Victorville Wellness Center: A Haven of Hope for the Homeless

©Journal Communications/Jeff Adkins

The Victorville Wellness Center opened in December 2023 to offer interim housing and support services to many of the city’s unhoused population. Its goal is to help unsheltered men, women and families stabilize and rebuild their lives. 

Victorville Wellness Center: A Haven for Hope and Healing

Seen as a haven of hope and healing, the campus includes a clinic that provides medical, mental health, dental and recuperative services, and it works to help individuals gain employment if they are healthy enough. 

Victorville Wellness Center, located on First Street, features 110 separate units that vary in size, including single, double and family shelters. The facility includes 170 beds, including 21 in the family units and 53 that are dedicated to recuperative care. 

The nearly 26,000-square-foot facility includes housing units and a support service building. Other notable features include a dog kennel, an industrial kitchen, a cafeteria, recreation sports courts, community event spaces and a community garden. 

A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Homelessness

Operating the center are two nonprofit organizations — Hope the Mission and Symba Center — and clients are mainly referrals from the city’s Homeless Engagement Team. 

Additionally, local hospitals can discharge Victorville’s unhoused residents directly to the center’s medical clinic to receive further care. 

The campus was constructed with the $28 million Homekey Grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Officials hope the program will serve as a blueprint for other California communities dealing with homelessness throughout the state.