Office of Supportive Housing presents annual report and dashboard; officials highlight housing pipeline, Measure A projects and veterans progress

The Office of Supportive Housing presented its fifth annual Housing and Community Development report and a supportive‑housing dashboard to the Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee on March 20, outlining project progress, program capacity and an update on veterans‑targeted housing efforts.

Why this matters

The report consolidates county efforts to expand affordable and supportive housing, to use county‑owned land for development, and to align homelessness response with the county’s community plan. The committee heard detailed progress on multiple projects and system metrics that affect placements, prevention and program utilization.

Major highlights and pipeline projects

- Progress toward county goal: Staff reported the county is at 89% of its goal to house 20,000 people by the end of 2025, a metric the county uses to track community‑plan commitments.

- County‑owned land projects: The Santa Clara County Housing Authority was selected as development partner for two county sites (10 Kirk in San Jose and Eighth & Alexander in Gilroy). Staff said those projects are in pre‑development and that the county has reserved funding for the Gilroy site with an MOU that anticipates at least 57 units at that location.

- Major projects in development and construction: The Winchester Boulevard Apartments (San Jose) — approved by the Board in May 2024 — is a 101‑unit development with 25 permanent supportive housing (PSH) units. County and partners continue work on transit‑oriented developments with Valley Transportation Authority parking‑lot redevelopment expected to yield about 488 affordable units across four station sites. Several projects received tax‑credit awards and were moving toward construction in 2025.

- Recent completions and service mix: Staff said five developments completed construction in 2024, yielding about 340 affordable units and housing roughly 1,330 people including agricultural workers, veterans, seniors and other target populations.

Supportive housing dashboard and veterans update

- System capacity and utilization: The dashboard showed the county has the largest capacity in permanent supportive housing (over 4,000 units) and that PSH, rapid rehousing and prevention programs have the highest utilization rates.

- Veterans: Officials reported 3,062 veterans have been placed in permanent housing since 2015 through concerted efforts including HUD‑VASH vouchers and SSVF (Supportive Services for Veteran Families). Over the past 12 months, 254 veterans were housed, averaging 21 per month; the county’s veteran master list includes nearly 300 veterans currently active in the system, about 90% reporting at least one disability.

- CalAIM and funding opportunities: Committee members and staff discussed leveraging CalAIM (Medi‑Cal) community supports for engagement, housing navigation and tenancy supports. Staff said some CalAIM services are already in use for client engagement teams and are exploring additional draws for transitional rental assistance as state guidance and managed‑care plan implementation evolve.

Committee questions and next steps

Supervisors asked about outreach to Gilroy officials and the new Gilroy mayor for the Eighth & Alexander project; staff said they would develop a community engagement plan and coordinate with the board office in whose district a county‑led project sits. Committee members asked to see an inventory of county‑controlled sites, which staff agreed to provide.

Committee action

The committee approved receipt of the annual Housing and Community Development report (Item 7) and later approved receipt of the supportive housing system dashboard update (Item 8). Staff said a fuller update on the community plan to end homelessness and Measure A project implementation will be presented to the full Board in May.