approved another $3 million tacked onto its original costs. It totaled around $32 million for the project (including land).

When Tiden-Coil Constructors and the Project Construction Manager At Risk requested bids for the Navigation Center in April, they were much higher than anticipated.

The cost of the Navigation Center and Early Entry facility piled up, now costing around $40 million to complete.

City council didn’t take the added funds lightly, but said they want to see the center built as soon as possible.

“The amount of money does make me very nervous. And I think we really have to the fact is we have no choice but to go forward. We need to have this," said Mayor Pro Tem Jeffery Bernstein. "I would just re-emphasize that we have to make sure that we keep our costs going, that we keep moving forward because we can't have more delays and more cost increases that are unexpected.”

When completed, the center is expected to provide 80 beds for the homeless, in addition to a variety of support services.

After Thursday night's decision, 50 overnight beds will be added in the center. It's an addition that many residents did not agree with.

“The city assured us in these meetings that there would be no overnight stays. That would be a transition Navigation Center, that was its purpose," said Palm Springs resident Bruce Jeunger. “I'm just kind of surprised it's gone this far and out of control. I just hope the city leaders see that and take the right action to correct it.”

Jeunger lives down the street from the planned site of the center, that’ll be located at 3589 McCarthy Road.

After being pushed back several times, he believes it’s taking up more time and money.

“They're asking for close to $40 million, which is just an astronomical amount of money. And we think that this is being engineered to be a regional center, that it's gonna grow way beyond the scope that the city promised us initially," Jeunger said.

Jeunger understands the importance of this navigation center, but believes there are better ways of developing it.

“Let me be very clear, we're all about helping the homeless. We understand there's a problem in Palm Springs, it needs to be done. We just think that this project, for some reason has gotten out of control, and it's not being properly implemented to help the homeless that it's intended to," he said.

In last year’s state of the city address, the Navigation Center was projected to be completed by now.

Construction was expected to start next month with completion by February 2024.