A county homeless housing project in Santa Clara will provide 30 apartments for families, with the city helping fund operations.

At its most recent meeting on July 14, the Santa Clara City Council unanimously approved the Santa Clara Community Project, located on the southeast corner of Lawrence Expressway and Benton Street. The city will contribute $6.5 million over the first seven years of the interim supportive housing development for operational costs.

Santa Clara County owns the land, which is vacant. Santa Clara will not be responsible for construction costs. 

“The agreement is the best mechanism for the city interests,” said Afshan Hamid, the city’s community development director. “Otherwise, the county could develop a project as they see fit.”

Plans for the development originally came before the council in 2023. However, concerns over the operator, LifeMoves, stirred public opposition. Originally proposed as a 120-unit development for single adults, the plans have undergone multiple changes since its inception.

Council Member Kevin Park had previously been critical of the project, but he said it is incumbent on the council to find imperfections and push to have them corrected.

“When we look at this project today, it is very different than the project that was proposed in 2023,” he said. “I think a lot of the objections that I had in 2023 have largely been addressed.”

Most significant among those changes is that the complex will now host families. Increased security — including a prohibition for those on the sex offender registry — and a reduced building height were also among the changes.

Hilary Armstrong, deputy director of the county’s office of supportive housing, told the council that the need for housing for the homeless is growing in Santa Clara. County numbers show that in 2017 Santa Clara had 272 of Santa Clara County’s 6,556 homeless people. By 2023, that number had jumped to 461. Last year, it stood at 794 of the 10,711 homeless people countywide.

While 15% of homeless people are families with minor children countywide, in Santa Clara it’s 21%, according to county data. There are 388 families on the waitlist for housing. The average wait time is 39 days.

In addition to the specifications of the project, most of the opposition revolved around LiveMoves’ management, specifically at its Mountain View and Milpitas locations. Criticism pointed to high crime, a lack of qualified employees, vacancies and a general lack of accountability.

Paul Simpson, LifeMoves’ CFO, said the company has been working hard to ameliorate the issues. He said the Santa Clara site is designed with families in mind, with a welcome lobby, teen and employee lounges and community room. He described the potential residents as “brilliance that has simply lost its address.”

In addition to the design, cameras, keycard access, 24/7 staffing, a no-guest policy and established protocols round out the safeguards. 

The goal, Simpson said, is to give families a haven, a place where they can allow their nervous system to reset with a big exhale at the end of a day.

“That feeling — the safe enough to exhale — most of us take for granted. For the families we serve, that feeling has been missing for months, sometimes years,” Simpson said. “Our ecosystem has long measured itself against the word dignity. Dignity is not our ambition. It is our floor.”

Elmer Martinez Saballos, LifeMoves’ public affairs director, said the most comparable development LifeMoves manages is Haven Family House, in Menlo Park. That development has a 91% exit to permanent housing after a median 167 days; 96% of former residents are still living in permanent housing a year after exiting the development.

Adam Markus, housing and community services manager, told the council that the city expects $2 million in state money over the next five years will contribute to the city’s funding stream. Priority is given to families with children enrolled in Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD).

The site will provide on-site services to help residents secure permanent housing.

Public commenters lauded the project. No one spoke against it.

The council too was largely supportive, with Mayor Lisa Gillmor saying she was “cautiously optimistic.”

“Either we support families that are here in the city or we don’t,” said Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez. “I think this is a great contribution for us to put our money where our mouth is and help those families that are in need.”

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com 

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Charter Changes Still Divisive at Santa Clara City Council Meeting
Santa Clara Sets its Sights on Relocating City Hall

Previous Posts on Project HomeKey in Santa Clara:
City Council Approves Interim Supportive Housing Funding — Again
Homeless Housing Development Still Raw with Public
Homeless Housing Project Is A Go Despite Public Outcry
City Delays Action on Temporary Housing Development
Temporary Homeless Housing Project Upsets Community