The Huntington Beach City Council approved a contract extension with Mercy House to operate the city’s homeless navigation and shelter navigation center, voting 7‑0 to continue the relationship and fund operations while staff pursues outside grant funding. The vote followed a staff presentation and detailed questions from council members about program outcomes, placement rates and the contract’s price.

Staff reported that the center has served nearly 990 individuals since opening and that about 200 people have been moved into temporary or permanent housing; staff said the center’s placement rate (per Mercy House records) is currently around 20%, a figure staff compared favorably to other regional providers. Staff also noted average center capacity has been about 91%.

Council members asked for program specifics: how referrals are made, eligibility criteria, the share of clients with local ties to Huntington Beach, and whether the program has produced sustained exits from homelessness. Staff and Mercy House said referrals are routed by city social workers and police officers using established eligibility criteria (local address in last year, significant local ties, or a recent job in the city); Mercy House staff said that families and individuals without strong ties are assisted to find placements in jurisdictions where they have social supports.

Council members and Mercy House executives discussed contract costs. The staff estimate for first‑year implementation and one‑time startup items, plus personnel and equipment for both the navigation center and a proposed expansion of the city’s high‑tech forensics capability (discussed later in the meeting), were described elsewhere on the agenda. Council approved the Mercy House contract extension (the staff recommendation) and directed the city to pursue external grants to offset costs. Staff said several grant avenues were being pursued and that infrastructure funding for the navigation center site has already been discussed with federal representatives.

The council’s motion included direction that staff continue to seek outside funding and bring back periodic performance information. Staff emphasized a recent record of placements and said the navigation center has become an operational tool for police and social‑services staff to refer people off the streets.