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Board proclaims November 2025 Homeless Awareness Month; lived‑experience speaker urges low‑barrier services
Summary
The board declared November 2025 Homeless Awareness Month. Amanda Flores, a community organizer and facilitator of the Lived Experience Advisory Group, urged stopgap and long‑term solutions — expansion of low‑barrier shelters, rehab‑on‑demand and specialized shelters — and criticized recent encampment sweeps and benefit cuts.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation declaring November 2025 Homeless Awareness Month and praised local nonprofits and service providers for addressing homelessness in the county. President Lee said the county is investing in housing solutions, mental‑health services and supportive programs and thanked volunteers and service providers.
Amanda Flores, community organizer at West Valley Community Services and facilitator of the Lived Experience Advisory Group, spoke for frontline groups and people with lived experience. Flores described outreach work “from Gilroy to Sunnyvale,” warned that cuts to federal benefits and hospital funding affect people experiencing homelessness, criticized recent large encampment sweeps and said those actions “exacerbate homelessness.” She said the county needs low‑barrier shelter options, immediate access to substance‑use treatment (“rehab on demand”), domestic‑violence shelters that allow pets and specialized shelters for LGBTQ, senior and disabled residents.
Flores cited local deaths among people experiencing homelessness, asking the board to consider urgent measures to reduce mortality and improve continuity of care. She also referenced Measure A and federal benefit reductions (SNAP) as pressures that could increase reliance on hospitals for care. Flores concluded by urging the county to prioritize permanent housing and comprehensive services over short‑term clearances.
The board presented commendations to local organizations and invited representatives to the dais for a photo. No formal vote or policy action to enact Flores’s recommendations was recorded at this meeting; the remarks were delivered during the proclamation and public comment portion of the agenda.
