The San Jose City Council unanimously approved an agreement on Dec. 9 to provide funding to the County of Santa Clara's Office of Supportive Housing for the Homelessness Prevention System (HPS). Council members asked detailed questions about how the program operates, how households access services, and how outcomes are tracked.

Councilmember Campos and others asked about entry points and capacity. Eric (introduced in the presentation as the director of housing) explained that the county-operated HPS uses an assessment (the HPAT) administered by case managers at partner agencies (Sacred Heart among them) to determine risk and placement. "That case manager conducts that initial assessment," Eric said, and the county captures data on contacts, referrals and conversions into program participation.

Members pressed on capacity and wait lists; staff said capacity trends and weekly availability are managed by the county and that the city can request additional operational detail. Councilmembers also questioned per-household costs for services. Councilmember Dawn cited the report's figures and asked whether the $5,200 figure for case management was per family or per individual; staff said the $5,200 is an average case management cost that can fluctuate with household needs and may apply to families and individuals depending on service intensity.

Council discussed program outcomes and longitudinal follow-up. Staff said the program tracks participants for up to two years to monitor housing stability and noted a Notre Dame cohort analysis that found more than 90% of households did not need additional assistance up to two years after program participation. Staff and council agreed to request more granular operational and capacity data from the county and to continue oversight.

The vote: The council approved the joint memo and funding agreement unanimously and directed staff to pursue additional metrics and reporting from the county.