Manteca’s permanent homeless navigation — that is one step away from having extensive interior work getting started — will be unique as far as the region is concerned.

*It will have maximum flexibility to address Manteca’s needs as the years unfold given it is being created in the footprint of what is now a 54,000-quare-foot rehabbed shell that once housed a Qualex film processing plant.

*The city has all of the money in hand — $16 million — to cover acquisition remodeling, and other costs as well as operational expenses for a period going forward — thanks to a state grant secured through the efforts of Mayor Gary Singh and former State Senator Susan Eggman.

Work on a new roof for the structure at 555 industrial Park Drive has recently been completed.

A number of firms are in the process of submitting requests for proposals by the Nov. 13 deadline to secure the contract that will allow the work to be completed during 2027.

The work will also include a re-do of the parking lot where temporary structures are now located that are being used as dorms and such that will be repurposed for continued use on site as well as installing sidewalk along Industrial Park Drive.

The eight transitional housing units will also stay on site.

The environmental impact study was conducted that would allow a maximum use of 300 people for the complex between homeless individuals being housed and support staff.

The initial plans call for the actual complex to house less than 100 homeless. Currently, there is capacity for 75 homeless in three dorms and an additional 16 in transitional housing.

The inside is being designed for both dorms, a commons area, dining room, bathrooms and kitchen along with space for support offices that will be made available for agencies that assist the homeless as well as storage.

The build out will be flexible enough to allow additional beds if needed instead of going through an expensive expansion in the future.

The last biennial (every two years) point in time count conducted on Jan. 27 placed the number of unsheltered homeless at 121.

That is almost half the 2024 number of 235 unsheltered individuals in Manteca.

The point in time count is mandated by the Housing & Urban Development in order for local jurisdictions to obtain federal funding for homeless services.

Other recent point-in-time counts for Manteca included 129 in 2022, 218 in 2019, and 90 in 2015.

The time between counts went to three years during the pandemic.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabuilletin.com