ATT 1 - Pathways to Housing — Mountain View City Council, June 10, 2025

PATHWAYS TO HOUSING

HOMELESS RESPONSE STRATEGY
IMPLEMENTATION and EXPENDITURE PLAN
Attachment 1
Table of Contents
3 4
16 35
Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
Introduction
Analysis of Current Situation: Challenges and
Opportunities
Priority Area 1: Regional Collaboration and Coordination Priority Area 2: Affordable and Supportive Housing
Priority Area 3: Homelessness Prevention
Priority Area 4: Services for the Most Vulnerable
Residents
Priority Area 5: Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
Roadmap: Vision, Principles, Goals, Strategies, and
Actions
Goal 1: Increase Regional Collaboration and
Coordination to Address the Homelessness Crisis
Goal 2: Expand and Preserve Affordable Housing and
Supportive Housing Options
Goal 3: Support Homelessness Prevention
Goal 4: Increase Access to and Continue Services for
Unhoused and Vulnerable Residents
Goal 5: Maintain Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
Implementation and Expenditure Plan
Conclusion
Appendix A - Strategies, Implementation, and
Expenditure Plan Chart
Appendix B - Overview of Existing Programs
and Services
Appendix C - Metrics Chart
Appendix D - Regional Overview
Appendix E - County District 5 Overview
Appendix F - Glossary
65 74
75 80
82 83
90 92
52 2
Alba Garza, Mountain View Los Altos
Union High School District
Alice Lee, Representative from the
Asian American and Pacific Islander
community
Amber Stime, MOVE Mountain View
Arturo Vidana, Lived Experience
Member
Brandi Jothimani, Community Services
Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos
and Los Altos Hills
Pastor Brian Leong, Lord’s Grace
Christian Church
Dr. Cheryl Ho, County of Santa Clara
Behavioral Health Services
Janleah McPherson, Mountain View
Police Department
Jody Ketcheside, Santa Clara County
Housing Authority
Malia Pires, Reach SV
Melissa Barbosa, Lived Experience
Member
Michelle Covert, County of Santa Clara
Office of Supportive Housing
Peter Katz, Mountain View Chamber of
Commerce
Priscila Bogdanic, Mountain View
Whisman School District
Priscilla Hernandez, Mountain View
Chamber of Commerce
Randy Tsuda, Alta Housing
Ray Bramson, Destination Home
Sonia Sanchez, Foothill College
Stacy Cobb, Lived Experience Member
Tom Myers, Community Services
Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos
and Los Altos Hills
Wei Qun E., The United Effort
Organization
Cafecito
CASSY
Community Health Awareness Council
Community Services Agency of
Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los
Altos Hills (CSA)
County of Santa Clara Office of
Supportive Housing /(County
Continuum of Care)
County of Santa Clara Office of
Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga
Day Worker Center of Mountain View
Hope’s Corner
LifeMoves
Los Altos Mountain View Community
Foundation
Momentum for Health
Mountain View Los Altos High School
District
Mountain View Whisman School
District
MOVE Mountain View
Pacific Clinics
Reach SV
St. Athanasius Church
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
STAND4 INC.

The Hope Hangar
The United Effort Organization
YMCA of Silicon Valley – El Camino
Branch
The Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan was developed by City staff in collaboration with Homebase, a homelessness technical assistance provider, and with input from an advisory committee and other stakeholders.

The City expresses its sincere gratitude to the Mountain View City Council, agencies, community groups, other partners, and the Coordinating Together Network who are essential to the success in establishing a continuum of homeless services to serve Mountain View residents.

City of Mountain View City
Council
Mayor Ellen Kamei
Vice Mayor Emily Ann Ramos
Councilmember Chris Clark
Councilmember Alison Hicks
Councilmember John McAlister
Councilmember Lucas Ramirez
Councilmember Pat Showalter
City of Mountain View
Executive Team
City Manager, Kimbra McCarthy
Assistant City Manager,
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Deputy City Manager,
Kimberly S. Thomas
Housing Director, Wayne Chen
City of Mountain View Human
Services Division and Housing
Department Project Team
Parneet Dhindsa,
Human Services Manager
Harsha Ramchandani, Housing Officer
Jasmine Ortega, Management Fellow

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A special thanks to the Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan Advisory Committee for sharing their experiences, providing invaluable input, and participating throughout the development of this strategy.

Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan Advisory Committee Members Coordinating Together Network
3 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
Since 2016, the City of Mountain View (the City) has
dedicated nearly $1 million in Limited Period funds per year to programs and services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In addition, the City has made important organizational changes to provide ongoing focus and staff resources to address homelessness and the needs of the
unstably housed. This includes the creation of a Community Outreach Officer position in 2017, a Human Services Division in 2021, and a stand-alone Housing Department in 2023.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020, the City launched several additional major initiatives to protect its most vulnerable residents, seeking to lessen the pandemic’s impact on the unhoused and prevent additional homelessness. This included a $5.3 million rent relief
program, funded largely through Federal rescue funds and community contributions, and the LifeMoves Mountain View interim housing program with a $2.4 million contribution from the City.

Recognizing that homelessness is a regional challenge and cities have limited expertise and no dedicated funding
streams, the City’s approach has been to proactively
collaborate with and leverage funding from the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing, the lead agency for homelessness and prevention services. The focus has been on strategies that help unhoused and unstably housed residents enter and make progress along a pathway to
permanent housing.

On June 13, 2023, the Mountain View City Council adopted the Fiscal Years 2023-25 Council Work Plan, including a priority project to develop a Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan (the Plan).
5 The City’s existing strategies to address homelessness were launched and evolved in response to community needs and resident concerns before a long-range plan could be developed and without a dedicated ongoing funding source. As Mountain View was taking action that was without precedent among other local jurisdictions, there was not a significant research base of best practices. Therefore, the Plan provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the City’s work over the past nine years, set forth a roadmap for addressing homelessness in Mountain View over the next seven-to-ten years, and explore ongoing funding needs and sources to replace annual reliance on Limited Period funds.

The Plan includes an overview of existing programs and services, an analysis of challenges and needs, and a set of five goals with strategies and action steps designed to address these needs. The primary focus of the Plan is to promote regional collaboration and leverage the City’s existing resources, authority and expertise with actions that continue and enhance a core set of current services and explore additional opportunities to build on the City’s existing response. There is also an expenditure plan that prioritizes the timing of each strategy and identifies the need for new partners and resources to implement new
and enhanced strategies.

The Plan is intended to be a living document that
will incorporate ongoing review and regular
updates based on changes in administrative or
legal guidance, community priorities, funding
opportunities, and future iterations of the
2020-2025 Santa Clara County Community
Plan to End Homelessness, the County
of Santa Clara’s roadmap for ending
homelessness in the county.

The City’s Plan is aligned with the
Santa Clara County Community Plan
to End Homelessness, which sets
clear, achievable goals to reduce
homelessness throughout the County.

Given the severe shortage of affordable
housing, the County of Santa Clara
frames this goal as striving to achieve
“functional zero,” for all unhoused
populations to prevent homelessness
wherever possible and build a system
that ensures homelessness is rare,
brief, and non-recurring.

6 1 Santa Clara County 2023 Homeless Census and Survey Reports (Point-in-Time Count): https://osh.sccgov.org/continuum-care/reports- and-publications/santa-clara-county-homeless-census-and-survey-reports-point 2 Ibid.
3 The sheltered count includes anyone living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements such as emergency shelters, interim housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or federal, state, and local government programs.
4 Santa Clara County 2023 Homeless Census and Survey Reports (Point-in-Time Count): https://osh.sccgov.org/continuum-care/reports- and-publications/santa-clara-county-homeless-census-and-survey-reports-point County and City Homelessness
The County of Santa Clara is the lead government
agency for coordinating, planning, and
distributing funding for homeless programs
and services in Santa Clara County. The agency
has implemented a coordinated, system-wide
response to homelessness, known as the County
of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System. This
system integrates the efforts of the Continuum of
Care, a consortium of partners who collectively
work to prevent and end homelessness, with
the County of Santa Clara as the lead partner.

The County of Santa Clara, through its Office
of Supportive Housing, is responsible for
applying for federal and state grants on behalf
of the region; coordinating access and referrals
to housing programs; setting performance
benchmarks; and collecting and managing data on
homelessness. The City is one of many agencies
and organizations who interface with the County
of Santa Clara’s Supportive Housing System.

According to the most recent countywide Point-in-Time Count for which data is available (2023), 9,903 people were experiencing homelessness on a given night in Santa Clara County.1 Of those, 562 people were homeless in the City of Mountain View.2 The Point-in-Time Count, which occurs every other year and seeks to enumerate all people experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County, provides a baseline for understanding homelessness in the region. The count includes both those who are living in shelter3 and those who are unsheltered -- living outside or in a place not meant for people to live, such as a car, park or abandoned building. About three-quarters of people experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County and Mountain View are unsheltered.4
With nearly 10,000 people experiencing homelessness and such a large proportion living outside, the region and the City have put considerable effort and resources into housing programs and services.

Notably, in 2023 nearly 4,500 homeless persons in Santa Clara County were housed, a 29% increase 7 from the prior year.5 Yet, despite these successes,
Santa Clara County experienced a 24% increase in the
number of people becoming homeless for the first
time.6 Across Santa Clara County, more people are
becoming homeless each year and current efforts are
not able to stem the tide. For every one household
that exited homelessness, another 1.6 households
entered homelessness in Santa Clara County for Fiscal
Year 2023-24. In Mountain View, for every household
that exited homelessness, another 2.6 households
entered homelessness.

This trend comes as no surprise considering the cost
of living, and especially the cost of housing, in Santa Clara County and the larger Bay Area region. Among
county renters between 2017 to 2021, 41% were
either severely cost-burdened or cost-burdened
(spending more than 30-50% of their income on
housing). In Mountain View, over this same time
frame, 36% of total renters were either cost-burdened
or severely cost-burdened. When households are
stretched thin in this way, one unexpected expense
or emergency can result in losing housing. The
homelessness crisis has been further exacerbated by
the expiration of the COVID-19 pandemic-era tenant
protections and financial assistance, a lack of federal and state investment in affordable housing, and
incomes not rising to meet housing costs.
5 Ending Homelessness 2023: The State of the Supportive Housing System in Santa Clara County: https://osh.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/ exjcpb671/files/documents/SOH%202023%20report%20-%20web.pdf 6 Ibid.

8 County and City Homelessness Response
County of Santa Clara Homelessness Response
Responding to the high level of need for affordable housing and the desire to efficiently utilize scarce resources, the County of Santa Clara has prioritized funding and development of housing for residents experiencing homelessness and extremely low-income households. Affordable housing development provides a path to long-term housing stability for people who are unhoused and helps prevent future occurrences of homelessness caused by extreme housing costs. In November 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved Measure A, a $950 million affordable housing bond. Measure A funding has allowed the County of Santa Clara and its partners to address the housing needs of the community’s poorest and most vulnerable residents in a significant way, funding 120 new affordable housing developments over ten years, including 4,800 new units dedicated to extremely low-income and very low-income households. The City has secured access to $80 million in Measure A funds through a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Santa Clara.

In addition to the lack of sufficient affordable housing, people experiencing homelessness may have conditions that require ongoing supportive services to keep them stably housed. The County of Santa Clara provides a wide array of other services to meet the needs of residents, including the Homelessness Prevention System, outreach, Coordinated Entry, the Housing Problem-Solving Initiative, the Here4You Call Center, emergency sheltering, interim (temporary) housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. (Definitions of these services are provided in the Glossary in Appendix F.) 9 City’s Focus Areas
The County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System provides an array of programs and services to connect those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in Santa Clara County to needed resources. While not the primary provider or funder of homeless programs and services, the City has identified several focus areas within the County of Santa Clara’s Supportive Housing System to strategically invest its resources to better serve its residents. The City has implemented a multi-pronged approach, involving collaboration and partnerships to combine and leverage resources to address homelessness and housing insecurity. Through the coordinated efforts of the Housing Department, Human Services Division, and Police Neighborhood and Events Services Unit, the City has supported affordable housing development, market-rate housing development, rent stabilization and tenant protections, safe parking, interim (or transitional) housing, permanent supportive housing, outreach, emergency sheltering, case management, supportive services, and basic services including hygiene and sanitation. The City also collaborates closely with community-based organizations, volunteer groups, and government agencies to combine and leverage resources to help as many people in need as possible. The City has convened a standing meeting since March 2020 to coordinate efforts and share information about local resources and services.

Below is a high-level summary of the City’s focus areas within the County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System with outcomes based on Fiscal Year 2023-24 data.7

OUTREACH
95 assessments completed8
$42,000 invested annually

CASE MANAGEMENT
1,302 residents received
case management9
$120,000 invested annually

SAFE PARKING

PROGRAM TYPE TARGET POPULATION GOAL
Up to 114 spaces
(as of December 2024)
31% exited to permanent
housing destinations10
$700,000 invested annually

INTERIM HOUSING
100 household capacity
49% exited to stable/
permanent housing11
$2.4M (startup operations)

PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE

HOUSING
20 households
33 individuals housed
$125,000 invested annually

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
1,300 existing units
Nearly $170M invested since 2014
Homelessness
Prevention
People at risk
of homelessness
People who have recently
lost their housing
and are homeless
Prevent
homelessness
from occurring
Help them quickly
regain housing
Housing Problem
Solving
Approximately
7,400 people accessed
temporary housing and
emergency sheltering in
Santa Clara County
25% of all people served in
temporary housing and sheltering
exited to permanent housing.
3/4 of those connected to housing did so
with the help of a subsidized housing program.
7 The benchmark for programs like Interim Housing is 41% exit into a permanent housing destination and the benchmark for programs like Safe Parking is 50% exit into a temporary or permanent housing destination. 8 The Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool assessment considers a household’s situation and identifies the best type of housing intervention to address their situation. Initiating a VI-SPDAT takes time and relationship-building to gain an individual’s trust to disclose confidential and personal information. 9 Includes clients who completed a VI-SPDAT in prior years. 10 Includes a rental unit with no ongoing housing subsidy, a tenant or project-based Housing Choice Voucher, Rapid Rehousing or equivalent subsidy, or other ongoing housing subsidy; permanent tenure by staying or living with family; and a unit owned by the client with no ongoing housing subsidy.
11 Indicates that these households may have reunited with family, signed leases (market rate, below market rate, or with time-limited rent subsidies), or otherwise exited to a place meant for human habitation. 10 Secured Grants
for Interim
Housing
$17.8M
Small
Business Relief
Programs
HOMELESS PREVENTION and SUPPORTIVE SERVICES

ESSENTIAL NEEDS

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

SMALL BUSINESS

SUPPORT
Rent Relief
including
Federal Funds
$5.3M
The Heartwood
Supportive
Housing
$9M
Utility Bill
Assistance
$1.3M
Grocery/
Essential Needs
Gift Cards
$94.8K
Guaranteed Basic
Income Pilot
Program
$2.4M
Mountain View
Solidarity Fund
$1.8M $893K
Public Beneﬁt
Commitments for
Interim Housing
$2.4M
Portable
Hygiene
Stations12
$400K
Isolation and
Quarantine
Program
$141K
25% SHELTERED 15
75% UNSHELTERED
9,903
individuals were
experiencing homelessness

MOUNTAIN VIEW
STREET/hyphen.caseBY/hyphen.caseSTREET COUNT TREND (2017-July 2024) 25% SHELTERED
75% UNSHELTERED
562
individuals were
experiencing homelessness
0 50
100
150
200
158
94 0
189
89 9
168
35 5
207
80 11
205
89 5
191
70 4
186
5 50
135
18 63
138
3535
115
2115
99 11
38 143
31 49
2017 DEC
2018
MAY
2019
JUL
2019
FEB
2020
JUL
2020
AUG
2021
JAN
2022
AUG
2022
JAN
2023
AUG
2023
JUL
2024
Passenger Vehicle Other or unspeciﬁedRV
COVID/hyphen.case19 RESPONSE
In addition to the City’s ongoing initiatives to respond to the needs of its community, the City also implemented emergency relief efforts and programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are summarized below:

Since 2016, the City has implemented organizational changes to dedicate and focus staff resources specific to homeless response. These include the following:
• Police Department: A Community Outreach Officer was added to the Police Department Neighborhood and Events Services Division (PD-NES) to serve as a liaison between social services providers and the unhoused. A Behavioral Services Unit was established to reduce the frequency of Police contact with people experiencing a mental health crisis. • Human Services Division: A new division was created in the City Manager’s Office to lead the City’s programs, services, and partnerships to meet the needs of Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents.
• Housing Department: A stand-alone department was created to align the City’s organizational structure with its robust affordable housing efforts.

Appendix B provides more information about the current array of services available in Mountain View, including those supported and funded by the City, in addition to those provided by community-based organizations and partner agencies.
12 Restrooms, handwash stations, and showers.
11 Strategic Planning Process
PHASE 1
Assessment of County and City Homelessness, such as
review of existing conditions and the County of Santa Clara and the City’s homelessness initiatives
PHASE 2
Stakeholder Engagement and Input, including the creation of an Advisory Committee
PHASE 3
Synthesis of Data and Development of Strategies
The Plan development process has occurred in three phases:

In 2023, the City hired Homebase, a homelessness technical assistance provider, to support the development of the Plan. The purpose of the Plan is to serve as the City’s roadmap for addressing homelessness over the next seven-to-ten years.
12 Analysis of Current Situation: Challenges and Opportunities The project team conducted a review of homelessness data and the City’s existing programs and services, as summarized in the sections above. In addition, the team reviewed the information provided through the stakeholder engagement process, including regular feedback from the advisory committee and input from other stakeholders to better understand the needs and opportunities to enhance services for homeless residents and those at risk of homelessness. Through this analysis, five themes emerged which are the basis of the Plan’s goals, as described later in the Plan document. Highlights of needs, opportunities, and key actions in each of these thematic areas are summarized below.

REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION
Homelessness is not defined by geographic borders and the City, as a standalone entity, cannot end homelessness on its own. While the City has a deep, valued, and long-standing partnership with the County of Santa Clara - further collaboration across all jurisdictions is needed to effectively address homelessness in Santa Clara County.

