Affordable Housing Proposals In Santa Clara Co. Seek State Funds

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Several Santa Clara County organizations plan to submit proposals for state funding with a goal of creating more than 800 new affordable and interim homes in the county over the next nine months, according to a news release Thursday.

The state legislature earlier this year allocated $2.75 billion to expand Project Homekey, a statewide program to convert buildings into long-term housing facilities for people experiencing homelessness. The application period opens Friday.

The local developments seeking funding include a new emergency interim housing site in Palo Alto. LifeMoves and the city of Palo Alto partnered to develop 88 emergency interim housing units at 1237 North San Antonio Road.

"We are thankful for the funding from the State and County that will help us transition the unhoused into great housing with a full suite of services that really help individuals and families get back on their feet,” Palo Alto Mayor Tom DuBois said. “Palo Alto is leveraging all available resources to take immediate action."

The cities of Mountain View, Santa Clara and San Jose also have proposals for funding. In the first round of Homekey Awards funding, four Santa Clara County proposals were awarded by the state, resulting in 364 homes created.

“Big problems require bold actions,” said Mike Wasserman, President of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “To address the housing crisis, we must leverage partnerships and move quickly. No one entity can do this alone – progress is made when we work collaboratively. I’m thrilled to see this line up of new proposals, which represents our collective mission to ensure stable, safe housing for our community.”