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Council advances homelessness and Esperanza campus items on consent amid praise from residents and providers
Summary
Speakers and councilmembers praised funding items on the consent agenda supporting permanent supportive housing projects and Esperanza campus expansion, which proponents say will preserve 100 shelter units and add 100 more in 2026 and expand on-site workforce services.
Several consent‑agenda items (including item 62) approved Dec. 11 would fund homelessness services and permanent supportive housing projects. Joe Westfall, chief operating officer of the Other Ones Foundation, credited early council support for enabling a major state investment that will keep 100 existing shelter units open and add 100 new units at the Esperanza campus in 2026; he said over 60% of clients use on‑site workforce development programs.
Resident Tim Vickers described Esperanza’s impact on his life, crediting the program with stable housing, educational credentials and job training. Council members including Alter and Velasquez highlighted the city’s broader commitments—investing in permanent supportive housing and the Hope Fund to expand services beyond property‑tax financing.
Council adopted the consent agenda, which included these HSO items. Councilmember Velasquez and others stressed that tight timelines for low‑income housing tax credit projects made approval necessary to avoid jeopardizing developments. No substantive amendments to funding levels were made during the meeting.
Next steps: staff will execute the approved contracts and state partnership plans and report back through established HSO reporting channels.