AFFORDABLE AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
The significant shortage of affordable housing contributes to hundreds of countywide residents falling into homelessness each year. While the City is a recognized leader in affordable housing development, expanding the number of units in the affordable housing pipeline will increase housing supply and prevent homelessness for vulnerable households.

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
Homelessness prevention programs are critical to avoid the escalating, long-term crisis that results from homelessness and makes it harder to address. However, current resources are not sufficient to reach all residents in need. Expanded homelessness prevention services supported by countywide funding opportunities are needed to help individuals and families prevent or quickly resolve their homelessness.

SERVICES FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
The homeless population in Mountain View is diverse and mostly unsheltered. Focused, bilingual outreach and enhanced coordination and information sharing across service providers are necessary to reach people in need, understand how best to help them and maximize their access to available services and resources.

HEALTHY AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS
The effects of homelessness are far-reaching in the community. Cross-departmental collaboration at the city and county levels is critical to ensure that the homelessness response system serves the needs of the entire community.

Themes from Data Analysis and Stakeholder Feedback
13 PRINCIPLE 4

BUILD ON WHAT WE

HAVE LEARNED AND

ACCOMPLISHED
PRINCIPLE 3

VALUE DIGNITY AND

COMPASSION
Roadmap: Vision, Principles, Goals, Strategies and Actions The Plan includes a vision statement and set of principles to help guide the goals, strategies, and actions described in the Strategy and Action Plan.

Vision Statement
The City of Mountain View is committed to working with its local and regional partners to help people at risk of losing housing remain housed and help those experiencing homelessness access services and secure available and safe housing to strive to narrow the gap to “functional zero” for all homelessness.

Guiding Principles
PRINCIPLE 1

ADVANCE REGIONAL

COLLABORATION
PRINCIPLE 2

FOSTER DIVERSITY

AND INCLUSION
14 GOAL 1
Increase Regional Collaboration and Coordination to Address the Homelessness Crisis • Strategy 1.1: Collaborate and promote action by other jurisdictions • Strategy 1.2: Strengthen partnerships to address regional homeless needs GOAL 2
Expand and Preserve Affordable and Supportive Housing Options • Strategy 2.1: Advance existing affordable housing projects • Strategy 2.2: Increase the affordable housing pipeline • Strategy 2.3: Diversify affordable housing options
GOAL 3
Support Homelessness Prevention
• Strategy 3.1: Expand existing housing stability and case management services • Strategy 3.2: Complete development and implementation of the City’s Displacement Response Strategy
GOAL 4
Increase Access to and Continue Supportive Services for Unhoused and Vulnerable Residents
• Strategy 4.1: Share information about homelessness resources • Strategy 4.2: Tailor supportive services to meet unique needs • Strategy 4.3: Maintain a sustainable base level of Safe Parking GOAL 5
Maintain Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
• Strategy 5.1: Engage and provide local businesses, community members, and City staff with resources to help address concerns related to people experiencing homelessness
• Strategy 5.2: Provide services to minimize and address environmental health concerns from litter and other waste associated with unhoused residents • Strategy 5.3: Provide public safety services to address issues associated with homelessness Goals and Strategies
The Plan identifies five goals for the City to prioritize in the years ahead requiring local and regional investments, commitments, and partnerships. Each goal has a set of corresponding strategies (13) and actions (45). The goals and strategies are summarized below. The actions are organized as efforts to either continue, enhance, or explore and are listed later in the Roadmap: Vision, Principles, Goals, Strategies, and Actions section of this report.
15 Implementation and Expenditure Plan
The Implementation and Expenditure Plan lists action items within each strategy and goal, including information regarding timelines, lead department/division, and costs.

As shown in Table 1 below, the Plan includes 45 actions of which 22 are immediate, 15 are short-term, 5 are medium-term, and 3 are long-term. (The majority of the 22 immediate actions are existing actions staff recommend continuing, as described in the Implementation and Expenditure Plan secion of this report.) The Plan identifies 28 actions as led or co-led by Human Services, 18 actions as led or co-led by the Housing Department, 9 actions as led or co-led by PD-NES, and 2 actions as led by the Fire Department. As shown, 28 out of the 45 actions can be undertaken with existing staff time.

Table 1: Number of Action Items by Timeline, Department Lead, and Cost Conclusion
Appendices
The City is committed to doing its part to address the homelessness crisis within the context of the available resources, authority, and expertise of a small-sized city responding to a complex regional issue. Since 2016, the City has made strategic and meaningful investments in programs and services that are effectively serving those in the community who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. However, the shortage of affordable housing and high costs of living in Santa Clara County, the Bay Area, and the state continue to drive up rates of homelessness. The City developed this Plan, Pathways to Housing – Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan to reflect on the City’s work over the past nine years and serve as the roadmap for addressing homelessness in Mountain View over the next seven-to-ten years through actionable goals, strategies and a plan for expenditures and implementation.
• Appendix A: Strategies, Implementation, and
Expenditure Plan Chart.
• Appendix B: A comprehensive overview of
existing programs and services in Mountain
View.
• Appendix C: Metrics Chart
• Appendix D: A regional overview of
homelessness, including a breakdown of the
available programs and services for each city
in Santa Clara County.
• Appendix E: A summary of the homeless
programs and services in the County of Santa
Clara Supervisorial District 5.
• Appendix F: A glossary of terms.

TIMELINE ACTIONS
COUNT

DEPARTMENT/

DIVISION LEAD

ACTIONS

COUNT COST ACTIONS
COUNT
Immediate 22 Human Services 28 28
Short-Term 15 Housing 18 $ 9
Medium-Term 5 PD-NES* 9 $$ 2
Long-Term 3 Fire 2 $$$+ 6
TOTAL: 45
*Police Department-Neighborhood and Event Services Unit 16 INTRODUCTION
Homelessness in the region has reached a
crisis level, driven in large part by a shortage of
affordable housing. As housing costs continue to
rise, so does the number of people experiencing
homelessness. These trends can be seen both
regionally and statewide. At the state level, a
recent report by the Corporation for Supportive
Housing, a leading homelessness policy
organization, lays out a plan to end homelessness
in California by 2035 and calls for $8.1 billion in
annual investment for housing and services.13 To
achieve the 2035 goal, California communities and
stakeholders must understand the regional nature
of homelessness, as well as the actions each
jurisdiction and its neighbors are undertaking to
prevent and end homelessness.

Across Santa Clara County, agencies have come
together to address homelessness and its root
causes through the countywide Community Plan
to End Homelessness, which identifies the need
for collaboration and investments in housing,
shelter, and services. Over 100 partners, including
15 cities and towns in Santa Clara County,
work daily to provide housing and supportive
services to people experiencing homelessness
and maintain
safe streets and
communities. With
nearly 10,000 people
experiencing homelessness
across the county, there is an urgent need for
everyone to do their part.14
The City has played a large part in these efforts to
address homelessness, investing an average of $1
million per year from its General Non-Operating
Fund, applying for and receiving $26.9 million in
State grants and philanthropic private donations,
and securing $16 million in housing services for
Mountain View residents through partnerships
with the County of Santa Clara. In addition, the
City has invested nearly $170 million since 2014
to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Through these investments and partnerships,
the City has increased the supply of permanent
and affordable housing, strengthened the crisis
response system, and provided supportive and
basic needs services to people experiencing
homelessness.

To sustain the City’s commitment and establish
a roadmap for future action, the City Council’s
Fiscal Years 2023-25 Work Plan included a
priority project to develop a comprehensive
Homeless Response Strategy Implementation
and Expenditure Plan (the Plan). This project
contributes to the Community for All and
Intentional Development and Housing Options
strategic priorities and aligns with the City’s 2023-
2031 Housing Element Displacement Response
Strategy and the 2020-2025 Santa Clara County
Community Plan to End Homelessness.
13 California Can Solve Homelessness by 2035 if we Invest $8.1 Billion Annually for Housing and Services, Corporation for Supportive Housing, December 2022: https://www.csh. org/2022/12/california-can-solve-homelessness-by-2035-if-we- invest-8-1-billion-annually-for-housing-services/
14 Santa Clara County 2023 Homeless Census and Survey Reports (Point-in-Time Count): https://osh.sccgov.org/continuum-care/ reports-and-publications/santa-clara-county-homeless-census- and-survey-reports-point

17 A variety of data is available to help understand, refine, and develop strategies to address homelessness.

The County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing reviews and collects countywide data from the Supportive Housing System for the entire county and can break the data down to help understand the unique needs and experiences of city and town residents. The data includes information about the number of people experiencing homelessness, where individuals most often sleep, the flow into and out of homelessness, the burden that housing cost places on renters, the reported precipitating factors resulting in homelessness, the demographics of people experiencing homelessness, and the inventory of housing resources compared to the need. These insights have informed the City’s focus areas to invest its resources and expertise to supplement county-level programs and services and best address the needs of its residents.

The following data emphasizes
the challenges underlying the
homelessness crisis in Santa Clara
County and the city. All data is from
Fiscal Year 2023-24 unless otherwise
noted.

With a significant portion of renters
unable to afford monthly rent
payments, the financial pressure leaves
many households in an uncertain
position, in which a single unexpected
expense – a job loss, or a medical
emergency – puts a household at
risk of homelessness. Despite the
County of Santa Clara Supportive
Housing System’s success at helping
a record number of households
resolve their housing crises in 2023,
there continues to be a significant
increase in the number of households
experiencing homelessness for the
first time. The inventory of supportive
housing needed to assist the growing
number of households falling into
homelessness continues to fall short of
meeting the need.

County and City Homelessness
18 The Number and Location of People Experiencing Homelessness in Santa Clara County and Mountain View
2023 Point-in-Time Count2023 Point-in-Time Count
Based on the 2023 Point-In-Time Count, which occurs annually on one single night in January, nearly 10,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County. Of those, 562 people were experiencing homelessness in Mountain View.

Three-quarters (75%) of people experiencing homelessness in both Santa Clara County and in Mountain View were unsheltered (i.e., living in a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, or in another place not meant for human habitation).

City Living in Vehicle Count City Living in Vehicle Count Since 2017, the Police Department’s Neighborhood and Event Services Unit has conducted a count of vehicles used for living purposes on city streets. The counts may fluctuate over time due to the mobile nature of vehicles used for living, but the trendline was declining from 2019 to 2023 and began to increase in 2024, however it has not yet reached the high levels seen historically. Since February 2020, the data does not include Safe Parking lot vehicles.

Secured Grants
for Interim
Housing
$17.8M
Small
Business Relief
Programs
HOMELESS PREVENTION and SUPPORTIVE SERVICES

ESSENTIAL NEEDS

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

SMALL BUSINESS

MOUNTAIN VIEW
STREET/hyphen.caseBY/hyphen.caseSTREET COUNT TREND (2017-July 2024) 25% SHELTERED
75% UNSHELTERED
562
individuals were
experiencing homelessness
0 50
100
150
200
158
94 0
189
89 9
168
35 5
207
80 11
205
89 5
191
70 4
186
5 50
135
18 63
138
3535
115
2115
99 11
38 143
31 49
2017 DEC
2018
MAY
2019
JUL
2019
FEB
2020
JUL
2020
AUG
2021
JAN
2022
AUG
2022
JAN
2023
AUG
2023
JUL
2024
Passenger Vehicle Other or unspeciﬁedRV
COVID/hyphen.case19 RESPONSE
Secured Grants
for Interim
Housing
$17.8M
Small
Business Relief
Programs
HOMELESS PREVENTION and SUPPORTIVE SERVICES

ESSENTIAL NEEDS

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

SMALL BUSINESS

MOUNTAIN VIEW
STREET/hyphen.caseBY/hyphen.caseSTREET COUNT TREND (2017-July 2024) 25% SHELTERED
75% UNSHELTERED
562
individuals were
experiencing homelessness
0 50
100
150
200
158
94 0
189
89 9
168
35 5
207
80 11
205
89 5
191
70 4
186
5 50
135
18 63
138
3535
115
2115
99 11
38 143
31 49
2017 DEC
2018
MAY
2019
JUL
2019
FEB
2020
JUL
2020
AUG
2021
JAN
2022
AUG
2022
JAN
2023
AUG
2023
JUL
2024
Passenger Vehicle Other or unspeciﬁedRV
COVID/hyphen.case19 RESPONSE
15 Living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (including congregate shelters, interim housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals).

Source: Homeless Census and Survey, 2023 Point-in-Time Count, County of Santa Clara.

Source: Living in Vehicle Count, City of Mountain View Police Department’s Neighborhood and Event Services. 19 Current Accommodation Current Accommodation
Individuals who have been assessed for housing self-report where they most frequently sleep, including outdoors, in vehicles, emergency sheltering, interim (temporary) housing, or couch surfing. In Fiscal Year 2023-24, there were 8,092 housing assessments completed across Santa Clara County, of which 515 were Mountain View-affiliated.16 Based on assessment data, nearly 40% of individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County report sleeping outdoors while nearly half that amount (20%) report sleeping outdoors in Mountain View. Across Santa Clara County, 22% of people experiencing homelessness are sleeping in a vehicle, compared to 34% in Mountain View.

CROSS/hyphen.caseDEPARTMENT ASSETS DEDICATED
TO HOUSING and HOMELESSNESS

HOUSING

16.5 Full-Time Equivalent Staﬀ
100% Supporting Housing
$467,791

HUMAN SERVICES

DIVISION

2.75 Full-Time Equivalent Staﬀ
75% Supporting Housing
$467,791
PD-NES

4.5 Full-Time Equivalent Staﬀ
75% Supporting Housing
$467,791

FIRE-ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION DIVISION
2 Full-Time Equivalent Staﬀ
25% Supporting Housing
$467,791
WHERE DO YOU SLEEP MOST FREQUENTLY?
Santa Clara County Mountain View
38%
22%
14%
34%
22%
17%

OUTDOORS

VEHICLE

EMERGENCY

SHELTERING

VEHICLE

INTERIM
(TEMPORARY)

HOUSING

OUTDOORS
Source: Homeless Management Information System, Fiscal Year 2023-24. 16 “Mountain View-affiliated” is based on responses to questions at the client’s first assessment including location of workplace, school, city spent most time in, city lived in prior to becoming homeless, and ZIP code of last known address.

20 Inflow and Outflow
As part of the 2020-2025 Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness, the County of Santa Clara has a goal to achieve a 30% reduction in annual inflow of people becoming homeless. • “Inflow” is defined as the number of households requesting housing assistance by completing a Vulnerability Index – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (assessment) for the first time. • “Outflow” is based on the number of people placed in permanent housing or exited to another permanent housing destination.

Both Santa Clara County and Mountain View experienced a significant number of residents placed in permanent housing in Fiscal Year 2023-24. Simultaneously, both jurisdictions experienced more people requesting housing assistance for the first time than were placed in permanent housing.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY MOUNTAIN VIEW

SANTA CLARA COUNTY MOUNTAIN VIEW
2,656
households placed in
permanent housing
4,309
households requested
housing assistance
for the ﬁrst time
For every 1 household that
exited homelessness,
another 1.6 households
entered homelessness
107
households placed in
permanent housing
283
households requested
housing assistance
for the ﬁrst time
For every 1 household that
exited homelessness,
another 2.6 households
entered homelessness
of households were renters37%
median monthly gross rent$2,719
of renter households report
being cost-burdened or
severely cost-burdened
41%
of households were renters60%
median monthly gross rent$2,855
of renter households report
being cost-burdened or
severely cost-burdened
36%
Among the housed population in Among the housed population in PRIMARY EVENT or CONDITION THAT LED to HOMELESSNESS:

Top Responses from the 2023 Homeless Census & Survey
Lost Job
Alcohol or
Drug Use
Divorce/
Separation
Breakup Eviction Other
24%
11% 9% 8% 8%
Source: Homeless Management Information System, Fiscal Year 2023-24.

Homelessness is Driven by Regional Housing Cost and Supply In Santa Clara County, high rent costs along with the overall lack of affordable housing for individuals and families with a variety of income levels have continued to drive the local and regional homelessness crisis. For decades, many cities, the County of Santa Clara, the larger Bay Area, and the State of California have failed to produce enough housing to meet the needs of the growing population.17 The limited supply has and continues to result in skyrocketing rents making housing unaffordable for a large portion of residents in Santa Clara County. A 2023 report by the California Housing Partnership showed that in Santa Clara County, a person needs to earn $58.06/hour to afford the average-priced apartment on the market,18 yet minimum wage for cities within the county ranged from $16/hour to $18.15/hour in 2023.19 The City currently has the highest minimum wage in the county at $18.75 as of 2024.20 17 Understanding Homelessness in Santa Clara County, Destination: Home. 18 Santa Clara County 2023 Affordable Housing Needs Report, California Housing Partnership. 19 California City and County Minimum Wages as of 7/1/2023, University of California at Berkeley Labor Center. 20 Mountain View Minimum Wage Ordinance, City of Mountain View. 21 High Cost-burdened HouseholdsHigh Cost-burdened Households Households that spend a significant portion of their income on housing costs are often most susceptible to falling into homelessness as their budgets do not allow for unexpected expenses. Households that spend between 30-50% of their household income on housing are considered “cost-burdened.” Households spending more than 50% of their household income on housing are considered “severely cost-burdened.” Information about housing burdens is from both the U.S. Census (2018-2022) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (2017-2021). Rates of cost-burdened households are relatively similar for both Mountain View and Santa Clara County.

Other Causes of Homelessness
Homelessness does not result from a single cause, rather from a mix of several complex and intertwined factors that differ across individual situations. The Point-in-Time Count asks about an individual’s primary cause for entering homelessness. The responses to the 2023 Point-in-Time Count question about the primary cause for becoming homeless were wide-ranging; no one answer came close to representing a majority of individuals. Individuals commonly report multiple factors rather than one single cause, further highlighting the complexity of the regional crisis and the barriers to resolving it. Commonly reported factors relate to economic challenges, such as losing employment, alcohol or drug use, and divorce, separation or breakup.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY MOUNTAIN VIEW

Top Responses from the 2023 Homeless Census & Survey
Lost Job
Alcohol or
Drug Use
Divorce/
Separation
Breakup Eviction Other
24%
11% 9% 8% 8%

SANTA CLARA COUNTY MOUNTAIN VIEW

Top Responses from the 2023 Homeless Census & Survey
Lost Job
Alcohol or
Drug Use
Divorce/
Separation
Breakup Eviction Other
24%
11% 9% 8% 8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2018-2022 data and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy 2017-2021 data.

