Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Valley study finds at least 524 people unhoused; cities to study shelter and housing options
Summary
A West Valley needs analysis presented to the Campbell City Council found at least 524 unhoused people across 322 households and identified gaps in shelter capacity, permanent affordable housing and case management; staff said a feasibility study with program options will return this fall.
Housing program manager Eloisa Murio Garcia told the Campbell City Council on Aug. 4 that the West Valley Homeless Services Feasibility Study’s needs analysis counted at least 524 individuals in 322 households across the five participating jurisdictions.
“The needs analysis found there are at least 524 individuals across 322 households in the West Valley that were homeless,” Eloisa Murio Garcia said, citing the 2023 homeless count and county assessment tools used by case managers. The study also found roughly 200 new assessments per year in the region.
The report said West Valley residents are more likely to sleep in vehicles or couch‑surf and are less likely to use shelter beds than elsewhere in the county. It also identified higher shares of recently homeless people, more youth and families, and racial/ethnic overrepresentation among Hispanic/Latino, Black and American Indian and Alaska Native residents in the unhoused population.
Consultant Vera Gil said the analysis combined the county’s point‑in‑time counts, American Community Survey data and assessment data collected by outreach teams. She cautioned that jurisdiction‑level 2025 point‑in‑time data were not yet available.
The study’s gap analysis flagged shortages of permanent affordable housing at extremely low incomes, no shelters located within the West Valley, limited interim housing and insufficient case management and outreach capacity. Staff noted there is roughly one shelter bed for every three unhoused people in Santa Clara County, and the nearest shelter to Campbell is in San Jose.
Council members asked how the study’s findings would inform next steps. Eloisa Murio Garcia said this needs analysis is phase one; phase two, the feasibility study, will evaluate program and policy options and return to council in the fall with recommendations. The study team said stakeholder interviews and a literature review informed the findings and solicited ideas from faith‑based groups, safe‑parking providers and county agencies.
Public comment and council questions focused on coordination with San Jose, accounting for recent local projects such as the Bristol Hotel, and whether state assistance is forthcoming. Staff said no new state funding measures were known at this time and that the feasibility phase will incorporate new service inputs as they arise.
Next steps: staff will continue monthly coordination with West Valley jurisdictions, complete the feasibility analysis now under way, and bring program options and cost implications back to council this fall.
