Construction begins on 175 ‘sleeping cabins’ in Sacramento

California Construction News staff writer

Construction has started on 175 state-provided small homes, also known as sleeping cabins, for the homeless in Sacramento.

The development at 6780 Stockton Blvd. will be the first in the state to break ground under the Newsom administration’s small homes initiative, the city said.

WellSpace Health now owns the property, previously vacant office space, a planned shift towards repurposing existing resources. These tiny homes offer a temporary solution while plans for a new regional medical campus, providing vital medical, dental, and behavioral health services primarily for Medi-Cal recipients, are developed.

Part of a statewide initiative announced by Governor Newsom last year, plans aim to introduce over 1,200 such units across four Californian cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose. Another 175 beds are set for installation at Cal Expo in the near future. San Jose’s progress in establishing its own small home campus was also highlighted.

“This project shows how state and local governments can support each other in addressing our crisis of unsheltered homelessness,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

Funded by the Encampment Resolution Grant, the Stockton Boulevard campus is expected to be completed by late summer, with access restricted to referrals only. California’s Department of General Services has overseen the site’s development since March 7, including ground clearance and utility planning.

Prior initiatives, such as the safe stay site established last August at Florin and Power Inn Roads, have provided valuable lessons. Offering 100 sleeping cabins accommodating up to 125 individuals for a maximum of 90 days, it represented an earlier effort to address homelessness in the city.