Source: Homeless Census and Survey, 2023 Point-in-Time Count, Santa Clara County. 22 Demographics: Who is Experiencing Homelessness
Certain populations experience homelessness at higher rates than others. Homelessness demographic data for both Santa Clara County and Mountain View include the following trends:
• More men experience homelessness than women or transgender/gender non-conforming individuals;
• Three out of four individuals experiencing homelessness are single adults; • Black, Brown, and Indigenous populations are disproportionately impacted by homelessness; • More than half of all individuals experiencing
homelessness are Hispanic/Latinx; and;
• One out of four individuals experiencing
homelessness report having a physical disability.

However, there are some demographic distinctions
between Santa Clara County and Mountain View’s
homelessness data:
• In Mountain View, households experiencing
homelessness are slightly older in age than those
experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County;
and
• Individuals experiencing homelessness in Santa
Clara County have a higher rate of self-reported
drinking or drug use and mental health or brain
issues, compared to individuals in Mountain View.

23 Race/EthnicityRace/Ethnicity
An analysis of Census data compared to data collected through the homeless system of care reveals distinctions in how different racial groups are represented among the homeless population compared to the general population in Santa Clara County and Mountain View. Black, Brown and Indigenous populations are universally overrepresented in the homeless system of care. • Asian or Asian Americans and White (Non-Hispanic/Latinx) individuals are underrepresented in the homeless population in Santa Clara County and Mountain View, compared to the general population for the respective jurisdictions.
• Black, African American, or Africans are five times more likely to be in the homeless population compared to the general population in both Santa Clara County and Mountain View. • Native Americans, Alaska Natives, or Indigenous are five times more likely to be in the homeless population than the general population in Mountain View and almost ten times more likely to be in the Santa Clara homeless population compared to the general population. • Hispanic/Latinx individuals are more likely to experience homelessness compared to their non- Hispanic/Latinx counterparts in both Santa Clara County and Mountain View. They are two times more likely to be in the homeless population in Santa Clara County compared to the general population. In Mountain View, they are three times more likely to be in the homeless population than in the general population.

GENDER of INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
RACE and ETHNICITY
Santa Clara County (Multiple Responses Allowed)
Homeless PopulationGeneral Population
Santa Clara County Mountain View
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1%
9%
28%
25%
3%
15%

0.5%
7%
25%
52%
N/A1%
42%
6%
1%
5%
2%
10%
41%
28%
18%
54%
33%
6%

AMERICAN

INDIAN,
ALASKA

NATIVE, OR

INDIGENOUS

ASIAN OR
ASIAN

AMERICAN
BLACK,

AFRICAN

AMERICAN
OR

AFRICAN

HISPANIC/
LATINA
/O/X
MIDDLE

EASTERN OR
NORTH

AFRICAN
NATIVE

HAWAIIAN
OR

PACIFIC

ISLANDER
WHITE
/parenleft.capNON/hyphen.capHISPANIC/

LATINA/O/X

AMERICAN

INDIAN,
ALASKA

NATIVE, OR

INDIGENOUS

ASIAN OR
ASIAN

AMERICAN
BLACK,

AFRICAN

AMERICAN
OR

AFRICAN

HISPANIC/
LATINA
/O/X
WHITE
/parenleft.capNON/hyphen.capHISPANIC/

LATINA/O/X
Santa Clara County Mountain View
Male
60%
Female
39%
Transgender/Gender
Non-Conforming
1%
Male
60%
Female
40%
Source: Homeless Management Information System, Fiscal Year 2023-24 and U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts (July 1, 2023 Census). 24 GenderGender
Men account for 60% of people experiencing homelessness in both Santa Clara County and Mountain View.

AgeAge
Different age groups are impacted by homelessness in Santa Clara County compared to Mountain View.

People experiencing homelessness in Mountain View are older on average than in the rest of Santa Clara County and may need a different set of services than their Santa Clara County counterparts. • One in three individuals are over 55 years old in Mountain View while only one in four individuals are over 55 years old in Santa Clara County.
• There are more transitional age youth (between 18 and 24 years old) experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County (11%) than in Mountain View (6%).

0.5%
7%
25%
52%
N/A1%
42%
6%
1%
5%
2%
10%
41%
28%
18%
54%
33%
6%

AMERICAN

INDIAN,
ALASKA

NATIVE, OR

INDIGENOUS

ASIAN OR
ASIAN

AMERICAN
BLACK,

AFRICAN

AMERICAN
OR

AFRICAN

HISPANIC/
LATINA
/O/X
MIDDLE

EASTERN OR
NORTH

AFRICAN
NATIVE

HAWAIIAN
OR

PACIFIC

ISLANDER
WHITE
/parenleft.capNON/hyphen.capHISPANIC/

LATINA/O/X

AMERICAN

INDIAN,
ALASKA

NATIVE, OR

INDIGENOUS

ASIAN OR
ASIAN

AMERICAN
BLACK,

AFRICAN

AMERICAN
OR

AFRICAN

HISPANIC/
LATINA
/O/X
WHITE
/parenleft.capNON/hyphen.capHISPANIC/

LATINA/O/X
Santa Clara County Mountain View
Male
60%
Female
39%
Transgender/Gender
Non-Conforming
1%
Male
60%
Female
40%
AGE of INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
DISABILITIES of INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
27%

PHYSICAL

DISABILITY
11%

DRINKING OR

DRUG USE
26%

MENTAL HEALTH

OR BRAIN ISSUES
23%

DRINKING OR
DRUG USE 31%

MENTAL HEALTH

OR BRAIN ISSUES
Santa Clara County Mountain View
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
11%
21%
25%
17%
19%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
6%
18%
20% 20%
22%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64
Santa Clara County Mountain View
26%

PHYSICAL

DISABILITY
Source: Homeless Management Information System, Fiscal Year 2023-24. 25 Self-Reported Disability Self-Reported Disability
Individuals assessed for assistance self-report their disabilities. An analysis of the self-reported data indicates that while the proportion of people with physical disabilities is the same in Santa Clara County and Mountain View, there are differences in the percent of the population with mental health issues and substance issues in the two jurisdictions. Mountain View has a much lower percentage of people experiencing homelessness who drink or use drugs than Santa Clara County, at 11% and 23% respectively. Mountain View also has a lower percentage of people experiencing homelessness with mental health or brain issues, compared to Santa Clara County, at 26% and 31% respectively. • One in four individuals in both Santa Clara County and Mountain View self-reported having a physical disability.
• One in three individuals in Santa Clara County indicated they had mental health or brain issues, while fewer -- one in four indicated they had mental health or brain issues in Mountain View. • One in ten individuals in Mountain View self-reported participating in drinking or drug use. • One in four individuals in Santa Clara County indicated participation in drinking or drug use.

AGE of INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
DISABILITIES of INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
27%

PHYSICAL

DISABILITY
11%

DRINKING OR

DRUG USE
26%

MENTAL HEALTH

OR BRAIN ISSUES
23%

DRINKING OR
DRUG USE 31%

MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL

DISABILITY
Source: Homeless Management Information System, Fiscal Year 2023-24. 26 Household TypeHousehold Type
The homeless system of care categorizes three types of households who may be experiencing homelessness: single adults, families with children, and single youth and young adults. The breakdown of these types of households is similar in both Santa Clara County and Mountain View. • Three out of four households in Santa Clara County and Mountain View are comprised of single adults only (77% and 75% respectively).
• Less than one in five households in both jurisdictions are families with children. • Youth and young adult households are a much smaller percentage of households experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County and Mountain View (8% and 5% respectively).

Santa Clara County Mountain View
HOUSEHOLD TYPES amoung HOMELESS POPULATION
Single Youth and
Young Adults
Families with
Children
17%
Single Adult
75%
emergency sheltering
at 90% utilization
2,954
rapid rehousing units
at 75% utilization
1,602
permanent supportive housing
units at 95% utilization
4,102
unhoused households
requested housing
assistance for the ﬁrst time
4,309 need light-touch services229%
interim housing units
at 83% utilization
246
8%
Single Youth and
Young Adults
Families with
Children
18%
Single Adult
77%
5%

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

INVENTORY
NEED

MOUNTAIN VIEW
permanent supportive housing54%
need rapid rehousing or interim housing37%
half-year emergency
sheltering beds
50 specialized
sheltering beds23
45 private interim
housing units
100
aﬀordable
housing units24
~1,800
fully covered
rental units25
~12,740
partially covered
rental units26
~1,690
rent-protected
mobile homes
~1,130
chronically homeless
households for the Permanent
Supportive Housing program
20 planned units of
rapid rehousing and
permanent supportive housing
200 aﬀordable
housing units in various
stages of development
1,300 aﬀordable
below-market-rate units
under development review
382

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

INVENTORY
NEED

INVENTORY
NEED
unhoused households
requested housing
assistance for the ﬁrst time
283 need light-touch services14%
permanent supportive housing40%
need rapid rehousing or interim housing46%
27 Inventory and Need
When comparing the number of shelters and housing units with the number of individuals who are in need, the inventory of available shelter and housing units in Santa Clara County and in Mountain View is insufficient to meet the current need.21 Close to 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County, but there are less than 3,000 year-round emergency sheltering beds. The data below shows Santa Clara County inventory data from 2023 and need data for Santa Clara County and Mountain View from Fiscal Year 2023-24.
• In both Mountain View and Santa Clara County, a majority of households (9 out of 10) seeking housing assistance needed supportive housing (i.e., rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing).
• The City has plans to increase affordable housing supply, which includes an additional 200 units of rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing as part of the existing affordable housing pipeline.
21 The Santa Clara County inventory data are from 2023. The need date for Santa Clara County and Mountain View cover Fiscal Year 2023-24. 22 Includes one-time financial assistance, affordable housing, or connection to benefits 23 Includes beds at Quetzal House transitional shelter for foster-age youth and beds at Graduate House for formerly chronic homeless individuals 24 Includes 186 below-market-rate units
25 Rent stabilized and have eviction protections
26 Have eviction protections only
28 COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SYSTEM
Permanent
Supportive
Housing
Emer gency Shelter &
Basic Need Services
Coor dinated
Assessment System
Outr each
Homelessness
Prevention
Providing temporary ﬁnancial
assistance to low-income
households at risk of losing their
housing
Acting as the front door to the
community’s housing resources,
matching people experiencing
homelessness to transitional, rapid
rehousing and permanent supportive
housing programs
Engaging people experiencing homelessness to help connect them to the Coordinated Assessment System, emergency
shelter and other services
Providing a safe place to sleep, with
access to basic needs and connections to
other community resources
Providing longer-term rental
assistance, case management, and
supportive services to the most
vulnerable chronically homeless
individuals and families
T ransitional
Housing
Providing temporary, supportive
housing with case management
services
Rapid
Rehousing
Providing temporary rental subsidies
and supportive services to help
households ﬁnd and stabilize in
permanent housing
Creating new deeply
aﬀordable homes to both
house those experiencing
homelessness and prevent
more at-risk households
from falling into
homelessness
Af for dable
Housing
Development
Housing programs designed for households experiencing homelessness County and City Homelessness Response
County of Santa Clara Homelessness Response
The County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System is the coordinated, system-wide response to homelessness in Santa Clara County. The system provides an array of programs and services to connect county residents experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness to needed resources.

The infographic below outlines the County of Santa Clara’s programs, services, and housing options to move individuals and families along the pathway toward stable housing:
29 Overview
In alignment with the existing County of Santa Clara
Supportive Housing System, the City has identified
several areas of focus to strategically target its
investments, while effectively utilizing its resources and expertise. These include outreach, case management,
safe parking, interim housing and affordable housing
development. The City has developed a multi-pronged
approach involving collaboration and partnerships
to combine and leverage resources to address
homelessness and housing insecurity. Through
the coordinated efforts of the Housing
Department, Human Services Division, and
Police Neighborhood and Events Services
Unit, the City has supported affordable
housing development, market-rate housing
development, rent stabilization and
tenant protection, safe parking, interim
(transitional) housing, permanent supportive
housing, outreach, emergency sheltering, case
management, supportive services, and basic
services including hygiene and sanitation.

The City also collaborates closely with the local
Emergency Assistance Network, community-based
organizations, volunteer groups, and government agencies to combine and leverage resources to help as many people in need as possible. The City has convened a standing meeting, called Coordinating Together since March 2020, initially weekly during the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately moving to monthly in July 2021. Program and service highlights from the Coordinating Together Network and interagency partners for 2023 highlights are provided further below.

Investments and Staffing
The core strategies in the City’s response to homelessness - safe parking, outreach, case management, permanent supportive housing, and basic services including hygiene and sanitation - have been funded with one-time (Limited Period) funds since in 2016. Limited Period funding now averages close to $1 million per year. Over the past decade, the City has dedicated nearly $170 million for affordable housing and currently has 1,300 units of affordable housing in the pipeline.

City’s Focus Areas

30 In 2017, the Police Department created a Community Outreach Officer position as part of the Neighborhood and Events Services Unit at an annual staff cost of $354,500. In addition to the normal duties of a Police Officer, the Community Outreach Officer acts as a liaison between social services providers and the unhoused. In addition, the Police Department created the Behavioral Services Unit to reduce the frequency of Police contact with people experiencing a mental health crisis by providing outreach and referrals in follow up to police calls and encounters. The Behavioral Services Unit is staffed with a full-time Community Services Officer, who is an Associate Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor/Marriage and Family Therapist.

In 2021, the City created the Human Services Division in the City Manager’s Office to lead programs, services, and partnerships to meet the needs of Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents. The Division works with a network of service providers to provide housing and supportive services, connection with behavioral health services, and other basic-need human services. The annual staff cost for the Human Services Division is $623,722.

In 2023, the City established a stand-alone Housing Department to align the organizational structure with its robust affordable housing efforts. The Department’s two divisions are Affordable Housing and Rent Stabilization. The annual staffing cost
for the Housing Department is $3,906,954.

The City is recognized as a regional leader
in funding affordable housing. Governor
Gavin Newsom and the California
Department of Housing and Community
Development recently awarded the
City with the prestigious Prohousing
Designation, which acknowledges
jurisdictions that are leading the way to
promote housing development across
all income levels by reducing barriers,
streamlining the development process,
implementing effective zoning and land use
policies, and funding affordable housing.

The City is the first jurisdiction in Santa
Clara County to earn this honor.

In addition to its work promoting housing
development, the Housing Department
is currently developing a Displacement
Response Strategy as part of the City
Council’s Community for All Strategic
Priority. This Strategy includes a number
of initiatives to prevent tenants from being
displaced from their homes and the city.

City’s Response within the County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System • Short-term rental assistance
during pandemic
• Displacement Response
Strategy
• Tenant Relocation Assistance
Ordinance
• Housing Help Center
• Community Stabilization and
Fair Rent Act
• Mobile Home Rent
Stabilization Ordinance
• 24/7 portable restrooms
service with handwash
stations at program sites
• Monthly resources flyer
• Community-Based
Organization Coordinating
Together Network
• Mountain View Police
Department Community
Outreach Officer
• Nonprofit outreach and
housing assessments
• Nonprofit case
management services
• Community-based
organizations and
volunteer groups outreach
• Up to 114 parking spaces
(as of December 2024)
across 5 sites with access
to basic need services
• Up to 38 commuter parking
spaces
The City supports elements of the County of Santa Clara’s Continuum of Care through funding, partnerships and in-kind support.
• Up to 50 beds at
the half-year shelter
program
• Up to 40 foster-age
youth served at
Quetzal House
• 5 formerly
chronically homeless
adults served at
Graduate House
• 100 private units at
LifeMoves Mountain
View
• 200 planned
units for a mix of
rapid rehousing
and permanent
supportive housing
• 200 planned
units for a mix of
rapid rehousing
and permanent
supportive housing
• 20 households
served in Permanent
Supportive Housing
Program
• 1,800 existing units
• 1,300 units in the
pipeline
The infographic below highlights the City’s response within the County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing System to move individuals along the pathway toward stable housing:
31 Permanent
Supportive Housing
Homelessness Prevention
Rapid Rehousing Affordable Housing
DevelopmentInterim Housing
Basic Needs Outreach and Case
Management Safe Parking
Emergency Shelter
32 Coordinating Together Network highlights in 2023
Interagency Partner Outcomes in 202326
Cafecito
• 4 mental health workshops
• 10 Spanish-speaking refugees received necessities
Police Community Outreach
• 32 houseless individuals referred to community-
based organizations
• 104 houseless individuals referred to other housing
and shelter services
Santa Clara Housing Authority
• 404 Mountain View households assisted
• $800,203 total approximate assistance per month
County-Funded Rapid Rehousing
• 92 Mountain View individuals
• 49 Mountain View households
McKinney-Vento Students
• 265 Mountain View Whisman School District
students supported
• 70 Mountain View Los Altos High School District
students supported
Hope’s Corner
• 19,757 meals and snack bags
served to 1,244 individuals
• 1,077 showers provided
• 391 loads of laundry washed
Community Health Awareness Council
• 24 houseless clients received 10 free
counseling sessions
• 43 housing-insecure families with children accessed
Family Resource Center services
County-Funded Houselessness Prevention
• 625 Mountain View individuals
• 256 Mountain View households
Dignity on Wheels
• 2,685 showers
• 1,349 loads of laundry
Permanent Supportive Housing
• County-Funded: 109 Mountain View individuals
across 85 households were housed
• City-Funded: 34 individuals across 19 households
were housed
Valley Homeless Healthcare Program
• 588 visits
• 228 patients served
Reach Silicon Valley
• 43 households in oversized vehicles received solar
generators, solar panels, and power chargers
• 75 unhoused children received
new shoes and school supplies
• 700+ LifeMoves MV and unhoused
individuals received blankets, socks,
hygiene kits, beanies, and snack bags
• 120+ outreach contacts made
Community Services Agency
• 984 residents assisted with housing,
information referral and case management
• 3,117 individuals received nutritious groceries
• Nearly 200 clients provided with
financial assistance, totaling $279,000
• 594 loads of laundry provided
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
• 1.3 million meals served to 5,500 individuals
Day Worker Center of Mountain View
• 9,923 job placements
• 18,138 meals distributed
• 129 participants in workshops and trainings
• 288 participants in ESL classes
STAND4 Inc.
• 1,000 boxes of free groceries served
• 50 unstably housed families received free furniture
The Hope Hangar
• 22,850 pounds of food provided to 673 individuals
• $43,872 worth of food
The United Effort Organization
• 143 individuals being supported
• 318 benefit applications submitted
• 7 individuals helped to find housing
26 Santa Clara Continuum of Care and County of Santa Clara data standards for housing programs define a houseless client’s city affiliation based on workplace, school, city lived in prior to becoming houseless, and ZIP code of last permanent address at time of program enrollment. Data standards for houselessness prevention defined an unstably housed client’s city affiliation based on work location, school location, city spent most time in, and ZIP code of address at time of program enrollment.

ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH

COMMUNITY AND INTERAGENCY PARTNERS

33 STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS
PHASE 2
Stakeholder Engagement and Input
The City engaged Homebase, a homelessness technical assistance provider, to assist staff in designing and carrying out an inclusive and comprehensive process to understand the needs associated with homelessness, identify service gaps within the current system, and develop an actionable and communi- ty-led seven-to ten-year plan to respond to homelessness.

PHASE 1
Assessment of County and City Homelessness
Homebase completed an assessment of the existing systems and services in Mountain View. The work in Phase 1 included the following processes and deliverables:
• Environmental scan of City documents and data related to homelessness • Summary of homelessness response and services in Mountain View provided by the City, the County of Santa Clara, and regional and local partners
• Quantitative analysis of unhoused population demographics, causes of homelessness, and housing outcomes in the City and across Santa Clara County
Considering the many partners who contribute to efforts in Mountain View to prevent and end homelessness, the project team engaged stakeholders through a variety of approaches to help inform the development of a vision and guiding principles. The work in Phase 2 included the following processes and deliverables:
• Development of a stakeholder engagement process, draft vision statement, and guiding principles. • Engagement of stakeholders through a variety of methods, including:
◦ An Advisory Committee to provide input on process and priorities, which was comprised of:
▪ People with lived experience of homelessness;
▪ A representative from the business community;
▪ A local affordable housing developer;
▪ A representative from the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing; ▪ Social service providers, including those who provide housing and basic needs services in multiple languages;
The Plan development process occurred in three phases:
34 PHASE 3
Synthesis and Development of Strategies
The project team synthesized the information collected and developed during the first two Phases. The work in Phase 3 included the following processes and deliverables:
• Review of homelessness data and existing programs and services in Mountain View • Summary of stakeholder feedback
• Determination of challenges, opportunities, goals, strategies, and action steps The result of this process is this Plan, which lays out the challenges the City and its partners face in addressing homelessness, and practical steps within the City’s scope, as well as the exploration of poten- tial new strategies, resources, and partners.
▪ Representatives from City departments including Housing, Human Services, and Police; ▪ A representative from the faith-based community;
▪ Student homeless liaisons from local school districts; ▪ A representative from a local community college;
▪ A representative from the Santa Clara County Housing Authority; ▪ Healthcare providers; and
▪ A volunteer from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. ◦ Community Forums with one in-person forum at the Community Center and another held virtually over Zoom. The City sought to make the forums accessible for providing interpretation services at both forums and childcare and refreshments at the in-person forum. Both forums were advertised in the city’s most commonly spoken languages (Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and English).
◦ Working Sessions with a diverse set of stakeholders
including:
▪ Basic services providers
▪ Housing developers and service providers
▪ Social service providers;
▪ Community advocates;
▪ City staff and leadership; and
▪ Businesses.
◦ Interviews with community advocates and City leaders

35 ANALYSIS OF CURRENT SITUATION:

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
As part of the strategic planning process, Homebase analyzed housing and homelessness data, existing programs and services available to Mountain View residents, and feedback and information from a variety of stakeholders and sources in the community. The information was used to identify the most urgent challenges and the corresponding opportunities to address them; this section provides an overview of the identified priority areas and findings, which correlate to the five goals of the Plan.

For each priority area and related challenge, Homebase has:
• Analyzed relevant county and city data, and stakeholder feedback; • Developed statements to clearly identify the challenge; and • Highlighted opportunities to address each priority area.

PRIORITY AREA 1
Regional Collaboration and Coordination
PRIORITY AREA 2
Affordable and Supportive Housing
PRIORITY AREA 3
Homelessness Prevention
PRIORITY AREA 4
Services for the Most Vulnerable Residents
PRIORITY AREA 5
Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
36 PRIORITY AREA 1
Regional Collaboration and Coordination
The County of Santa Clara is the lead government
agency responsible for coordinating, planning,
and distributing funding for homeless programs
and services across Santa Clara County including
the following:
• Receiving and leveraging federal and state
funding dedicated to homelessness, housing,
and supportive services;
• Assessing eligibility for and coordinating
access to housing and supportive services,
such as health care coverage, food assistance,
financial assistance, and tailored programs
for eligible populations (e.g., Refugee Cash
Assistance, Trafficking and Crime Victims
Assistance Program, Cash Assistance Program
for Immigrants) and determining how limited
resources are provided to the most vulnerable
residents;
• Providing behavioral health resources,
including mental health and substance
use services, thus addressing a significant
contributing factor to the onset and
intractability of homelessness;
• Collecting, managing, and reporting on
homelessness data across the county to help
identify the scope, needs, and outcomes
associated with homelessness; and
• Collaborating with cities, service providers,
and other partners to meet the diverse needs
of people experiencing homelessness across
in the county.

While the County of Santa Clara and the
Continuum of Care (a consortium of partners
who collectively work to prevent and end
homelessness) lead regional efforts to solve
homelessness, the success of ending this regional
crisis depends on the support of many partners
including the City and other Santa Clara County
jurisdictions. As noted by City staff and a range
of stakeholders, the City has a deep, valued,
and long-standing partnership with the County
of Santa Clara. Further collaboration across all
jurisdictions is needed to effectively address
homelessness in Santa Clara County.

The City and County of Santa Clara partner
to work together in a variety of ways. A few
highlights include:

The importance of collaboration was mentioned throughout the stakeholder engagement process, and there was widespread recognition that the City cannot end homelessness on its own. The availability of housing, programs, and services in each city, along with other factors, has an impact on the scope and geographic distribution of the unhoused population across Santa Clara County. When all jurisdictions do their part, it is not left to others to fill in the gaps.

Increased collaboration among all fifteen cities and towns in Santa Clara County has the potential to optimize limited resources in more effective and meaningful ways.

Analysis of Current Regional Collaboration and Coordination Efforts 37 • Collaboration on development of affordable
and supportive housing;
• City participation in the County-led
Community Development Block Grant/
Housing Regional Meeting to share
information, learn best practices, and discuss
policies and programs with other cities in the
region;
• City contribution to the creation and
endorsement of the County of Santa
Clara’s 2020-2025 Community Plan to End
Homelessness; and
• City funding toward the County of Santa
Clara Homelessness Prevention System which
provides vital services to help Mountain View
residents avoid losing their housing.

Within the broader context of the countywide
homeless system of care, the City’s focus areas
include the following programs and services
made available through a range of partners and
City efforts:
• Basic services, such as food and hygiene;
• Affordable housing;
• Safe parking;
• Half-year emergency shelter program;
• Interim housing;
• Homelessness prevention; and
• Outreach and case management to assess
people’s needs, connect them with services,
and assist them on the path to more
permanent housing.

A key theme across stakeholder feedback was
the City’s role as a leader in affordable housing
development and development of partnerships
to provide services for people experiencing
homelessness. Stakeholders also noted there
was additional room for coordination across cities
and towns in Santa Clara County to fill existing
gaps in access to services. The City surveyed
other jurisdictions in the county and found wide
variation in the types of services available and
provided by cities and towns.

38 Challenge Challenge
The distinct roles of the County of Santa Clara and
cities as well as the close proximity of the cities
present a clear challenge -- homelessness is not
defined by geographic borders and Mountain
View cannot end homelessness on its own.

Opportunities identified through the Opportunities identified through the planning process planning process
• Enhanced communication and information
and data sharing can help cities identify gaps
and opportunities for coordinated action at
the local level and regionally.
• In light of common challenges and resource
limitations across jurisdictions, there is an
opportunity for countywide advocacy to seek
funding and policy support for affordable
housing and supportive services.

Challenges and Opportunities: Regional Collaboration and Coordination High level findings from the survey (not including
Mountain View), indicate that:

Availability of Basic Services: Most
cities and towns (10 of 14) provide basic
services, like food, clothing, and hygiene
services. However, there is inconsistency
on the specifics for the services. For
example, while more than half of the cities
and towns (6 of 10) offer mobile hygiene
(shower and laundry services), only a
few cities and towns (4 of 10) provide
dumpsters or trash pick-up.

Homelessness Prevention: More than
half of the cities and towns (8 of 14) offer
prevention resources, meaning people in
some cities may have more limited access
to these time sensitive resources.

Access to Sheltering: Only three cities
and towns have year-round emergency
sheltering, meaning that most other
cities only provide seasonal sheltering for
inclement weather, sheltering for only for
some populations, or none at all.

Safe Parking: Only six cities and towns
offer safe parking programs, and the
number of spaces does not meet the need
for any city in the county
Given the number and close proximity of cities
and towns in Santa Clara County, the needs
and actions related to homelessness within
each jurisdiction have impacts that cross
borders. The differentiation across cities and
towns demonstrates the need for the County
of Santa Clara to provide strong leadership and
coordination to ensure that people have access to
services regardless of where they reside.

39 PRIORITY AREA 2
Affordable and Supportive Housing
A common thread across the data and stakeholder feedback was the need for more housing that is affordable for the most vulnerable residents. Access to affordable housing is central to both preventing homelessness and helping people experiencing homelessness regain housing. While cities and towns do not control much of the state and federal resources invested in homelessness programs and services, there are key roles for cities to undertake when investing in and creating the necessary policy environment for housing development.

Analysis of County and City Affordable and Supportive Housing Countywide, the lack of affordable housing has reached crisis levels, and the pace of housing development is not fast enough to keep up with the need. Similarly, in Mountain View, market rate rents are well beyond what most financially vulnerable households can afford.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY MOUNTAIN VIEW

40 For many households experiencing homelessness,
affordable housing options are one piece of the
puzzle. Services such as case management to assess
eligibility and receive referrals to a range of supportive services, including behavioral health services, are
needed to help people regain and maintain housing.

Supportive housing, including permanent supportive
housing and rapid rehousing, combines rental
subsidies with these supportive services.

In Mountain View, and more broadly across Santa
Clara County, more people need supportive housing
than is available.
• There are 300 supportive housing units in Mountain View, which are currently occupied; • The City’s commitment to making supportive housing available stands out – according to the survey of other cities and towns in Santa Clara, the majority do not offer supportive housing options; and • As of August 2024, there were 282 city-affiliated households awaiting housing assistance.

Stakeholders noted that not all supportive housing types will meet the needs of all residents. For example, seniors, people with disabilities, people with chronic conditions, and those on fixed incomes are not a good match for programs such as rapid rehousing since the program requires households to be able to eventually increase their income and take over the full rent amount.

Each month, cost-burdened households are spending a large share of their income on housing with limited resources available for other needs. This leaves them especially vulnerable to falling into homelessness when an emergency happens.

Like most other cities (11 of 14) in Santa Clara County, Mountain View offers below market rate housing.

However, according to stakeholders, below market rate is still beyond what many in the community can afford due to the high median income.

What I see is that at the
core of the pandemic and the
rent increases, there are a lot of
folks on the street including older
adults and families with children.

How can we support these folks?
- Working Session Participant
In the same timeframe,
in Mountain View:
107
households exited
homelessness,
2,656
households exited
homelessness,
but 283 households
requested housing
assistance for the first time.
but 4,309 households
requested housing
assistance for the first time.

In Fiscal Year
2023-24, in Santa
Clara County:

41 We need more affordable
housing so that folks can afford their
rent once the program is over, so they
aren’t shuffled around constantly. It’s
really demoralizing to get kicked out
of where you are living.
- Working Session Participant
County of Santa Clara Use of Measure A Funds
Recognizing the integral connection between
affordable housing and homelessness prevention, the
County of Santa Clara and the City have set ambitious
housing development goals. Through the Measure A
Affordable Housing Bond, the County of Santa Clara
has approved $698 million in funding towards:27
56 housing developments and 5,824 units across 10 cities The City’s multi-year affordable housing pipeline, currently consisting of 1,800 units, seeks to add an additional 1,300 units of affordable housing in Mountain View, with 200 of those units slated to be rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing.

The City has also implemented several pro-housing policies including:
• The Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act, providing fully- or partially-funded rent control for 14,950 rental units; and
• The Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance, providing rent protection to over 1,130 mobile homes.

These types of policies were popular among stakeholders, many of whom wanted to see the City continue to advance pro-housing policies and policies that protect renters.

Challenge Challenge
• The significant shortage of affordable
housing contributes to hundreds of
residents falling into homelessness
each year.
• The shortage of supportive housing
makes it difficult for unhoused
households to regain and maintain
housing.

Opportunities identified through Opportunities identified through the planning process the planning process
• Expanding the number of units in the affordable
housing pipeline would increase housing supply and
help prevent homelessness for vulnerable households.
• Development of housing and programs for special
needs populations can provide more supportive
housing options for residents experiencing
homelessness.
• Implementation of innovative housing policies can
address the needs of populations inadequately served
by traditional housing models.

Challenges and Opportunities: Affordable and Supportive Housing Including 7 developments and 200 units of permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing in Mountain View. 27 County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing Development Update, May 2024:
https://osh.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb671/files/documents/Housing%20Bond%20Report%2024_05.24.2024.pdf 42 PRIORITY AREA 3
Homelessness Prevention
In addition to the need for more affordable housing, more support is needed to prevent people from becoming homeless, as indicated by the data and feedback from stakeholders throughout the planning process.

Homelessness prevention and “housing problem solving” are two interventions that prevent homelessness from becoming a long-term crisis for households. Prevention programs ensure that people currently housed remain stably housed. Housing problem solving aims to help individuals quickly resolve their housing crisis and regain housing without requiring long-term services and support. Both types of services often involve temporary financial assistance, such as rental assistance or rental arrears, legal support, case management, and other supportive services.

Analysis of Homelessness Prevention
The County of Santa Clara oversees innovative and effective homelessness prevention and problem- solving programs that serve people throughout the county. • The Emergency Assistance Network (EAN) is a long-standing group of safety net providers who provide temporary financial and supportive services to county residents who are at imminent risk of losing housing.
• The County of Santa Clara’s Homelessness Prevention System provides financial assistance to people at risk of becoming homeless to prevent them from becoming unhoused:
◦ The program has the capacity to serve nearly 2,500 household annually.28 ◦ 95% of participants remained stably housed while receiving services. • The County of Santa Clara’s Housing Problem Solving program provides temporary housing, financial assistance, and supportive services to people who have recently lost their housing to help them quickly regain and maintain it.
28 County of Santa Clara, The 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness: 2023 Year End Progress Report. https://osh.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb671/files/documents/2023-year-end-progress-report.pdf

OUTREACH
95 assessments completed8
$42,000 invested annually

CASE MANAGEMENT
1,302 residents received
case management9
$120,000 invested annually

SAFE PARKING

PROGRAM TYPE TARGET POPULATION GOAL
Up to 114 spaces
(as of December 2024)
31% exited to permanent
housing destinations10
$700,000 invested annually

INTERIM HOUSING
100 household capacity
49% exited to stable/
permanent housing11
$2.4M (startup operations)

PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE

HOUSING
20 households
33 individuals housed
$125,000 invested annually

43 Challenge Challenge
• Homelessness prevention and problem
solving are critical and effective strategies
for reducing homelessness. However,
current resources are not reaching all
residents in need.

Opportunities identified through Opportunities identified through the planning process the planning process
• Continuing and expanding case management, and
housing navigation can help more households
avoid or quickly resolve their homelessness.
• Exploration of countywide funding opportunities
could enable more households to access short-
term and longer-term rental assistance.

Challenges and Opportunities: Homelessness Prevention
279 Mountain View
households were served
through the Homelessness
Prevention System,29
however, 283 households
requested housing
assistance for the first time
in the same year.30
In Fiscal Year
2023-24,
The County of Santa Clara’s Homeless Prevention Program offers services countywide, including to Mountain View residents. While the City provides funding to organizations that participate in the County of Santa Clara Homelessness Prevention Program, the need exceeds the resources.

The City also operates a rent stabilization program which fully or partially covers 14,950 apartment units, limiting rent increases, providing protection from unlawful evictions, and providing mediation services to resolve landlord-tenant disputes.

Many other cities across Santa Clara County do not fund prevention and housing problem-solving services. Only about half of the cities and towns (9 of 15), including the City, offer some type of prevention or problem solving assistance. Among those that do, rent relief and landlord negotiation and mediation assistance are the most commonly offered services. The lack of city-level investment across the county can create gaps where people are unable to access services or there are not enough resources to go around.

Working session participants noted the need for more homeless prevention resources to serve additional clients, including services for immigrants with low incomes who have limited access to federally-funded programs. They also noted other gaps, such as prevention assistance being only available to people who are currently housed and named on a lease and the need for longer-term assistance. While the City provided funding for rent relief from one-time sources during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is currently no formal rental assistance program for Mountain View residents that can help with ongoing rent payments.
29 Santa Clara County Homeless Management Information System 30 Ibid.

The County of Santa Clara’s Homeless Prevention Program offers services countywide, including to Mountain View residents. While the City provides funding to organizations that participate in the County of Santa Clara Homelessness Prevention Program, the need exceeds the resources. 44 PRIORITY AREA 4
Services for the Most Vulnerable Residents
Housing-focused outreach and supportive services connect unhoused people to resources and address the barriers that prevent them from becoming housed. The City has played a key role in making such services available in Mountain View, including basic needs services, safe parking, emergency sheltering, and case management. However, there are some services that are not available within the city. Stakeholders also noted several areas where services could be enhanced to make them more accessible and better meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

Analysis of Services for the Most Vulnerable Residents
The County of Santa Clara’s crisis response system includes interim (temporary) housing, emergency sheltering, support for basic needs, and connections to resources and case management with the goal of supporting households to achieve stable housing. This includes a network of partners conducting outreach to provide health care and behavioral health services, conducting housing assessments, and providing food, clothing and other basic needs. The County of Santa Clara also operates the Here4You Hotline, which provides centralized referrals to emergency sheltering, homelessness prevention services, and other community resources based on client needs.

