HUD Announces $11.1 Million in Funding to Assist with Combatting Homelessness in Santa Clara County
HUD ANNOUNCES $486 MILLION IN GRANTS AND $43 MILLION FOR STABILITY VOUCHERS TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED AND RURAL HOMELESSNESS
Sixty-two communities in total will receive grants and vouchers to implement coordinated approaches to addressing unsheltered homelessness and homelessness in rural areas
$11.1 MILLION GRANT TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED AND RURAL HOMELESSNESS IN SAN JOSE AND SANTA CLARA COUNTY
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is announcing the second set of communities to receive grants and vouchers to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities. This announcement includes $171.2 million in grants for 115 new projects in 29 Continuum of Care (CoC) communities, and adds to the first set of grant awards announced in February. This will bring the total value of grants to $486 million to 62 CoC communities. In addition, HUD is inviting 139 Public Housing Authorities who partnered with grantee communities to accept approximately 3,300 vouchers. The County of Santa Clara, Santa Clara County Housing Authority and the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care will receive $11,109,104 and 51 stability vouchers to address rural and unsheltered homelessness.
“Housing with supportive services is what solves homelessness, but people in unsheltered settings and in rural areas have not had access to those solutions,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “The combination of these grants and vouchers will help and give these communities tools they need to help people who are living on the streets, in encampments, under bridges, or in rural areas obtain permanent housing.”
In response to the competitive special Notice of Funding Opportunity, CoC collaborative applicants were asked to formally partner with public housing authorities to leverage access to housing resources. Public housing authorities which are partnering with awarded CoC grantees will receive priority for approximately 3,300 Housing Choice Stability Vouchers that allow people experiencing homelessness to obtain and afford housing.
“These grants and vouchers represent a first-of-its-kind set of resources that combines housing and supportive services to help people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered and rural settings,” said HUD’s Region IX Administrator Jason Pu. “Through these resources and the support provided through the American Rescue Plan, House America, and the All-In Federal Strategic Plan, HUD is partnering with our state, local, and tribal communities to solve homelessness in every setting.”
From Day One, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to deliver housing relief and to solve homelessness. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided historic levels of homeless assistance – including nearly 70,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers – which assist individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability –and $5 billion in HOME Investment Partnership homelessness grants – which are designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households
“Just as the homeless crisis we are facing statewide isn’t simple, our solutions cannot be either. Our Office of Supportive Housing is a model for how we can use every available tool to assist individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness in our communities,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor and Board President Susan Ellenberg. “When we collaborate effectively with city, state and federal leaders, we can make measurable progress on reducing and preventing homelessness at all levels by building safe, stable, and permanent affordable housing.”
HUD and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched House America, a national initiative in which HUD and USICH partnered with 105 communities led by mayors, county leaders, governors, and tribal nation leaders to place more than 100,000 households from homelessness into permanent housing and add over 40,000 units of affordable housing into the development pipeline. In late December, USICH released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which set forth President Biden’s ambitious goal to reduce all homelessness by 25% by 2025.
"Unsheltered homelessness has a devastating impact on our entire community, and addressing the crisis playing out on our streets requires us to work together," said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. "The deployment of these grants represent a critical lifeline for Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable residents, and we are grateful for the federal government's support in addressing this crisis. San José is committed to working with our county partners to ensure that these resources are used effectively to provide safe, stable housing solutions for those in need."
The resources announced today build upon the momentum and renewed political will at all levels of government to solve homelessness through the provision of housing with supportive services. This responds directly to calls from state and local leaders, advocates, and people with lived experience for more federal assistance to address unsheltered and rural homelessness, specifically. Additionally, these resources provide communities with tools to respond to homeless encampments humanely and effectively while avoiding approaches which criminalize homelessness.
“The Santa Clara County Housing Authority is committed to being a collaborative partner that creates compassionate and creative opportunities in our approach to solving homelessness in Santa Clara County,” said Santa Clara County Housing Authority Executive Director Preston Prince. “This is a complicated, comprehensive issue that cannot be done without partnership. As a housing authority, our MTW status allows for flexibility with our funding and program rules so, with our partners, these vouchers will support the most vulnerable throughout the community.”
The County of Santa Clara and Santa Clara County Housing Authority will use its $11,107,104 grant to implement a comprehensive approach to transitioning people from unsheltered settings and interim housing to permanent housing, including investments in homeless outreach, short- and long-term rental assistance, case management, and housing navigation.
“It takes all levels of government to tackle the many challenges in the 19th Congressional District when it comes to the complicated issues of affordable housing and homelessness,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta. “That’s why this significant grant from the federal government is so beneficial to our efforts at the local level to build permanent, supportive housing, provide safe and secure shelter, and continue to address the root causes of homelessness. As the U.S. Representative for South San Jose, I look forward to ensuring that the federal government continues to play its part when it comes to partnering with the state and local governments to ensure that there’s accessible shelter and affordable housing for our constituents.”
More information on HUD’s work to address homelessness can be found here.
A full list of grant awards can be found here.
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Media Contacts: HUD: Andra Higgs, [email protected], 213-453-8602; Andrew Ten, [email protected], 202-894-2538 ; County of Santa Clara: María Leticia Gómez/Laurel Anderson, 408-299-5119, [email protected]