Board approves supportive housing budget; CalWORKs housing support will continue to enroll new families

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on June 10 approved the county executive’s revised FY 2025–26 recommended budget for the Office of Supportive Housing and directed staff to present the community plan to end homelessness at the next board meeting.

Supervisor Ellenberg and others asked for clarifications about family‑focused supports and whether program changes would allow new families to enroll. KJ Kaminski, acting director of the Office of Supportive Housing, told the board the CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) will continue to enroll new families: "The base budget for CalWORKs HSP ... allows us to serve approximately 160 families annually," Kaminski said.

County administration also confirmed that a recommended $25 million general‑fund backfill included in the revised budget is intended to preserve supportive housing programs and maintain current levels of service for families and other participants. Supervisors asked that future presentations emphasize how many households and dollars are associated with each funding stream so residents do not conflate changes in revenue source with loss of services.

The board voted to receive the item and asked that the Office of Supportive Housing provide the community plan to end homelessness update at the next board meeting so supervisors and the public can see programmatic details and the number of households served under the revised funding plan.

Votes at a glance: motion to receive the Office of Supportive Housing budget and request the community plan update passed unanimously.