Temporary Housing and Sheltering
Since 2020, countywide temporary housing and sheltering capacity has increased by 44% to a total of 2,717 units. In 2023:31
Despite this increase in capacity, across both the county and in Mountain View, 75% of people experiencing homelessness are living outside. Many have been living unsheltered for extended periods and are often disconnected from the resources they need to exit homelessness and achieve stability.

Furthermore, approximately half of cities in Santa Clara County (7 of 15) do not offer year-round sheltering or any sheltering at all.

Shelter options for Mountain View residents include the following:
• A year-round youth shelter for North County residents; and • A half-year emergency shelter program near Mountain View’s downtown that serves single women and families.

OUTREACH
95 assessments completed8
$42,000 invested annually

CASE MANAGEMENT
1,302 residents received
case management9
$120,000 invested annually

SAFE PARKING

PROGRAM TYPE TARGET POPULATION GOAL
Up to 114 spaces
(as of December 2024)
31% exited to permanent
housing destinations10
$700,000 invested annually

INTERIM HOUSING
100 household capacity
49% exited to stable/
permanent housing11
$2.4M (startup operations)

PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE

HOUSING
20 households
33 individuals housed
$125,000 invested annually

Since then, the City has made great strides to form
partnerships, encourage regional solutions, and
put in place policies and programs in an arena
where best practices are still evolving. As a result
of its efforts, the City has established what is
currently the largest Safe Parking program in Santa
Clara County, with 114 spaces (as of December
2024) across several locations for all types of vehicles, including recreational vehicles.

In recognition of the fact that the level of need far outstrips the number of spaces, the City has undertaken multiple actions to try to find additional lots to expand the safe parking program including the following:
• Developed a Safe Parking Ordinance and permit program for private lot owners; • Funded all necessary site preparation and setup for current program sites; • Established a subcommittee of the Human Relations Commission to conduct outreach and identify new lot opportunities; and
• Engaged with numerous private, faith, and nonprofit parking lot owners on multiple occasions, including looking into specific suggestions from stakeholders. 114 safe parking spaces
across several locations
for all types of vehicles,
including recreational vehicles.

In FY 2023-24, 31% exited
the program to permanent
housing destinations.

46 By and large, unfortunately, these efforts have been unsuccessful in securing additional lots. The one strategy where the City has experienced some success is partnering with affordable housing developers for the temporary use of their sites until their housing projects are ready for construction. This was the model for the Terra Bella and Evelyn sites and the City is in discussions for another possible site following this model.

In the region, there is a significant gap between the number of people living in vehicles and the number of safe parking spaces. No one entity acting on their own can meet this need. Only seven cities in Santa Clara County offer safe parking programs, including the City. Some of these programs are in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, which has its own funding limitations. In staff’s conversations with the County of Santa Clara, the County has indicated that increased funding for the City’s Safe Parking program is unlikely beyond the current contract amount of approximately $1.7 million.

Another important consideration is the effectiveness of safe parking in meeting the long-term needs of unstably housed residents. Although helpful for some, it is not a permanent housing solution and does not provide the supports that year-round emergency sheltering and interim housing can provide.

Considering these challenges – the difficulty identifying sites for safe parking and securing funding for ongoing operations and the limitations of safe parking as a long-term solution – it is useful to think of maintaining some base level of safe parking as part of a broader mix of strategies. 47 Outreach and Basic Needs Services
Outreach and basic needs services are a critical
piece of the crisis response system. At the county
level, outreach efforts are often concentrated in
areas with larger homeless populations and cities
are often left to fill in the gaps. In Mountain View,
the Police Department provides outreach to people
experiencing homelessness and the City funds and
partners with community organizations who provide
outreach. The City provides funding for basic services
like meals, as well as sanitation and hygiene services.

However, not all jurisdictions provide basic needs services. According to the City’s survey of other jurisdictions (not including Mountain View):
• A little more than half of jurisdictions (8 of 14) provide street outreach services. • Half of the jurisdictions (7 of 14) provide mobile hygiene services (shower and/or laundry). • Some cities and towns (4 of 14) provide dumpsters or trash services at encampments or in areas outside of public rights of way.
• Only a few cities and towns (2 of 14) offer portable restrooms with hand-washing stations.

There used to be more
portable restrooms available
during COVID, but that has been
reduced a lot since then. Folks
need more hygiene and laundry
services and activities to build
community.
- Working Session Participant
104 individuals connected to
sheltering and other services
32 individuals connected
to community-based
organizations

48 Accessibility of Services
Stakeholder feedback indicated that services for homeless residents were less accessible to certain populations and that more cultural competency would deepen access for people experiencing homelessness. For example, Mountain View is home to a large Hispanic/Latinx population; many of these individuals are Spanish-speaking and may require specialized engagement and services. While this population represents less than 20% of the general population of Mountain View, they comprise 57% of people experiencing homelessness in the city.32 Community-based organizations provide some specialized services, such as English as a Second Language classes and connecting Spanish-seeking refugees to basic needs.

However, stakeholders noted several gaps including:
• Mountain View Police Department’s Outreach Team does not include a full-time bilingual staff; • Mandarin speakers have even more limited access to assistance; and • There are gaps in services for immigrants with low incomes.

In addition to language access, some organizations expressed that the City does not have tailored resources for LGBTQ+ clients or clients with disabilities.

Challenge Challenge
• With a large, diverse, and mostly
unsheltered homeless population,
the services available in Mountain
View are not sufficient to meet
the needs of the most vulnerable
residents.

Opportunities identified through Opportunities identified through the planning process the planning process
• Enhancing and tailoring outreach can improve
homeless residents’ access to useful information and
resources.
• Obtaining data on demographics of unhoused
populations, especially the living-in-vehicle
community, can help better address their needs.
• Maintaining a sustainable, base level of Safe Parking and continuing to analyze outcomes to assess the
program’s effectiveness can help in moving clients
along the pathway to more stable housing.

Challenges and Opportunities: Services for the Most Vulnerable Residents 32 Santa Clara County Homeless Management Information System and the United States Census Bureau.

49 PRIORITY AREA 5
Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
As described throughout the Plan, those experiencing homelessness face devastating circumstances and impacts. There are also ripple effects on the broader community related to the unhoused. Residents and businesses have expressed public health and safety concerns and a desire to have more information and support on how to help the unhoused community in need.

Analysis of Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
As previously noted, 75% of homeless individuals in Santa Clara County and Mountain View (over 7,000 and 400 people respectively) are unsheltered. For these people, this means the functions of daily living and the difficulties of living unhoused happen in the open and without the types of resources that people with housing or living in a supportive setting can count on. Feedback from stakeholders and the experience of City staff have identified many impacts, which are summarized below.

Health and Safety Concerns
• Leaking and the disposal of biological waste on city streets, along creeks, and in other public places causes significant concern regarding human and environmental health. • Belongings and debris kept outside of vehicles used for habitation can block the public right-of- way and create blight.
• Cooking and other activities in lived-in recreational vehicles have resulted in fires on a number of occasions.
• Mental health and substance use challenges among homeless individuals are exacerbated by the experience of living unhoused and can result in unpredictable, erratic or even violent behavior. The conduct of those struggling with such challenges and facing the desperation of homelessness can generate public safety concerns and impacts.

The City’s strategies for actively responding to health and safety concerns include:
• Providing 24/7 portable restrooms with handwash stations at program sites; • Funding for mobile shower and laundry services at safe parking sites; • Providing annual fire and safety inspections at existing safe parking sites and safety information to all recreational vehicles identified as lived in;
• Participating in interagency coordination for encampment clean-up and in the County of Santa Clara’s Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan;
• Adopting and enforcing a Public Discharge Ordinance, which is enforceable by signage throughout the city (continual communications are shared with the Coordinating Together Network and distributed by the Police Department Community Outreach Officer to individuals living in vehicles);
50 Stakeholders including community members, service providers, business owners, and City staff provided consistent feedback about the ongoing need to connect people experiencing homelessness with resources and services. Priority Area 4 discusses the challenges and opportunities for the most vulnerable populations and the Plan includes strategies and actions to meet the needs of those living unhoused.

The Police’s hands are tied.

They just jolly people off my property
to someone else’s. There’s a limit to
what they can do. But maybe a team
outside law enforcement [who] are
the ones who come, unless it is a 911
emergency.
- Working Session Participant
• Conducting a Biannual Clean Streets
Program, supported by a cross-
departmental team that meets monthly
to review the condition of the public-
rights-way;
• Contracting with a vendor for biohazard
waste clean-up;
• Installing full trash capture devices
around safe parking program sites;
• Adhering to the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System/Municipal
Stormwater Permit Requirements
• Creating a Community Outreach Officer
position as part of the Police Department Neighborhood and Events Services Unit, to act as a liaison between social services providers and the unhoused; • Creating the Behavioral Services Unit to follow up on calls for service and encounters regarding people experiencing a mental health crisis and provide outreach and referrals in order to reduce the need for and frequency of law enforcement contact; • Supporting the Momentum for Health TRUST Program, which conducts outreach to unhoused and vulnerable residents to provide mobile mental health crisis response services; • Partnering with the County of Santa Clara Mobile Crisis Response Team, which provides crisis screening, assessment, intervention, and referral to behavioral health services, usually accompanied by law enforcement liaisons for on-the-scene safety; and • Partnering with the County of Santa Clara to share information about behavioral health and substance use prevention services with the community.
51 In addition, actions are needed to ensure public spaces, such as parks, libraries, neighborhoods, and business centers are kept safe, clean, and welcoming for all residents.

Business owners expressed feeling ill-equipped to respond to individuals in crisis and cited a need for professional help. One suggestion was to provide an alternative to law enforcement, such as a 24/7 multidisciplinary street outreach team to assist community members in crisis or with mental health and substance use issues. In addition, business owners expressed the need for information about resources so they can help connect those in distress
who are in and around their businesses with
the appropriate services. While the City
coordinates with Momentum for Health
TRUST Program, which helps to educate
the business community downtown and
throughout Mountain View about its mobile
response team, stakeholders identified
the need for more information sharing and
connections.

Stakeholders also cited a need for more
accessible services that meet people where
they are to address basic needs, such as a
day center or service hub where multiple
community-based organizations and physical
and behavioral health service providers can
come together to offer services.

Challenge Challenge
• While unhoused residents bear the
brunt of the homelessness crisis, its
effects impact the entire community.

Opportunities identified through Opportunities identified through the planning process the planning process
• Communicating with local businesses and community
members regarding available homeless and crisis
services supports their ability to respond effectively
and connect people to resources.
• Continuing and enhancing City-run programs fosters
clean neighborhoods and public safety for the entire
community.
• Supporting collaboration and sharing of information
between local providers can streamline and increase
access to services.

Challenges and Opportunities: Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods Emotional distress is a big issue.

We have people who are at risk of
homelessness or couch surfing and
people who have been chronically
homeless, who have emotional
problems that staff struggle to
accommodate – they are not trained
to be able to address these needs.
- Working Session Participant
52 ROADMAP: VISION, PRINCIPLES,

GOALS, STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS
Based on the challenges and opportunities discussed in the prior section, the Plan identifies five goals for the City to prioritize in the years ahead requiring local and regional investments, commitments, and partnerships.

INCREASE REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND

COORDINATION TO ADDRESS THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS

EXPAND AND PRESERVE AFFORDABLE

AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OPTIONS

SUPPORT HOMELESSNESS

PREVENTION

INCREASE ACCESS TO AND CONTINUE SERVICES

FOR UNHOUSED AND VULNERABLE RESIDENTS

MAINTAIN HEALTHY AND

SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS
A Strategy and Action Plan as well as an Implementation and Expenditure Plan to support accomplishment of these goals are outlined on the next page. 53 STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN
The Strategy and Action Plan (the Strategy) establishes a vision and set of principles, which guide the strategies and actions. The vision statement reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to respond to homelessness through regional collaboration, dignity and compassion, and equitable access to services.

Vision Statement
The City of Mountain View is committed to working with its local and regional partners to help people at risk of losing housing remain housed and help those experiencing homelessness access services, and secure available and safe housing to strive to narrow the gap to “functional zero” for all homelessness.

Guiding Principles
PRINCIPLE 1

ADVANCE REGIONAL COLLABORATION
Meaningfully engage and collaborate with the community and across jurisdictional boundaries and sectors to develop, refine, and execute intentional, innovative, and sustainable action to help reduce homelessness.

PRINCIPLE 3

VALUE DIGNITY AND COMPASSION
Ensure a coordinated response to homelessness that upholds the worth and dignity of all community members, regardless of their housing status.

PRINCIPLE 2

FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Embrace diversity and inclusivity and build a sense of community within Mountain View with a shared commitment to addressing homelessness.

PRINCIPLE 4

BUILD ON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED AND ACCOMPLISHED
Invest resources and funding to continue housing and services already in place and take the opportunity to enhance those efforts for greater impact. 54 The Strategy is driven by and builds on the City’s existing programmatic priorities and policy directions, the primary objective of which has been to support the transition to stable housing. This objective is consistent with a broader local, county, state and federal policy framework, articulated in the City’s Community for All goal and 2023-2031 Housing Element, 2020-2025 Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness, and the 2020-2025 Federal Consolidated Plan for Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds. The City’s core programs and policies to support the transition to stable housing a include outreach, case management, safe parking, interim housing, permanent supportive housing, and affordable housing. The Strategy lays out strategies and actions that continue and enhance key existing initiatives and explore opportunities to build on the City’s existing homelessness response.

CONTINUE activities the City is currently undertaking, which consist of programs, services, and investments that are working to prevent and reduce homelessness while being within the scope and authority of the City.

ENHANCE the current work that already has a meaningful impact on the community, wherever possible. Enhancements may represent deeper investments, expansion of projects, additional collaboration with local partners, neighboring cities and towns, the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing.

EXPLORE supplementary opportunities to build on the City’s existing homelessness response that could lead to greater investments and deeper impact. The opportunities may require longer-term focus, significant additional funding, and recognition that solutions are beyond work the City can lead on its own.

Strategy and Action Plan Framework

55 Leading Implementation
The Human Services Division leads the City’s programs, services, and partnerships to meet the needs of Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents to improve the quality of life for all residents. This includes developing policy recommendations and response strategies; coordinating with community-based organizations, nonprofits, and intergovernmental partners; managing cross-departmental planning; promoting access to essential services; and administering budgets, agreements, and grants.

The Housing Department advances diverse, inclusive, and equitable communities by developing and implementing a wide range of housing policies and programs related to affordable housing, rent stabilization, and tenant protection. The Department seeks to reduce barriers and increase access to housing opportunities and resources through intentional program design, education, outreach, and translation/interpretation services.

Table 2: High-level Overview of Ongoing Routine Programs and Services

HUMAN SERVICES DIVISION HOUSING DEPARTMENT
Participate in the Community Development
Block Grant/Housing Regional Meeting.

Continue ongoing implementation of the
Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act.

Fund and conduct the General Fund-supported
public service grant process to support services
for vulnerable populations.

Continue ongoing administration of the Mobile
Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

Conduct ongoing analysis of outcomes for Safe
Parking Program participants.

Carry forward the implementation of the Tenant
Relocation Assistance Ordinance.

Engage with the County of Santa Clara Office of
Supportive Housing on transition plans for the
current temporary Safe Parking sites at Evelyn
and Terra Bella.

Sustain the Housing Help Center.

Convene the City’s ongoing Coordinating
Together Network.

Maintain the Mountain View Mediation
Program, in partnership with Project Sentinel
Participate in the County of Santa Clara Safety
Net Meeting and Service Provider Network.

Conduct the Community Development Block
Grant public service grant process.

Promote the County of Santa Clara’s “Housing
Problem Solving Initiative”.

Meet with affordable housing service providers
to share information and ideas on how to
respond to residents’ public safety requests.

Provide annual updates on the Plan’s progress.

Collaborate with community partners on
outreach to unhoused and unstably housed
residents.

Distribute educational flyers regarding pertinent
City Codes.

Deepen understanding of the Homeless
Management Information System data.
56 Table 2 below provides a high-level overview of the routine administrative services, program coordination, collaboration with community partners, and education and outreach conducted by the Human Services Division and Housing Department as part of their ongoing routine work. 57 Table 3 below provides a summary of the 45 actions in the Plan and the breakdown of each action’s framework. Of the 45 recommended actions, 25 are Continued initiatives, 8 are recommended Enhancements, and 12 actions are to be Explored.

Table 3: Summary of Plan’s Framework

FRAMEWORK COUNT
Continue 25
Enhance 8
Explore 12
Total Actions: 45

58 # ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE
Goal 1: Increase Regional Collaboration and Coordination to Address the Homelessness Crisis Strategy 1.1: Collaborate and promote action by other jurisdictions

1.1.a
Work with regional partners on
legislative advocacy to obtain state and
federal funding to support the Plan, to be
included in the next Housing Element.

Continue Immediate

1.1.b
Develop a digital toolkit of homeless
programs and policy best practices to
provide implementation guidelines for
other jurisdictions.

Explore Short-Term
Strategy 1.2: Strengthen partnerships to address regional homeless needs

1.2.a
Convene quarterly regional meetings
with adjacent jurisdictions to coordinate
and share information about homeless
programs and services.

Explore Immediate

1.2.b
Pilot a street outreach program with
neighboring cities, to be staffed by
non-public safety personnel.

