Santa Clara County to sponsor Project HomeKey application for interim family housing in Santa Clara

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has put their stamp of approval on a 30-unit interim housing complex for families in Santa Clara, pledging to sponsor an application for critical Project HomeKey funding after the city declined to take on that responsibility last month.

The development, which will serve homeless families for three to six months until they find more permanent housing, will built on county-owned land on the corner of Lawrence Expressway and Benton Street.

The Santa Clara City Council voted 4 to 3 in early May to approve the project and contribute some funds, but ultimately declined to serve as a co-sponsor with the nonprofit LifeMoves on an application to obtain state funding through Project HomeKey. The pandemic-era initiative has helped convert and create thousands of new transitional housing units for homeless individuals across California.

Without Santa Clara’s commitment on the application, the responsibility was shifted to the county Board of Supervisors, who on Tuesday morning unanimously voted to partner with LifeMoves without any discussion.

Elysa Gurman, a Santa Clara resident and founder of the group Santa Clara Housing Advocates, told the Mercury News that she was glad the supervisors “recognized this project is going to be a really positive thing for the community.”

“I am really happy that the county was able to show us all that they really care about their residents regardless of their housing status or income status,” she said.

The board’s vote was classified as a victory for local housing advocates like Gurman — especially after the pushback the project faced from some residents who voiced concerns about safety. Three members of the council, Mayor Lisa Gillmor, Vice Mayor Kevin Park and Councilmember Raj Chahal, also voted against it, expressing unease about the financing and hopes that the county would go back to the drawing board and propose permanent supportive housing at the site instead.

The decision comes at a time as an increasing number of homeless families are living in Santa Clara County.

Last week, the county released its preliminary data for the “point-in-time” homeless count. The count is a single night snapshot from January recording the unhoused population — both sheltered and unsheltered.

While the local homeless population remained virtually unchanged from the previous year, the number of homeless families increased by 36.5%.