CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
April 2, 2025
Subject
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among West Valley Cities (Cupertino, Campbell, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and Town of Los Gatos) for a feasibility study to evaluate the potential of any temporary housing facility or emergency shelter.
Recommended Action
Authorize the City Manager to execute the MOU for the West Valley Cities Shelter Feasibility Study.
Reasons for Recommendation
By entering into the MOU, there is no fiscal obligation from Cupertino to proceed with the feasibility that will allow the west valley cities to explore a regional approach for the existing unhoused population to understand any unique demographic and service needs.
Background
The City of Campbell initiated this effort in October 2024 to fulfill its Housing Element commitments to study the feasibility of developing temporary housing facilities and emergency shelters for the unhoused. Neighboring west valley cities were consulted to explore opportunities for collaboration to enact similar housing element policies. By joining this effort, the City of Cupertino will further its commitments as outlined in HE-5.1.1 Emergency Shelters and HE-5.1.4 Low Barrier Navigation Center and Supportive Services in the City’s certified Housing Element, of adopting state required zoning changes to allow emergency shelters and navigation centers for the unhoused, by studying the feasibility of their development.
The following definitions of the various types of shelters and housing for the unhoused are as follows:
Seasonal shelters offer overnight stay during select months of the year or during extreme weather conditions (usually winter).
Emergency homeless shelters provide overnight beds, are open year-round to the general public, and have no requirement for entry.
Special needs shelters cater to a specific portion of the unhoused population, who by their nature, require higher confidentiality and have a selective requirement for entry. Examples include youth shelters or domestic violence shelters.
Navigation centers provide congregate beds at low barrier for entry for extended stays with case management and supportive services with the goal of entering individuals into temporary or transitional housing. Stays generally range between 30 to 60 days.
Temporary housing, also known as non-congregate shelters, provide separate furnished rooms with stays between 1 and 3 months per household.
Transitional housing is similar to temporary housing, but it also provides case management and supportive services with the goal of exiting individuals into stability. Stays are for extended terms that can be up to 24 months.
Permanent supportive housing is long-term housing with supportive services for individuals that experience chronic homelessness.
The City of Cupertino provides grant funding to various nonprofit organizations for supportive services to the unhoused through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Human Service Grant (HSG), and other various local and regional funding programs. While these services are vital for assisting the unhoused, some are not available throughout the year, such as the Rotating Safe Car Park program, which only operates in two month increments. Meanwhile, other programs are restricted to a select portion of the unhoused population, such as the Maitri Anjali Domestic Violence Transitional Housing program, which provides shelter and case management for women and children fleeing violence in their homes. Therefore, the City has only provided seasonal and special needs shelters to this date.
There is a need for more types of shelter and housing for the unhoused, in particular, emergency shelter and temporary housing in the City. While the City of Cupertino is an active participating member of the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care, which manages shelters for all jurisdictions in Santa Clara County, the City has yet to develop an emergency shelter that is available year-round and available to the general population within its own borders. For an unhoused person in Cupertino to be placed into a shelter, they are scored for acuity in the County Continuum of Care assessment, and if placed into an available bed, must relocate to a shelter far outside of their community. Furthermore, none of the cities in the West Santa Clara Valley have permanent shelters available to the general public throughout the year. This may pose a risk to the City as a potential exclusionary fair housing concern (which covers all aspects of housing and housing-related services, including shelters) as shelter services are segregated to specific areas of the County.
West Valley Cities Memorandum of Understanding
The City of Cupertino, along with other cities in the Santa Clara West Valley, such as the Cities of Campbell, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and the Town of Los Gatos will join efforts to collectively study the feasibility of developing temporary and emergency housing facilities, and expanding supportive services for the unhoused in the West Valley. The effort is lead by the City of Campbell, who will be responsible for funding the study in the amount of $99,000 with funds acquired through the American Rescue Plan Act and managing procurement, execution, and deliverables of the contract with the consultant conducting the study, Good City Company. The other Cities will be participating jurisdictions which agree to be included within the area of study, to share necessary data with the consultant to complete the study, and to share the findings of the study with their respective City Councils upon completion. The West Valley Cities each plan to authorize their respective City Managers to execute the MOU on the following dates:
Campbell – Council approved on February 18th
Los Gatos – February 24th
Monte Sereno – March 4th
Saratoga – March 19th
Monte Sereno – April 1st
In order to be part of the regional effort, staff recommends the Council to authorize the City Manager to execute the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and Town of Los Gatos for the joint feasibility study of development of temporary and emergency housing facilities and programs for the unhoused. The proposed MOU can be found in Attachment A.
Sustainability Impact
None
Fiscal Impact
None
Prepared by: Nicky Vu, Senior Housing Coordinator
Reviewed by: Benjamin Fu, Director of Community Development Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Legal review by: Floy Andrews, Interim City Attorney
Attachments:
A - West Valley Cities Shelter Feasibility Study Memorandum of Understanding CDBG, HSG, AHF and CDBG Annual Action Plan April, 1, 2014 PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 3