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County officials outline update to community plan to end homelessness; board asks for stronger city engagement and communications
Summary
Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing presented progress on the 2020 community plan to end homelessness, reported housing and shelter capacity gains and outlined an update process; supervisors asked for more city coordination and a marketing plan to explain achievements and remaining gaps.
Santa Clara County officials presented an annual update on the community plan to end homelessness on June 17, telling the Board of Supervisors that the county has housed more than 18,000 people since 2020 and expanded shelter and prevention capacity while also facing continued inflow driven by housing unaffordability.
KJ Kaminski, acting director of the Office of Supportive Housing (OSH), said the county’s collective impact approach has increased system capacity: prevention programs can serve roughly 2,500 households this year, permanent housing programs serve about 6,000 households, and temporary shelter capacity is expected to increase to roughly 5,300 beds next year as several Homekey and motel‑site projects come online. Kaminski noted that the county has completed 29 Measure A projects to date and emphasized that the shortage of deeply affordable housing and low wages remain primary drivers of inflow to homelessness.
Deputy County Executive Consuelo Hernandez outlined a draft communications framework and asked the board for direction on messaging that explains the county’s role, progress under Measure A and the continuing need for prevention and housing investments. Supervisors widely supported stronger public communications; Vice President Arenas urged a “don’t mess with Texas”‑style branding approach and recommended hiring outside marketing expertise if needed. Supervisor Ellenberg requested more outreach to cities and recommended that annual reports be presented first to the Community Corrections and Law Enforcement Monitoring committee (CCLEM) before the full board.
Why it matters: County and city coordination and public understanding were central themes of the discussion. Officials said the community plan has materially expanded housing and shelter capacity but cannot outpace inflow without investments in housing supply and targeted prevention.
Plan update process and next steps
- OSH said it will convene a steering committee and begin broader community engagement this summer; it aims to publish a draft updated plan in winter and finalize the plan in spring or summer 2026. - The county will ask lived‑experience and youth advisory boards to endorse the plan before it goes to the Continuum of Care and the board; city implementation plans aligned with the county plan are part of the engagement strategy. - Staff and multiple supervisors endorsed greater public communications, with direction to return with a finalized communications plan and talking points and to explore marketing support if needed.
Board action
Supervisors voted unanimously to receive the update, endorse the process for the plan update and direct staff to engage cities, community partners and advisory boards in the July–winter timeline described by OSH. Several supervisors volunteered to support outreach in their districts.
Ending
Supervisors and staff agreed to continue city‑level outreach and to return with a draft plan and communications strategy later in the year.
