Key points:
- Davis Daytime Respite Center’s potential closure sparks urgency among officials and residents.
- The center provided vital services but was never a solution to homelessness.
- Davis spends about $1.8 million annually on homelessness services.
The looming possible closure of the Daytime Respite Center in Davis has triggered urgency among councilmembers, service providers, and residents. With Downtown Streets Team shutting down operations statewide on October 31, the question is not whether the center has been valuable—it clearly has—but whether its temporary, stopgap nature has ever truly addressed the crisis of homelessness in Davis.
The Respite Center has provided a safe place for unhoused residents to rest, shower, receive mail, and access case management. In 2024, 111 people engaged in case management services there, with 20 securing housing. In 2025, the numbers rose to 139 engaged and 10 housed. Dozens of barriers to stability were removed. On paper, these are meaningful gains. But for all of the investment—over half a million dollars annually—the center was never a solution to homelessness. It was a Band-Aid that made the city feel like it was doing something while sidestepping the harder work of actually providing permanent housing.
Councilmember Gloria Partida warned that “if we allow a gap in service, we will lose that trust, and rebuilding it will take years.” She is right—continuity matters…