For years, emergency shelter in the North Tahoe–Truckee region meant a temporary warming center that opened only during severe winter storms. Now, a new 16-bed navigation center in Truckee will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round.
The project is led by the Tahoe Truckee Homeless Action Coalition and funded by local agencies and community foundations. Organizers say the center is designed not as a standalone solution, but as one piece of a coordinated five-year regional strategy.
The shelter reflects a broader shift in how the region is approaching homelessness, said Jazmin Breaux, a program manager with Nevada County Health and Human Services.
“I think that’s the story,” Breaux said. “This is a community that is taking steps towards ending homelessness in our region, and we recognize that that takes many different approaches.”
Breaux said data show most unsheltered residents in the Tahoe–Truckee area are single adults. Meanwhile, many families experiencing homelessness are already connected to shelter and services through existing programs, including domestic violence and housing support services provided by Sierra Community House.
The new Navigation Center will focus specifically on single adults who are currently living unsheltered in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe, particularly those with established local ties.
Organizers describe the site as a structured, one-year pilot program. It is intentionally small and not intended to evolve into a large emergency shelter. Instead, leaders say it is meant to serve as a targeted, community-based intervention that complements existing services while helping reduce unsheltered homelessness locally.
