Vista extends rental agreement for Buena Creek Navigation Center

By Gary Warth

Aug. 25, 2026

After unsuccessfully searching for more than a year for a building to purchase and repurpose as a homeless shelter, the city of Vista will continue renting property that houses the Buena Creek Navigation Center for at least another year.

Money for renting the building and operating the center could come from a fund that had been set aside for buying property for a city-owned shelter, although philanthropic or government funding also could come through.

The City Council unanimously agreed to extend the lease agreement and the contract with Retread Housing Services at their Aug. 25 meeting.

The city was up against a deadline when making the decision to extend the contract. While the existing contract will not expire until Dec. 31, intakes at the center would have to stop immediately if the contract were not extended because clients can stay at the facility for up to 120 days, and on the night of the meeting there were only 128 days until the end of the year .

The city committed $4.5 million to purchase a site and has an additional $1.85 million in state and federal funding for the project. The San Diego Rescue Mission has been contracted to operate a 50-bed shelter once it was launched, and in July 2025 the Lucky Duck Foundation pledged to provide $10,000 for every shelter bed the city opened through June 2026.

While the city may have missed out on that money, it still has a $6.35 million balance that could be used for the $528,000 lease on the property on South Santa Fe Avenue and for the  projected $1.8 million to cover annual expenses such as personnel and administrative costs, food services, client assistance, cleaning, repairs and transportations.

City officials have visited some properties considered potential sites for a new shelter, but so far no deals were made. Frustration with the search dominated a city workshop in April, but there still has been no progress toward a property purchase.

“We’re kind of kicking the can down the road, and I don’t like that,” Councilmember Katie Melendez said about continuing the lease while still hoping for a city-owned shelter.

While there still was some frustration expressed at the meeting, the discussion about extending the lease was an opportunity for the council to express their appreciation for the work that had been done by Retread. Following heated discussions at the last couple of council meetings, it also was a somewhat rare occasion of the council and mayor in agreement and sharing positive comments.

Vista Housing and Homeless Services Division Manager and Homeless Services Program Manager Jonathan Lung led a staff presentation on the navigation center, which he said has served 587 homeless people since January 2024.

Of those, 57% had positive exits either through permanent or temporary housing.

Overall, clients stayed an average of 65 days at the center, but longer stays resulted in more successful outcomes, according to the staff report.

“I’m incredibly impressed by the success of this program,” Melendez said. “We obviously have an excellent group of people through Retread that are providing services, and I don’t want that to stop.

“As someone who wants to be a good administrator of these types of programs, I think we have a win here and I want us to continue to see the continuation of this program,” she said.

Melendez has a background in homeless services and said she was “tired of the lies and fears” that providing a shelter would attract “bad” people.

“We’re not providing services to bad people,” she said. “We’re providing services to people experiencing homelessness, and they got into those circumstances for a whole host of reasons.”

Public speakers during the meeting included RTFH Manager of Housing and Unsheltered Services Daniel Sturman.

“I really appreciate what Retread’s done there,” he said. “It’s really great to see the team there develop over the past couple of years and doing the work they do.”

Sturman said the number of successful exits are consistently above Continuum of Care standards for homeless emergency shelters, and he noted that while many nonprofits struggle with keeping people on staff, Retread’s staff members have been at work for an extended period of time.

Retread staff members include Andre Weese, security coordinator at the navigation center.

Weese, who was recognized by RTFH in 2025 as the Intake Shelter Team Worker of the year, spoke at the meeting about how he had overcome addiction and homelessness himself and now is helping others at the shelter.

“We help people pursue housing, employment, healthcare benefits, treatment and other resources,  but sometimes the first thing a person needs is just someone willing to listen and believe that change is possible,” he said.

 Councilmember Corinna Contreras thanked Retread for their work at the navigation center.

“I just want to say that the work that you’re doing is so deeply touching,” she said. “It’s so incredible because our family, our friends, our neighbors, for a long time have needed help, and we finally have a partnership that feels like a partnership.”

Contreras said the Buena Creek Navigation Center should be a model for others to follow.

“Everybody in the nation should know about the work that we’re doing in this partnership and the hard work that you do 24/7, because we know that folks need help every single hour of the day, and you’re there,” she said.

“Thank you for treating people with dignity,” she added. “Thank you for respecting humanity.”

Mayor John Franklin suggested the city pursue charitable donations to fund the navigation center, and Lung said some possible government funding also was possible.

A request has been made for additional state funding through California Sen. Catherine Blakespeare’s office, and an application has been submitted for federal Continuum of Care funding.

Vista receives some funding for the 48 bed shelter from the city of Encinitas, which has access to12 of the beds. The memorandum of understanding between the two cities expires Dec. 31, and Vista will absorb the entire navigation center moving forward.