Fullerton recently received $4 million from the state of California to assist with operation of the City’s Navigation Center, a homeless shelter with social services and recuperative care run by Illumination Foundation.

The Navigation Center is located at 3535 W. Commonwealth Ave.

The State allocated the funds to the City as part of the 2021-22 California Budget Act and through the request of Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva.

Fullerton’s Navigation Center opened in 2020, closed in mid 2021 due to a lack of ongoing operational funding, and then re-opened in late 2021 due to federal relief funds.

The Navigation Center is located at 3535 W. Commonwealth Ave. in a former commercial building near the Fullerton airport. The center was designed to house up to 90 adults experiencing homelessness, with an additional 60 beds for adults in need of recuperative care as they recover from surgery and other critical hospital care.

The building is currently owned by a third party who charges the City an annual rent of $543,700 for its use. The City has a Lease Guarantee on the building for Illumination Foundation.

When the Navigation Center was first approved by City Council in 2020, there were no ongoing operating funds included. The City provided $500,000 for improvements to the building.

It is hoped the $4 million will provide for longer term operations.