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Martha’s Village & Kitchen outlines three-phase homeless services model to Palm Springs commission
Summary
Martha’s Village & Kitchen told the commission it operates a three-phase continuum—Access Center, Early Entry overnight shelter, and a Navigation Center with 80 units—prioritizing local residents via Riverside County’s CES and VA‑SPDAT assessments; staff reported roughly 20–22 housing placements so far.
Representatives from Martha’s Village & Kitchen briefed the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission on Feb. 9, describing a three‑phase model that connects people experiencing homelessness to shelter, case management and transitional housing.
Espy Ortiz, chief program officer for Martha’s (speaker 4), outlined the model: an Access Center (daytime drop‑in at 225 El Cielo Road, open 8 a.m.–5 p.m.) serves as the front door for intake and brief services; an Early Entry overnight shelter (3589 McCarthy Road, Building 2) operates with a 3:30 p.m. roll call and provides 50 beds plus 5 police‑designated beds; and a Navigation Center is a housing‑focused, transitional program with 80 units (65 singles, 15 transitional youth units and 5 family units). Ortiz said the Navigation Center is pet‑friendly and requires enrollment in Riverside County’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) and completion of a VA‑SPDAT assessment. "Our goal is essentially to make sure that we give the right level of support at the right time," Ortiz said.
Martha’s staff also provided utilization and outcome figures: the access center sees about 1,000 unduplicated participants annually, early entry operates at 50‑bed capacity, navigation currently lists roughly 80 individuals in the program, and Ortiz reported about 20–22 people had been placed into housing so far. The organization said it partners with Desert Healthcare District mobile clinics for on‑site medical services and that pets are allowed (limited to one pet per navigation unit) to remove a barrier to housing.
Councilmember Garner had earlier described a related funding conversation and said the initiative under discussion involves multi‑jurisdictional fundraising; she characterized the broader project as "a $5,000,000 a year project." Commissioners asked clarifying questions about eligibility, priority (early entry first, then Palm Springs residents, then Coachella Valley and Riverside County) and how nondiscrimination and low‑barrier approaches are applied. Staff emphasized case management capacity (five case managers at the access center) and explained that participants are reevaluated every six months and can remain in navigation for up to two years depending on progress.
Why it matters: The presentation clarified how local and county systems (CES, VA‑SPDAT) interact with city‑supported services, the program’s capacity and early placement outcomes, and the ways that funding and community outreach affect operations.
What’s next: Commissioners thanked the presenters and requested continued public outreach to reduce neighborhood concern and increase awareness of available services.