Explore Short-Term
Goal 1 strategies and actions respond to the following identified challenges and opportunities:

GOAL 1
Increase Regional Collaboration and Coordination to
Address the Homelessness Crisis
• Homelessness is not defined by geographic
borders and the City cannot end
homelessness on its own.
• Enhanced communication, information and
data sharing can help cities identify gaps and
opportunities for coordinated action at the
local level and regionally.
• In light of common challenges and resource
limitations across jurisdictions, there is an
opportunity for countywide advocacy to seek
funding and policy support for affordable
housing and supportive services.
59 Goal 2 strategies and actions respond to the following identified challenges and opportunities:
# ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE
Goal 2: Expand and Preserve Affordable and Supportive Housing Options Strategy 2.1: Advance existing affordable housing projects

2.1.a Implement the City’s current 1,300 unit housing pipeline. Continue Medium-Term

2.1.b Partner with the private sector, philanthropy, and public agencies to secure new funding sources for affordable housing. Continue Short-Term Strategy 2.2: Increase the affordable housing pipeline

2.2.a
Expand the existing affordable housing pipeline, which
includes an additional 200 units of rapid rehousing or
permanent supportive housing, to be included in the
Shoreline Area Plan.

Enhance Long-Term

2.2.b
Assess the City’s regulatory framework and land use
regulations to address any barriers to housing development in accordance with the adopted Housing Element.

Explore Long-Term
Strategy 2.3: Diversify affordable supportive housing

2.3.a Support the development of innovative housing for special needs and vulnerable populations. Explore Long-Term

2.3.b
Evaluate options to increase the supply of affordable
housing units, including very low and extremely low-income units.

Explore Short-Term

2.3.c
Continue exploring Interim Housing solutions, such as the LifeMoves Mountain View project at 2566 Leghorn, with
developers and operators to strive to narrow the gap to “functional zero” for all unhoused subpopulations.

Continue Short-Term
GOAL 2
Expand and Preserve Affordable and Supportive Housing Options • The significant shortage of affordable housing
contributes to hundreds of residents falling
into homelessness each year.
• The shortage of supportive housing makes it
difficult for unhoused residents to regain and
maintain housing.
• Expanding the number of units in the
affordable housing pipeline would increase
housing supply and prevent homelessness for
vulnerable households.
• Development of housing and programs for
special needs populations can provide more
supportive housing options for residents
experiencing homelessness.
• Implementation of innovative housing
policies can address the needs of populations
inadequately served by traditional housing
models.
60 Goal 3 strategies and actions respond to the following identified challenges and opportunities:
# ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE
Goal 3: Support Homelessness Prevention
Strategy 3.1: Expand existing housing stability and case management services

3.1.a Provide ongoing funding for the current Permanent Supportive Housing Program for 20 households. Continue Immediate

3.1.b Provide ongoing funding for current homeless prevention case management services. Continue Immediate

3.1.c
Provide additional funding to expand the Permanent
Supportive Housing Program to increase the number of
households receiving resources.

Enhance Medium-Term

3.1.d
Explore a homeless prevention emergency direct financial assistance rent relief program, with CSA as the Emergency Assistance Network provider.

Explore Short-Term
Strategy 3.2: Complete the development of and implement the City’s Displacement Response Strategy

3.2.a Develop a program for the acquisition/preservation of rent-stabilized housing units. Continue Short-Term

3.2.b Develop a community ownership action plan for innovative housing models. Continue Short-Term

3.2.c Implement a local ordinance to require the replacement of protected units. Continue Short-Term

3.2.d
Evaluate options for alternatives to housing displace-
ment including first right of return, affordable housing preferences, etc.

Continue Medium-Term
GOAL 3
Support Homelessness Prevention
• Homelessness prevention and problem
solving are critical and effective strategies
for reducing homelessness, however, current
resources are not reaching all residents in
need.
• Continuing and expanding case management
and housing navigation can help more
households avoid or quickly resolve their
homelessness.
• Exploration of countywide funding
opportunities could enable more households
to access short-term and longer-term rental
assistance.
61 Goal 4 strategies and actions respond to the following identified challenges and opportunities:
# ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE
Goal 4: Increase Access to and Continue Supportive Services for Unhoused and Vulnerable Residents Strategy 4.1: Share information about homelessness resources

4.1.a Publicize existing programs and services provided by CSA in their role as the City’s homeless resource hub. Continue Immediate

4.1.b
Partner with County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health
Services and share information about mental health and
substance use prevention services.

Continue Immediate

4.1.c Continue current funding to CSA for bilingual case manage- ment staffing for outreach and housing assessments. Continue Immediate

4.1.d Expand funding for CSA case management staffing to expand the outreach scope to the at-large, unhoused population. Enhance Short-Term

4.1.e Increase communication and outreach to non-English-speaking communities. Enhance Immediate

4.1.f
Continue and expand outreach distribution of information and referral resources to unhoused residents and the
community at large, including distribution of existing County resource cards and monthly posting of the City resource flyer on the City’s website.

Continue Immediate

4.1.g
Explore opportunities for CSA to periodically host nonprofit community partners to enhance or expand services available at CSA, the City’s homeless resource hub.

Explore Immediate

4.1.h
Explore opportunities for the City to offer some Housing Help Center clinic hours at CSA and for CSA to share information about its homeless prevention and housing support services during City-based Housing Help Center clinic hours.

Explore Immediate
GOAL 4
Increase Access to and Continue Services for
Unhoused and Vulnerable Residents
• With a large, diverse, and mostly unsheltered
homeless population, the services available in
Mountain View are not sufficient to meet the
needs of the most vulnerable residents.
• Enhancing and tailoring outreach can
improve homeless residents’ access to useful
information and resources.
• Obtaining data on demographics of unhoused
populations, especially the living-in-vehicle
community can help better address their
needs.
• Maintaining a sustainable, base level of Safe
Parking and continuing to analyze outcomes
to assess the program’s effectiveness can help
in moving clients along the pathway to more
stable housing.

Table continued on next page
62 Strategy 4.2: Tailor supportive services to meet unique needs

4.2.a
Provide pilot funding to local organizations such as Reach SV and the United Effort Organization to address needs
identified through the County of Santa Clara’s Mountain View provider network.

Explore Short-Term

4.2.b
Conduct a one-time survey to the living-in-vehicle commu- nity to gain additional insights and help tailor existing programs, as feasible.

Explore Medium-Term
Strategy 4.3: Maintain a sustainable base level of Safe Parking

4.3.a Recognize and maintain the City-owned Shoreline Lot B as the City’s base level of service for the Safe Parking Program. Continue Immediate

4.3.b Engage with faith-based partners to support reopening of Safe Parking sites. Continue Immediate

4.3.c
Continue relationships with affordable housing developers interested in providing space for a new temporary Safe
Parking site.

Continue Immediate

4.3.d
Pursue an expansion of Safe Parking capacity, maintaining base capacity at Shoreline Lot B, to be funded by the Shore- line Regional Park Community Fund.

Enhance Short-Term
63 Goal 5 strategies and actions respond to the following identified challenges and opportunities:
# ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE
Goal 5: Maintain Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
Strategy 5.1: Engage and provide local businesses, community members, and City staff with resources to help address concerns related to people experiencing homelessness

5.1.a
Partner with Momentum for Health TRUST Program to
promote awareness and use of mobile mental health crisis response services.

Continue Immediate

5.1.b Share information about resources available to address health and safety concerns. Enhance Immediate

5.1.c Provide communitywide Mental Health First Aid trainings. Enhance Short-Term

5.1.d Explore providing Narcan as part of first aid resources at City facilities. Explore Short-Term
Strategy 5.2: Provide services to minimize and address environmental health concerns from litter and other waste associated with unhoused residents

5.2.a Maintain the Biannual Clean Streets Program. Continue Immediate

5.2.b Conduct the Annual Living-in-Vehicle Count in Mountain View. Continue Short-Term

5.2.c Support hygiene and basic health and safety services at program service delivery sites. Continue Immediate
GOAL 5
Maintain Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
• While unhoused residents bear the brunt of
the homelessness crisis, its effects impact the
entire community.
• Communicating with local businesses and
community members regarding available
homeless and crisis services supports their
ability to respond effectively and connect
people to resources.
• Continuing and enhancing City-run programs
fosters clean neighborhoods and public safety
for the entire community.
• Supporting collaboration, coordination
and sharing of information between local
providers can streamline and increase access
to services.

Table continued on next page
64 5.2.d Continue coordination across City departments and external agencies for encampment clean-up. Continue Immediate

5.2.e Participate in the County of Santa Clara’s Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan. Continue Immediate

5.2.f Provide garbage receptacles as part of the Biannual Clean Streets Program. Enhance Short-Term
Strategy 5.3: Provide public safety services to address issues associated with homelessness

5.3.a Continue communitywide public safety outreach and referrals. Continue Immediate

5.3.b Provide annual fire and safety inspections and safety infor- mation at existing safe parking sites. Continue Immediate

65 IMPLEMENTATION AND

EXPENDITURE PLAN
Table 4: Implementation and Expenditure Plan Legend
The Strategy sets a course for collective action to guide current and future planning for further addressing homelessness in Mountain View. The City will take a phased approach (with immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term actions) to fund continued, enhanced, and new programs and services over the next seven-to-ten-years. This approach will include a consideration of City funding (either Limited-Period or ongoing), grant or philan- thropic funding (as applicable), and over time, incorporation of established programs into the City’s base budget. Specific sources for funding are not currently identified. If the Strategy is approved by Council, recommended funding would be built into long-range forecasts, as would any funding sources that may be developed. Until then, the City will continue to partner, leverage, and compete for federal and state level grants as recommended by the consultant and legislative advocates.

The Implementation and Expenditure Plan lists action items within each strategy and goal, including information regarding timelines, lead department/division, and cost. • The legend for this additional information is summarized in Table 4. • A summary of the actions by each of these categories is in Table 5. • A summary of recommended expenditures for continuation of existing programs, enhancement of existing programs and exploration of new initiatives is included in Tables 6, 7 and 8 respectively.

TIMELINES DEPARTMENT/

DIVISION LEAD COST
Immediate:

Less than 1 year Human Services Division
Action does not require funding
beyond existing staff time
$ Estimated to be
less than $149,999
$$ Estimated to be
$150,000 - $299,999
$$$ Estimated to be
$300,000 - $499,999
$$$$ Estimated to be
$500,000 - $1M+
Short-Term:
1-3 years Housing
Medium-Term:
4-7 years PD-NES*
Long-Term:
7+ years Fire Department
*Police Department-Neighborhood and Event Services Unit 66 Timelines
The Implementation and Expenditure Plan is envisioned to be a seven-to-ten-year plan and subject to change to meet evolving community needs. Each action item has been designated with an implementation timeline of immediate, short-term, medium-term, or long-term as defined above.

Department/Division Lead
The Plan and its goals, strategies and actions were created through a joint departmental effort consisting of the City Manager’s Office - Human Services Division (Human Services Division), Housing Department, Police Department - Neighborhood and Event Services (PD-NES), and Fire Department. Each action has been assigned to one or more lead departments to implement and/or track the action’s progress.

Costs
The City has provided significant funding for homeless initiatives since 2016, using one-time funding sources. However, other than the funding for staff positions focused on this work, there is no dedicated, ongoing funding source for homeless initiatives and funding is requested on an annual basis to continue existing efforts.

Therefore, the Implementation and Expenditure Plan includes the funding needed for both existing initiatives and any enhanced or new recommended initiatives. The cost ranges for each action are noted with the icons defined in Table 4 above. In summary, the expenditures are recommended to:
continue Safe Parking, Outreach, Homeless Prevention Case Management, the Permanent Supportive Housing Program, and Basic Services including hygiene and sanitation; enhance the Outreach scope to the at-large unhoused population and the number of households served in the existing Permanent Supportive Housing Program with the County of Santa Clara; and explore a modest emergency direct financial assitance program, pilot multi-city street outreach and a few other targeted investments.

As shown in Table 5 below, the Plan includes 45 actions of which, 22 are immediate, 15 are short-term, 5 are medium-term, and 3 are long-term. (The majority of the 22 immediate actions are existing actions staff recommend continuing, as described in the prior Plan section of the Report.) The Plan identifies 28 actions as led or co-led by Human Services, 18 actions as led or co-led by the Housing Department, 9 actions as led or co-led by PD-NES, and 2 actions as led by the Fire Department. As shown, 28 out of the 45 actions can be undertaken with existing staff time.

Table 5: Number of Action Items by Timeline, Department Lead, and Cost

TIMELINE ACTIONS
COUNT

DEPARTMENT/

DIVISION LEAD

ACTIONS

COUNT COST ACTIONS
COUNT
Immediate 22 Human Services 28 28
Short-Term 15 Housing 18 $ 9
Medium-Term 5 PD-NES* 9 $$ 2
Long-Term 3 Fire 2 $$$+ 6
TOTAL: 45
*Police Department-Neighborhood and Event Services Unit 67 Recommended Expenditures - Fiscal Impact
The Implementation and Expenditure Plan includes recommendations to continue funding existing homeless initiatives, which are currently funded using one-time funds, such as the General Fund, General Housing Fund, Successor Housing Agency Fund, and public benefit funds at a cost of approximately $1 million per Fiscal Year. The availability of these funding sources is subject to change.

As homeless initiatives are fulfilled through annual funding contracts with partner providers, the contract amounts may be modified on an annual basis based on the budget at that time. Over time, staff recommends a phased approach as part of the annual budget process to transition $1 million to the base budget to continue existing ongoing programs, as permitted by budget conditions.

The Implementation and Expenditure Plan also proposes $265,000 in ongoing funding for enhanced and new programs at $225,000 in one-time funding. This totals $490,000 in new proposed expenditures that would also be phased in as budget conditions allow.

Existing Homeless Initiatives
Table 6 below summarizes the existing homeless initiatives, the City’s contribution for each initiative, and contributions from partner funding sources, if applicable. A description of each of these initiatives follows. Ultimately, it is the City’s intention to fund these existing and ongoing initiatives with ongoing funding. As noted above, the transition to appropriation of ongoing funding will be phased in.

Table 6: Existing Homeless Initiatives

INITIATIVE PARTNER-PROVIDED

FUNDING

CITY-PROVIDED

ONE-TIME FUNDING
Safe Parking $1,700,000 (County) $700,000
Permanent Supportive
Housing Program $90,000 (County) $125,000
Homeless Prevention
Case Management $19,287 (CSA and CDBG) $120,000
Outreach to Vulnerable
Populations $22,673 (CSA) $42,000
Hygiene and Basic Health
at Program Sites N/A $30,000
Total: $1,831,960 $1,017,000 68 Safe Parking
The Safe Parking Program has a capacity for up to
114 safe parking spaces (as of December 2024)
and a commuter (non-living) area for up to 23 vehicles to park. Essential services are provided on-site. Since Fiscal Year 2016-17, the City has had a revenue-sharing agreement with the County of Santa Clara to operate the program. As of Fiscal Year 2024-25, the County of Santa Clara’s annual contribution to the program is approximately $1,700,000 and the City’s contribution is $700,000.

Permanent Supportive
Housing Program
The Permanent Supportive Housing Program provides
permanent housing units within Santa Clara County for leasing or rental assistance paired with supportive services to assist 20 chronically homeless households from Mountain View
achieve housing stability. Since Fiscal Year 2016-17, the City has had a revenue-sharing agreement with the County of
Santa Clara to support these placements and services. As of Fiscal Year 2024-25, the County of Santa Clara’s contribution to the program is approximately $90,000 and the City’s
contribution is $125,000.

Homeless Prevention Case Management
As the designated safety net provider and the
City’s Resource Hub for unhoused and unstably housed
residents, CSA provides homeless prevention services to unhoused and unstably housed residents, including case
management, housing information and problem-solving
resources, and referrals. Starting in 2017, the City has contributed $60,000 each year, which was matched by the County of Santa of Clara for a combined total of $120,000, to fund a percentage of three case management staff salaries.

Due to County of Santa Clara procurement limitations,
they discontinued providing the $60,000 matching grant
in Fiscal Year 2022-23. To maintain service levels, the City has backfilled the $60,000 gap through Fiscal Year 2024-25 utilizing funding from the term-limited grant provided to the City by Destination: Home for total program funding of $120,000 per year. The in-kind contribution of CSA is approximately $19,000.

69 Outreach to Vulnerable Populations
With 1,300 affordable housing units in
various stages of development, outreach is
important to conducting assessments and establishing
eligibility for households experiencing homelessness
so they do not miss out on supportive housing
opportunities. Since Fiscal Year 2022-23, the City has contributed $42,000 to fund a portion of a full-time
CSA case management staff’s salary who dedicates
70% of their time conducting outreach and completing
housing assessments to help the living-in-vehicle
population enter the queue for supportive housing
opportunities. The City has utilized $42,000 from the
term-limited grant provided to the City by Destination:

Home to fund this outreach. The in-kind contribution
of CSA is approximately $23,000.

Hygiene and Basic Health at
Program Sites
In the post-COVID-19 pandemic
environment, the City has provided funding for 24/7
portable restrooms with handwashing stations at
program service delivery sites utilized by unhoused
and unstably housed residents. The cost for the
portable restrooms with daily cleaning service is
approximately $30,000 annually.

Interim Housing Start-up Funding
The City provided $2.4 million in one-time
funding as start-up funding in support of the
LifeMoves Mountain View interim housing community,
which was matched by the County of Santa Clara with
$2.4 million for Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2025-26, LifeMoves will
develop a funding strategy on an annual basis to
maintain the operations of their existing facilities.

The City committed funds through Fiscal Year 2024-25
and does not have funding for ongoing operations.

The County of Santa Clara has expressed interest in
continuing to support LifeMoves Mountain View and
may coordinate directly with LifeMoves.

70 Enhanced Homeless Initiatives
Table 7 below summarizes the enhanced homeless initiatives and the recommended costs, with descriptions to follow.

Table 7: Enhanced Homeless Initiatives

INITIATIVE TIMELINE FUNDING RECOMMENDED
COST
Permanent Supportive
Housing Program Medium-Term Ongoing $100,000
Outreach to Vulnerable
Populations Medium-Term Ongoing $40,000
Total: $140,000
Permanent Supportive Housing Program
As mentioned above, the City contributes $125,000 to the existing Permanent Supportive Housing Program to assist 20 chronically homeless households, and the County of Santa Clara contributes $90,000. The Implementation and Expenditure Plan recommends increasing the number of households receiving support by approximately 9 at a cost of $100,000, a service cost of approximately $11,000 to $12,000 per household.

