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Mercy House reports shelter-to-housing connections; subcommittee questions capacity and costs
Summary
Mercy House told the subcommittee it served 84 individuals from January–May 2026 and that, among shelter exits reported, 93% went to permanent housing connected through CES; council members raised questions about bed capacity, referral routes and per‑bed costs.
Anna Vera, community engagement specialist for Mercy House Living Centers, presented performance data for the Mercy House Arch Shelter. Vera said Mercy House served 84 individuals from January through May 2026, provided thousands of bed nights and roughly 23,000 meals in the reported period, and that "of the shelter guests who were exited, they went to permanent housing," which she stated as 93% of exited clients being connected to CES housing resources.
Council members asked what alternative housing options would have existed without projects such as the Valentine Road supportive housing development; Mercy House staff said movement through shelter has been constrained by available housing and credited partners including the Ventura Housing Authority for creating additional units such as Valentine Road. Council members also asked how people access shelter beds; Mercy House said referrals can come through 2‑1‑1, reservation specialists, police department referrals and downtown partners, and that they maintain a wait list.
One council member noted an approximate operating cost, saying, "it's about $38,000 a bed per year," and asked that the committee continue to monitor outcomes and costs as the city evaluates sheltering and housing strategies.
Why it matters: the Mercy House report provides performance measures that the city and funders use to assess whether contracted shelter services are linking people into permanent housing and to evaluate cost‑effectiveness.
Next steps: the subcommittee received the report as an informational item; staff will continue oversight of contracted shelter partners and bring additional outcome reports as requested.
