A New Standard for Housing the Unhoused in Palm Springs

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK)’s Palm Springs Homeless Navigation Center, which opened at the end of last year, is one of a new generation of nurturing, multifunctional facilities transforming the way we think about housing the unhoused. Consisting of 80 modular housing units, varied outdoor spaces, and two repurposed warehouses offering support services, communal activities, and emergency beds, the $40 million facility is a place, not a shelter—an extroverted sanctuary of hope, not a hastily assembled facility tucked away from public view. 

“It’s a city for people to get help, whether they need it for eight hours or six months,” noted JFAK cofounder John Friedman, adding that the project combines “a kind of density with a sense of community.”

A Holistic Approach to Housing and Services

Palm Springs officials’ path to creating the holistic, 24-hour campus evolved over time, points out Jay Virata, the city’s director of housing and community development. Funding from California’s statewide Project Homekey program, for instance, was contingent on the center incorporating individual living units (most shelters offer only congregant space, housing many beds in one location), while budget limitations led to the units being built using modular construction. Palm Springs and the county of Riverside also contributed funds. Riverside’s deputy director of government affairs, Greg Rodriguez—who had been homeless himself for a short time in his early 20s—pushed especially hard to make it happen, leading advocacy and fundraising.

“These experiences made me passionate about seeing this come to fruition,” notes Rodriguez. “Homeless services are not a one size fits all,” he adds, reiterating how the center addresses a wide range of client needs, both during and even after they live there. (Thanks to Homekey funding, the center provides tenants with rent subsidies once they’ve secured permanent housing.) 

JFAK, selected via RFP, collaborated with contractors Tilden-Coil Constructors, fabricators California Modulars, and landscape architect Esther Margulies. The team worked closely with Martha’s Village and Kitchen, the center’s operator and spent significant time gathering feedback—and building support—from the local community.

Designing a Homeless Navigation Center with Dignity

Designed and built in just a year and a half, their project inspires movement, interaction, and community. It’s a local centerpiece, not a liability. A wide central promenade serves as the slightly sloped site’s spine, linking the varied facilities, which connect to the desert via draught-tolerant garden spaces, trees (which are still growing in), walking paths, a playground, and even a dog run. The one- and two-story, factory-built modular residences are set perpendicular to the spine in a layered, slightly angled configuration that provides ample natural light and air but still protects from what can be harsh amounts of both. Inside, simple but airy units (which include studios as well two-bedroom units for families) maximize views and cross-ventilation, but with relatively small windows to minimize heat and sun.  

“You’d think heat would be the biggest concern,” notes Kimm. “But the wind gets extreme at times.” She points out that the city’s iconic San Gorgonio Pass windmill farm is viewable from most of the site.

Elevated walkways weave between buildings, providing shade and connection, while open-air corridors ensure that every resident—whether in a ground-level unit or a second-story home—has a clear view of the nearby San Jacinto Mountains. Graphics provide wayfinding and identification via large, colorful letters, and establish an artful sense of place via color and pattern. For instance, warm hues (in both solid and abstract geometries) greet the sunrise to the east, while cool tones reflect the sunset to the west.

As for the site’s two warehouses—repurposed steel-frame structures that originally had no insulation and were leaking—the team effectively built new buildings within. The first was transformed into a hub of essential services: a commercial kitchen, communal dining area, laundry facilities, case management offices, and job training programs. Gathering areas have double heights, wide hallways, and colorful graphics that both welcome and orient. The second warehouse, known as the Early Access Center, offers 50 overnight shelter beds for those still seeking longer-term solutions.

Besides budget hurdles, supply chain holdups, NIMBYs, and the need to integrate both modular and traditional construction, the project’s biggest challenge, remembers Kimm, was to create a special, humane place that wasn’t too nice. “The operator was afraid people would never want to leave,” she says. (Residents are encouraged to stay for six months before finding more permanent housing, with help from the center’s staff.) Ultimately, they struck a balance—warm and colorful, but not indulgent, comfortable but still transitional. The approach proves that emergency housing doesn’t have to feel institutional, and modular design doesn’t have to be rigid or impersonal.

“I’m thrilled we were able to make this dream a reality,” adds Rodriguez. “We’ve really created a model for other communities.”

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• Community Engagement
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• Sam Lubell