Outreach to Vulnerable
Populations
The CSA case management
staff currently dedicates 70% of their time
conducting outreach and completing
housing assessments for the living-in-vehicle
population. The Implementation and
Expenditure Plan includes a recommendation
to expand the scope of outreach to include
the at-large, unhoused population and
increase the dedicated time spent on
outreach and housing assessments at a cost
of $40,000. This could also be a sub-contract
for other providers to work in concert with
CSA.
71 Pilot Multi-City Street Outreach
Given the mobile nature of
homelessness, particularly for those
living in vehicles, collaboration across
jurisdictional boundaries is critical.

Effective street outreach connects with those who
may not otherwise seek assistance or come to
the attention of service providers and helps meet
people’s basic needs while encouraging them to
engage and supporting them along the pathway
toward stable housing. This process requires
collaboration among multiple stakeholders and
partners to make strategic use of resources while
focusing on an individual-centered approach to
meet people where they are. The City is engaging
with neighboring cities in early dialogue for
potential collaboration on street outreach. A
preliminary recommendation to pilot one-time
funding for street outreach, with the goal to
combine resources with other agencies, is
included at a cost of $150,000.

Homeless Prevention Emergency Direct
Financial Assistance Program
Building off the highly successful emergency
direct financial assistance programs as
part of the larger rent relief program
during the COVID-19 pandemic
($5.3 million), the Implementation
and Expenditure Plan recommends a new
modest but impactful program for extremely
low-income households who are unable to
pay for their housing by providing one-time
discretionary funding, which can be utilized for,
but is not limited to, maintaining housing (e.g.
rent, mortgage, utilities), assistance with vehicle
repairs, transportation access, and medical,
dental and eye care and other challenging costs
due to unforeseen circumstances. A preliminary
recommendation to develop an emergency direct
financial assistance program is included at a cost
of $100,000.

New Homeless Initiatives
Table 8 below summarizes the costs for new homeless initiatives.

Table 8: New Homeless Initiatives

INITIATIVE TIMELINE FUNDING RECOMMENDED
COST
Pilot Multi-City Street
Outreach Short-Term One-Time $150,000
Homeless Prevention
Emergency Direct Financial
Assistance Program
Short-Term Ongoing $100,000
Pilot Funding to Local
Organizations Short-Term One-Time $50,000
Pilot Mental Health First Aid
Training Short-Term One-Time $25,000
Total: $325,000
72 Pilot Funding to Local
Organizations
There are a number of Mountain
View-serving community-based organizations,
such as Reach SV and the United Effort
Organization that work closely with homeless
individuals and families and are uniquely able to
identify challenges that may impede the quest for
more stable housing. The County of Santa Clara
Office of Supportive Housing convenes a coalition
of these organizations who are participating in
the Continuum of Care’s efforts to assess for
and establish eligibility for supportive housing
services. The coalition coordinates to identify
people in need and the type of assistance that
could make a positive impact on their stability,
such as gift cards for transportation to attend
medical appointments, hygiene kits, and phone
chargers. A preliminary recommendation to
pilot one-time funding to enable this coalition
of organizations to address low-level barriers is
included at a cost of $50,000.

Pilot Mental Health First Aid
Training
In partnership with the cities of Palo Alto and Los
Altos, the City received federal funding for mental
health crisis response providing an alternative to
engagement with law enforcement. Some of these
funds were used to deliver Mental Health First
Aid training. This is a certificate training program
providing an evidence-based, early-intervention
course teaching participants how to identify,
understand, and respond to signs of mental
health and substance use challenges among
adults. The training was a success with nearly 100
community-based organization staff, volunteers,
community members, and City staff trained. A
preliminary recommendation to pilot one-time
funding for additional Mental Health First Aid
trainings to reach more people in the community
is included at a cost of $25,000.

Affordable Housing Initiatives
As of December 2024, a total of $168
million has been committed towards the
City’s affordable housing development pipeline, and an
additional $4 million has been committed toward the
preservation of rent-stabilized housing units as part of the City’s Displacement Response Strategy.

In addition to the City’s contribution, the County of
Santa Clara contributed $80 million from their Measure A Affordable Housing Bond toward the City’s afforable
housing pipeline. However, it is estimated that $265
million in funding is needed to fund and meet the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation for lower-income
units at 80% of Area Median Income or below (as
identified in the state-certified 2023-2031 Housing
Element).
73 HOUSING

16.5 Full-time equivalent staﬀ
100% Supporting housing
initiatives
$3,906,954

HUMAN SERVICES

DIVISION

2.75 Full-time equivalent staﬀ
75% Supporting homelessness
initiatives
$467,791
PD-NES

4.5 Full-time equivalent staﬀ
75% Supporting homelessness
initiatives
$1,077,412

FIRE-ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION DIVISION
2 Full-time equivalent staﬀ
25% Supporting homelessness
initiatives
$168,825
Leveraging Resources
Since 2016, the City has taken a collaborative approach to addressing homelessness, leveraging available resources to develop solutions to meet large-scale needs. Examples of this include the Safe Parking program partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the City’s and County’s matched funding for the LifeMoves Mountain View interim housing development. The City recognizes there are remaining large- scale needs that are outside the City’s ability to fund, such as a navigation center. This and possibly other large-scale needs will remain a part of the City’s ongoing due diligence to monitor grants and funding opportunities. However, it is important to note that the majority of grants and funding opportunities cover costs for capital infrastructure, not ongoing programmatic operations, which is where there is the most significant funding need.

Cross-Department Assets
In addition to the costs of initiatives outlined above, the City funds staff positions dedicated in part or in whole to housing and homelessness initiatives. As Figure 1 below shows, there are 25.75 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff at a cost of nearly $5.9 million who contribute their time on a full-time (e.g., Housing) or a percentage basis (e.g., Human Services, PD-NES, and Fire-Environmental Protection) supporting this work.

Figure 1: Cross Department Assets
74 CONCLUSION
The City is committed to doing its part to address homelessness in Mountain View, in the context of the broader crisis impacting the region and the state. Since 2016, the City has made strategic and meaningful investments in programs and services that are effectively serving those in the community who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. However, the shortage of affordable housing and high costs of living in Santa Clara County, the Bay Area, and the state continues to drive up rates of homelessness.

The City’s existing strategies to address homelessness were launched and evolved in response to community needs and resident concerns, before a long-range plan could be developed and without a dedicated ongoing funding source. The focus has been on strategies that help unhoused and unstably housed residents enter and make progress along a pathway to permanent housing.

The City recognized the need to establish a roadmap for future action in alignment with the City’s Community for All Strategic Priority and making effective use of the available resources, authority, and expertise of a small-sized city responding to a super-sized problem. The City developed this Plan, Pathways to Housing – Homeless Response Strategy Implementation and Expenditure Plan to reflect on the City’s work over the past nine years and chart the course for addressing homelessness in Mountain View over the next seven to-ten years through actionable goals and strategies and a plan for expenditures and implementation.

The City will continue to do its part in responding to the regional homeless crisis, but it cannot solve homelessness on its own. The success of the Plan will rely on regional collaboration with existing partners and new partners, including but not limited to service providers, private philanthropic organizations, Federal and State legislators and grant programs, donors, residents, and all cities and town government agencies within Santa Clara County. An integral part of the Strategy calls for the City to expand its partnerships to achieve the shared vision of preventing and reducing homelessness in Mountain View.
75 APPENDIX A – STRATEGIES, IMPLEMENTATION

AND EXPENDITURE PLAN CHART
# ACTION FRAMEWORK TIMELINE LEAD DEPARTMENT/

DIVISION COST
Goal 1: Increase Regional Collaboration and Coordination to Address the Homelessness Crisis Strategy 1.1: Collaborate and promote action by other jurisdictions

1.1.a
Work with regional partners on legislative
advocacy to obtain state and federal
funding to support the Plan, to be included
in the next Housing Element.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division
Housing Department

1.1.b
Develop a digital toolkit of homeless
programs and policy best practices to
provide implementation guidelines for
other jurisdictions.

Explore

Medium-Term
Human Services Division
Housing Department
Strategy 1.2: Strengthen partnerships to address regional homeless needs

1.2.a
Convene quarterly regional meetings
with adjacent jurisdictions to coordinate
and share information about homeless
programs and services.

Explore

Immediate
Human Services Division

1.2.b
Pilot a street outreach program with
neighboring cities, to be staffed by
non-public safety personnel.

Explore

Short-Term
Human Services Division
PD-NES Unit
$$
Goal 2: Expand and Preserve Affordable and Supportive Housing Options Strategy 2.1: Advance existing affordable housing projects

2.1.a Implement the City’s current 1,300 unit
housing pipeline.

Continue

Medium-Term Housing Department $$$$

2.1.b
Partner with the private sector, philan-
thropy, and public agencies to secure new
funding sources for affordable housing.

Continue

Short-Term Housing Department
Strategy 2.2: Increase the affordable housing pipeline

2.2.a
Expand the existing affordable housing
pipeline, which includes an additional
200 units of rapid rehousing/permanent
supportive housing, to be included in the
Shoreline Area Plan.

Enhance

Long-Term Housing Department $$$$

2.2.b
Assess the City’s regulatory framework and
land use regulations to address any barri-
ers to housing development in accordance
with the adopted Housing Element.

Explore

Long-Term Housing Department
Table continued on next page
76 Strategy 2.3: Diversify affordable supportive housing

2.3.a
Support the development of innovative
housing for special needs and vulnerable
populations.

Explore

Long-Term Housing Department $$$$

2.3.b
Evaluate options to increase the supply of
affordable housing units, including very
low and extremely low-income units.

Explore

Short-Term Housing Department $$$$

2.3.c
Continue exploring Interim Housing
solutions, such as the LifeMoves Mountain
View project at 2566 Leghorn, with
developers and operators to strive to
narrow the gap to “functional zero” for all
unhoused subpopulations.

Continue

Short-Term Housing Department $$$$
Goal 3: Support Homelessness Prevention
Strategy 3.1: Expand existing housing stability and case management services

3.1.a
Provide ongoing funding for the current
Permanent Supportive Housing Program
for 20 households.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division
Housing Department
$

3.1.b
Provide ongoing funding for current
homeless prevention case management
services.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division $

3.1.c
Provide additional funding to expand the
Permanent Supportive Housing Program
to increase the number of households
receiving resources.

Enhance

Medium-Term
Human Services Division
Housing Department
$

3.1.d
Explore a homeless prevention emergency
direct financial assistance rent relief
program, with CSA as the Emergency
Assistance Network provider.

Explore

Short-Term
Human Services Division
Housing Department
$
Strategy 3.2: Complete the development of and implement the City’s Displacement Response Strategy

3.2.a
Develop a program for the acquisition/
preservation of rent-stabilized housing
units.

Continue

Short-Term
Housing Department $$$$

3.2.b Develop a community ownership action
plan for innovative housing models.

Continue

Short-Term
Housing Department $

3.2.c Implement a local ordinance to require the
replacement of protected units.

Continue

Short-Term
Housing Department

3.2.d
Evaluate options for alternatives to
housing displacement, including first right
of return, affordable housing preferences,
and partnerships with landlords.

Continue

Medium-Term
Housing Department
Table continued on next page
77 Goal 4: Increase Access to and Continue Supportive Services for Unhoused and Vulnerable Residents Strategy 4.1: Share information about homelessness resources

4.1.a
Publicize existing programs and services
provided by CSA in their role as the City’s
homeless resource hub.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.1.b
Partner with County of Santa Clara Behav-
ioral Health Services and share information
about mental health and substance use
prevention services.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.1.c
Continue current funding to CSA for
bilingual case management staffing for
outreach and housing assessments.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division $

4.1.d
Expand funding for CSA case management
staffing to expand the outreach scope to
the at-large, unhoused population.

Enhance

Short-Term
Human Services Division $

4.1.e Increase communication and outreach to
non-English-speaking communities.

Enhance

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.1.f
Continue and expand outreach distribution
of information and referral resources to
unhoused residents and the community
at large, including distribution of existing
County resource cards and monthly posting
of the City resource flyer on the City’s
website.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.1.g
Explore opportunities for CSA to periodi-
cally host nonprofit community partners
to enhance or expand services available at
CSA, the City’s homeless resource hub.

Explore

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.1.h
Explore opportunities for the City to offer
some Housing Help Center clinic hours
at CSA and for CSA to share information
about its homeless prevention and housing
support services during City-based Housing
Help Center clinic hours.

Explore

Immediate
Housing Department
Strategy 4.2: Tailor supportive services to meet unique needs

4.2.a
Provide pilot funding to local organizations
such as Reach SV and the United Effort
Organization to address needs identified
through the County of Santa Clara’s
Mountain View provider network.

Explore

Short-Term
Human Services Division

4.2.b
Conduct a one-time survey to the
living-in-vehicle community to gain
additional insights and help tailor existing
programs, as feasible.

Explore

Medium-Term
Human Services Division
Table continued on next page
78 Strategy 4.3: Maintain a sustainable base level of Safe Parking

4.3.a
Recognize and maintain the City-owned
Shoreline Lot B as the City’s base level of
service for the Safe Parking Program.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.3.b Engage with faith-based partners to
support reopening of Safe Parking sites.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.3.c
Continue relationships with affordable
housing developers interested in providing
space for a new temporary Safe Parking site.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

4.3.d
Pursue an expansion of Safe Parking
capacity, maintaining base capacity at
Shoreline Lot B, to be funded by the
Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund.

Enhance

Short-Term
Human Services Division $$
Goal 5: Maintain Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods
Strategy 5.1: Engage and provide local businesses, community members, and City staff with resources to help address concerns related to people experiencing homelessness

5.1.a
Partner with Momentum for Health TRUST
Program to promote awareness and use
of mobile mental health crisis response
services.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division

5.1.b
Share information about resources
available to address health and safety
concerns.

Enhance

Immediate
Human Services Division
Housing Department
PD-NES Unit

5.1.c Provide communitywide Mental Health
First Aid trainings.

Enhance

Short-Term
Human Services Division $

5.1.d Explore providing Narcan as part of first aid
resources at City facilities.

Explore

Short-Term
Human Services Division
PD-NES Unit
Strategy 5.2: Provide services to minimize and address environmental health concerns from litter and other waste associated with unhoused residents

5.2.a Maintain the Biannual Clean Streets
Program.

Continue

Immediate
Human Services Division
PD-NES Unit

5.2.b Conduct the Annual Living-in-Vehicle Count
in Mountain View.

Continue

Short-Term PD-NES Unit
Table continued on next page
79 5.2.c
Support hygiene and basic health and
safety services at program service delivery
sites.

Continue

Immediate Human Services Division $

5.2.d
Continue coordination across City
departments and external agencies for
encampment clean-up.

Continue

Immediate PD-NES Unit

5.2.e Participate in the County of Santa Clara’s
Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Continue

Immediate Fire Department

5.2.f Provide garbage receptacles as part of the
Biannual Clean Streets Program.

Enhance

Short-Term
Human Services Division
PD-NES Unit
Strategy 5.3: Provide public safety services to address issues associated with homelessness

5.3.a Continue communitywide public safety
outreach and referrals.

Continue

Immediate PD-NES Unit

5.3.b
Provide annual fire and safety inspections
and safety information at existing safe
parking sites.

Continue

Immediate
Fire Department
PD-NES Unit
80 Basic Services
Hygiene and Health Care
• Eighteen public restrooms at City parks.
• Portable restrooms and hand-washing
stations at two locations in partnership with
community partners, such as CSA and Hope’s
Corner.
• Portable restrooms, hand-washing stations,
drinking water, mobile shower and laundry,
and trash services at three Safe Parking
Program sites (as of December 2024).
• Shower and laundry services at Hope’s Corner
three days per week.
• Hygiene kits, diapers and feminine hygiene
products through community partners Reach
SV and STAND4 INC.
• Valley Homeless Healthcare Program Mobile
Medical Unit at Safe Parking Program sites
and at LifeMoves Mountain View.

Food and Clothing Assistance
• Meals provided through the Senior Nutrition
Program at the Mountain View Senior Center
and the Day Worker’s Center Healthy Meals
Program.
• Groceries provided at the Mountain View
Senior Center in partnership with Second
Harvest of Silicon Valley, through CSA at
the Food and Nutrition Center, and at St.

Athanasius Church.
• Food pantry, meals, blankets, and clothing
through Reach Silicon Valley.
• Meals, clothing, and groceries at Hope’s
Corner.

Supportive Services
Outreach and Case Management
• Full-time Community Outreach Officer
through Mountain View Police Department
Neighborhood and Event Services Unit.
• Community outreach, case management, and
follow-up through Momentum for Health’s
TRUST program.
• Outreach and case management through CSA.
• Behavioral Services Unit pilot through
Mountain View Police Department.

Information on Accessing Resources
• Continual communications are provided to
the Coordinating Together Network.
• Monthly Homeless and Unstably Housed
Resource flyer, public discharge flyer, locations
for discharge flyer, RV sewage and wastewater
flyer, expired registration, and 72 hour no
parking limit flyer distributed to people living
in vehicles and on city streets and shared
electronically with community partners.
• Information and access to resources through
community partners like Cafecito, STAND4
INC., Day Worker Center of Mountain View,
and local school districts.

APPENDIX B – OVERVIEW OF

EXISTING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
This section provides a high-level (not all-inclusive) overview of the programs and supportive services available to individuals experiencing homelessness and those who are unstably housed. It includes programs and services that receive full- or partial- funding from the City, those offered by the County of Santa Clara, and those provided by interagency partners and community-based organizations. 81 Emergency Sheltering, Interim
(Transitional) Housing, and Safe
Parking
• Year-round youth shelter (Quetzal House),
which can serve up to 40 youth.
• Half-year emergency shelter program at
Trinity United Methodist Church, with up to
50 beds for women and children.
• Transitional shelter (Graduate House), which
can serve up to five adults.
• 100-unit interim housing site at LifeMoves
Mountain View, which serves an average of
up to 300 individuals per year, including case
management and supportive services.
• Safe Parking Program with a total of up to 114
parking spaces (as of December 2024) across
five locations, in partnership with the County
of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing.

