Bakersfield celebrates Brundage Lane Navigation Center’s 4th anniversary; 400th guest moves to permanent housing

Mayor Karen Goh opened the Oct. 23 Bakersfield City Council meeting by celebrating the fourth anniversary of the Brundage Lane Navigation Center, operated by Mercy House, and saying the center’s 400th guest moved into permanent supportive housing. "We want to congratulate and thank Mercy House and BLNC on this outstanding achievement," Goh said.

The proclamation presented at the meeting declared November 2024 as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in Bakersfield and cited county and national statistics discussed by presenters: the city cited a national estimate that more than 4,200,000 youth experience at least one night of homelessness and a Kern County figure of roughly 200–300 HUD-defined homeless youth on the local by-name list. The proclamation text also referenced that the Kern County Superintendent of Schools identified more than 6,440 children lacking a fixed, regular, or adequate nighttime residence under the McKinney-Vento Act.

City leaders said the council will present a certificate of recognition to Mercy House later in the week and highlighted a November 22 town-hall event at the Larry Ryder Building aimed at raising awareness and collecting donations specifically for homeless youth. Janessa Fisher and Cynthia Martinez, representing the Kern County Network for Children and the Youth Action Board, outlined local outreach and a social-media campaign to increase community support.

The meeting record does not show formal new funding or an action vote tied to the proclamation; the item served as recognition and as a public reminder of upcoming outreach and events. The next procedural step cited on the record is the planned in-person presentation of the certificate and the November 22 town hall.