Affordable and Supportive Housing
• 48 units of affordable housing through The
Heartwood, in conjunction with the County of
Santa Clara.
• Approximately 1,500 units in 100% affordable
projects.
• Approximately 200 units of below-market-rate
housing.
• Approximately 14,950 fully or partially
covered rent control units.
• Approximately 1,130 rent-protected mobile
homes.
• Rental assistance to more than 400 Mountain
View households through the Santa Clara
County Housing Authority’s Housing Choice
Voucher Program.
• 1,650 new affordable housing units in
the development pipeline, including
approximately 350 below-market-rate units.
• Up to 200 units of mixed permanent
supportive housing and rapid rehousing
through the Measure A Affordable Housing
Bond in conjunction with the County of Santa
Clara.
• A permanent housing unit within Santa Clara
County to assist 20 chronically homeless
Mountain View households, in partnership
with the County of Santa Clara.

City Funding Opportunities
• Community Development Block Grant/
HOME Investment Partnerships Program:

Pass-through funds redistributed to eligible
organizations serving low-income residents
awarded biannually (FY 2022-23, a total of
$2,130,000 redistributed).
• General Fund Public Services: Supplement to
Public Service Agency funds to organizations
that provide needed and valuable services
to low-income seniors, individuals with
disabilities, youth, and families through an
annual allocation from the City General Fund
(FY 2022-23, a total of $278,724 invested).
82 APPENDIX C – METRICS CHART
Performance or Workload Metrics
Program Benchmark Type Timeline
Clients Served through
City-funded Programs and
Partnerships
350 clients 33 Performance Annually
Safe Parking 50% exit to a temporary or permanent
housing destination
Performance Annually
Permanent Supportive
Housing
20 households served and maintained in
the program
Performance Annually
CSA Resource Hub 1,200 unhoused and unstably housed
clients provided case management and
referral services
Performance Annually
Collaboration and
Coordination with CBOs and
Partners
10 meetings Workload Annually
Ongoing Communications
with CBOs
104 resources, flyers, and updates shared
electronically
Workload Annually
Coordination with County
of Santa Clara Office of
Supportive Housing
12 meetings Workload Annually
Rent Stabilization Program 2,000 community members assisted by the Rent Stabilization Program,
concerning CSFRA, MHRSO, TRAO,
Housing Help Center, MVMP , via email,
phone, and/or in-person34
Performance Annually
Affordable Housing 1,032 households served by CDBG Public Services program35
Performance Annually
Affordable Housing 574 deed-restricted affordable housing units approved36
Performance Annually
33 Relates to the City’s contract with Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills (CSA). CSA serves a higher number of clients as the community’s lead Emergency Assistance Network provider. 34 Acronyms: CSFRA – Community Stabilization and Fair Ret Act; MHRSO - Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance; TRAO - Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance; MVMP – Mountain View Mediation Program. 35 Community Development Block Grant; pass-through funds redistributed to eligible organizations serving low-income residents. 36 Includes Below Market Rate and Notice of Funding Available units.

Informational Only
Activity Description Timeline
Point-in-Time Count Provides the number of people
experiencing homelessness on a single
night in January
Biennial (every other year)
Living in Vehicle Count A count of vehicles used for living purposes on city streets
Annually
83 0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
969,655
151,967131,06281,78577,32165,88258,25057,28544,47841,70032,21629,99029,6078,1893,479 City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los Gatos City of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo Alto City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of San José
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa Clara City of SunnyvaleCity of San José
0 2
4 6
8 8.0%7.9%7.8%

5.4% 5.6% 5.9%

5.3%5.3%

4.7%

3.9%3.7%

3.1%3.0%

2.0%

0.6%
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500 Median rent capped at $3,500 by Census $3,500+$3,500+$3,500+ $2,855
$3,295 $3,500+
$2,990$2,981$2,870
$3,169
$2,841$2,619$2,526
$2,249$2,245
APPENDIX D – REGIONAL OVERVIEW
Recognizing homelessness is a regional challenge, the City sought information about the work each city and town in Santa Clara County is engaged in to prevent and end homelessness in their community to:
• Help identify available homeless-related programs services and resources throughout Santa Clara County;
• Understand how the City’s homeless response compares to other cities and towns in Santa Clara County; and
• Identify opportunities for regional collaboration and coordinated response.

To obtain the information, Homebase created an online survey with a series of topics to help identify the programs, services, and resources available throughout Santa Clara County. The survey was distributed in July 2024 to all members of the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing’s monthly Community Development Block Grant/Housing Regional Meeting, which includes all cities and towns that participate in the Santa Clara County Point-in-Time Count. The survey results were received in August 2024, and included each jurisdiction’s population, housing cost, and Point-in-Time Count data, which are detailed below.

General Population
Population Size
The total population in Santa Clara County is 1,877,592.37 Mountain View is one of 15 cities or towns located in Santa Clara County and is the fourth largest in Santa Clara County by general population size. 37 Total population facts for 2022 and 2023 are available for each of the cities/towns and for the county. They can be found at Quick Facts, U.S. Census Bureau. *Note: The City of Monte Sereno’s data is not available through Quick Facts, but most data are available through a U.S.

Census Bureau profile for the city for 2022.

Figure 2: Population of Cities and Towns in Santa Clara County 84 0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
969,655
151,967131,06281,78577,32165,88258,25057,28544,47841,70032,21629,99029,6078,1893,479 City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los Gatos City of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo Alto City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of San José
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa Clara City of SunnyvaleCity of San José
0 2
4 6
8 8.0%7.9%7.8%

5.4% 5.6% 5.9%

5.3%5.3%

4.7%

3.9%3.7%

3.1%3.0%

2.0%

0.6%
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500 Median rent capped at $3,500 by Census $3,500+$3,500+$3,500+ $2,855
$3,295 $3,500+
$2,990$2,981$2,870
$3,169
$2,841$2,619$2,526
$2,249$2,245
0 200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
969,655
151,967131,06281,78577,32165,88258,25057,28544,47841,70032,21629,99029,6078,1893,479 City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los Gatos City of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo Alto City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of San José
City of Monte SerenoTown of Los Altos Hills
City of SaratogaCity of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa Clara City of SunnyvaleCity of San José
0 2
4 6
8 8.0%7.9%7.8%

5.4% 5.6% 5.9%

5.3%5.3%

4.7%

3.9%3.7%

3.1%3.0%

2.0%

0.6%
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500 Median rent capped at $3,500 by Census $3,500+$3,500+$3,500+ $2,855
$3,295 $3,500+
$2,990$2,981$2,870
$3,169
$2,841$2,619$2,526
$2,249$2,245
Poverty Level
Mountain View has the 6th highest level of poverty in Santa Clara County, with 5.4 percent of the population living below the poverty level, approximately 4,500 residents.

Rent Costs
The median gross rent in Mountain View is $2,855. This is lower than most cities in the county but higher than the countywide median of $2,179 per month.38 For some cities -- Cupertino, Los Altos, Saratoga, and for the Town of Los Altos Hills -- the median gross rent exceeds $3,500 per month.39 38 Gross rent includes the base rent, plus any additional fees that tenants pay like utilities or parking. 39 For data from years 2011-15 ~ 2020-21, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey capped the median rent price at $3,500.

All census tracts with a median rent of over $3,500 for these years are shown as $3,500.

Figure 3: Percent of Population Living Below the Federal Poverty Level Figure 4: Median Gross Rent
85 House Prices
While Mountain View has one of the lower median gross rents compared to other cities and towns in Santa Clara County, it has the 7th highest median value of owner-occupied housing units (2018-2022) at over $1.8 million. This is significantly higher than the median for the county as a whole which is $1,316,800. Six cities and towns in the region had a median home value of more than $2 million.40 40 For data from years 2011-15 ~ 2020-21, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey capped the median owner-occupied housing units at $2 million. All census tracts with a median home value over $2 million for these years are shown as $2 million. 41 Santa Clara Homeless Census and Survey Reports, County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing (2023). City breakdown information available on “Maps” tab.
$0
$500K
$1,000K
$1,500K
$2M
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga
City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
$1,833K
N/A
$2M+$2M+$2M+ $2M+ $2M+ $2M+
$1,440K
$1,155K
$1,681K
$1,474K
$1,150K$1,067K
$915K
Median home value capped at 2M by Census
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los Altos Town of Los GatosCity of Campbell City of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of GilroyCity of San JoséCity of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale
Total Unsheltered IndividualsTotal Sheltered Individuals 0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
4,411
1,855
817
231424
138
417
44 320151230018719142092081048000000O0O
0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
City of Los Altos
Town of Los Altos HillsCity of Monte Sereno
City of SaratogaCity of CupertinoTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of MilpitasCity of Palo AltoCity of Morgan HillCity of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of Mountain View
City of GilroyCity of San José
6,266
1,048
5624714612302061429281480000
Figure 5: Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units
Unhoused Population
In 2023, Santa Clara County’s unhoused population was close to 10,000 individuals (9,903), less than 1% of the total county population. Of the 9,903 individuals, nearly three quarters (7,401) were living in unsheltered conditions. Mountain View residents represented a small percentage – 5.2% (562 individuals) – of Santa Clara County’s total unhoused population. Similar to Santa Clara County, Mountain View’s unhoused population represents less than 1% of its total population and about 75% of those experiencing homelessness were living in unsheltered conditions.

The charts on the next page41 provide data about the unhoused population in Mountain View, and the other cities and towns in Santa Clara County.
• Of the 15 cities and towns, only six have sheltered people in their communities, including Mountain View.
• The remaining 9 cities and towns only have people living unsheltered in their communities. • San Jose has the highest number of individuals living sheltered in Santa Clara County. 86 Figure 6: Total Unhoused Individuals by City/Town in Santa Clara County Figure 7: Sheltered vs. Unsheltered Individuals by City/Town in Santa Clara County $0
$500K
$1,000K
$1,500K
$2M
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga
City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
$1,833K
N/A
$2M+$2M+$2M+ $2M+ $2M+ $2M+
$1,440K
$1,155K
$1,681K
$1,474K
$1,150K$1,067K
$915K
Median home value capped at 2M by Census
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los Altos Town of Los GatosCity of Campbell City of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of GilroyCity of San JoséCity of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale
Total Unsheltered IndividualsTotal Sheltered Individuals 0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
4,411
1,855
817
231424
138
417
44 320151230018719142092081048000000O0O
0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
City of Los Altos
Town of Los Altos HillsCity of Monte Sereno
City of SaratogaCity of CupertinoTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of MilpitasCity of Palo AltoCity of Morgan HillCity of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of Mountain View
City of GilroyCity of San José
6,266
1,048
5624714612302061429281480000
$0
$500K
$1,000K
$1,500K
$2M
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los AltosTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of Morgan Hill City of Cupertino City of Gilroy
City of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga
City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of SunnyvaleCity of San José
$1,833K
N/A
$2M+$2M+$2M+ $2M+ $2M+ $2M+
$1,440K
$1,155K
$1,681K
$1,474K
$1,150K$1,067K
$915K
Median home value capped at 2M by Census
Town of Los Altos Hills
City of Los Altos Town of Los GatosCity of Campbell City of Morgan HillCity of Cupertino City of GilroyCity of San JoséCity of Palo AltoCity of Saratoga City of Monte Sereno
City of Milpitas
City of Mountain View
City of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale
Total Unsheltered IndividualsTotal Sheltered Individuals 0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
4,411
1,855
817
231424
138
417
44 320151230018719142092081048000000O0O
0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
City of Los Altos
Town of Los Altos HillsCity of Monte Sereno
City of SaratogaCity of CupertinoTown of Los GatosCity of CampbellCity of MilpitasCity of Palo AltoCity of Morgan HillCity of Santa ClaraCity of Sunnyvale City of Mountain View
City of GilroyCity of San José
6,266
1,048
5624714612302061429281480000
87 NAVIGATION
CENTER
0 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

AFFORDABLE

HOUSING
12 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

BELOW MARKET

RATE HOUSING
12 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

BASIC SERVICES
11 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

HOMELESSNESS

PREVENTION/

PROBLEM SOLVING
9 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS
STREET

OUTREACH
9 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

EMERGENCY

SHELTER
8 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS
SAFE

PARKING
7 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

PERMANENT

SUPPORTIVE

HOUSING
6 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS
RAPID

REHOUSING
5 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS

INTERIM

HOUSING
5 OUT OF 15 CITIES/TOWNS
1,048
562
817
424
Homeless Programs and Services and Affordable Housing
City governments, community-based organizations, and the County of Santa Clara dedicate resources to prevent and end homelessness. Cities often receive grants or other awards, or dedicate general funds, to address homelessness. Through a survey, the City reached out to other cities and towns in Santa Clara County to learn more about programs, services and the funding provided to prevent and address homelessness in the respective communities.

About the Survey
The survey asked cities and towns to share information about the types of programs and services, as well as funding sources, across the following areas:

Summary of Survey Findings
Below is a summary of the programs and services the City and the other 14 jurisdictions in Santa Clara County leverage their resources for addressing the regional homelessness crisis. • Basic Services (such as
showers, laundry, restrooms,
and trash pick-up)
• Street Outreach
• Prevention and Problem-
Solving
• Emergency Shelter
• Navigation Center
• Safe Parking
• Interim Housing
• Rapid Rehousing
• Permanent Supportive
Housing
• Below Market Housing
• Affordable Housing
Figure 8: Homeless Services and Programs and Affordable Housing Offered 88 Basic Services:
• 11 of the 15 jurisdictions offer basic services
to people experiencing homelessness.
• The jurisdictions of Campbell, Cupertino,
Monte Sereno and Los Altos Hills indicated
they do not provide basic services.
• San José offers the greatest number of basic
services across all cities and towns in Santa
Clara County, including mobile hygiene,
portable restrooms with hand-washing
stations both in and outside of public rights
of way, dumpsters both in and outside
public rights of way, and trash pick-up at
encampments. They also have outreach
teams that provide water and clothing.
• Of the 11 jurisdictions that offer basic
services, the most commonly provided
services are:
◦ Mobile hygiene (showers and/or laundry)
offered by 7 of 11 jurisdictions.
◦ Trash pick-up at encampments provided by
4 of 11 jurisdictions.
• Of the 11 jurisdictions that offer basic services,
the least commonly provided services are
dumpsters and portable restrooms.

Street Outreach:
• 9 of the 15 jurisdictions provide street
outreach to residents experiencing
homelessness.
• The jurisdictions of Cupertino, Los Altos, Los
Altos Hills, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and Santa
Clara indicated they do not provide street
outreach.
• Funding sources for the jurisdictions that
provide street outreach include county, city,
and other sources:
◦ Milpitas, Morgan Hill, San José, and
Sunnyvale street outreach are funded by
the city.
◦ Gilroy and Mountain View are funded by
both the city and county.
◦ Palo Alto and Campbell are funded through
other sources.

Homelessness Prevention and
Problem-Solving:
• 9 of the 15 jurisdictions indicated that
they offer prevention and problem-solving
programs.
• Funding sources for the jurisdictions included
federal, state, county, city, and other sources:
◦ Four use both city and county funding to
support prevention and problem-solving
(Campbell, Gilroy, Mountain View, and San
José),
◦ Three leverage federal and/or state funding
toward prevention and problem-solving
(Milpitas, Palo Alto and Santa Clara).
◦ One has a privately-funded program
(Morgan Hill).
• The most commonly offered services include
the following:
◦ Landlord mediation/negotiation
◦ Rent relief/rent assistance
◦ Rent stabilization (e.g., tenant support)
◦ Utility assistance (help paying current bills)
Emergency Shelter:
• 8 of the 15 jurisdictions indicated that they
offer emergency shelter.
◦ Cupertino and Morgan Hill each offer a
county-funded seasonal shelter.
◦ Gilroy has a county-funded year-round
shelter.
◦ Mountain View has a city and county
funded seasonal shelter for women and
children, and a youth shelter.
◦ Palo Alto has the following:
▪ A city- and county-funded year-round
shelter.
89 ▪ A city-funded seasonal shelter.
▪ A city-funded shelter for women and/or
women and children only.
◦ San José offers the following:
▪ A county-funded year-round
congregate shelter.
▪ A county-funded shelter for women
and/or women and children.
▪ A city-and county-funded year-round
non-congregate shelter.
▪ A city-and county-funded seasonal
shelter.
▪ A city-and county-funded shelter for
families only.
◦ Mountain View has a county-funded half-
year emergency shelter for women and
children and has provided funding for a
year-round shelter for foster-age youth
and a year-round shelter for formerly
chronically homeless individuals.
• Among jurisdictions that do not currently
offer emergency shelter, several are
considering options to provide seasonal
shelter or currently offer alternatives such
as hotel voucher programs during times of
inclement weather.

Navigation Centers:
• No jurisdictions indicated that they offer a
navigation center.

Safe Parking:
• 7 of 15 jurisdictions offer Safe Parking
• Several jurisdictions that do not currently offer
Safe Parking programs indicated on the survey
they were considering offering a program.
• Funding sources for the jurisdictions that offer
Safe Parking programs include county, city,
and other sources:
◦ Mountain View and Saratoga fund their
Safe Parking programs with a combination
of city and county funds.
◦ Campbell offers Safe Parking through
volunteers from local churches.
◦ Morgan Hill and Palo Alto offer Safe Parking
programs solely with county funds.
◦ San José funds their Safe Parking program
solely with city funds.

Interim Housing, Rapid Rehousing,
and Permanent Supportive Housing:
• 5 of the 15 jurisdictions offer interim housing
and rapid rehousing. 6 out of 15 offer
permanent supportive housing.
◦ Notably, five jurisdictions (Gilroy, Mountain
View, Palo Alto, San José, and Santa Clara)
offer all three housing programs.
• The other 10 jurisdictions do not offer these
housing programs (though their residents
have access to countywide resources).
• Programs are mostly funded by the county or
a combination of the county and city.
◦ San José is the only jurisdiction that offers
rapid rehousing solely funded by the city.
◦ Santa Clara offers rapid rehousing through
federal and city funds through tenant-
based rental assistance and HOME funding.
◦ Mountain View, Palo Alto, and San José
offer permanent supportive housing that
using both city and county funds.
◦ Gilroy, Milpitas, and Santa Clara use solely
county funds to support their permanent
supportive housing programs.

Below Market Rate and Affordable
Housing:
• 12 of the 15 jurisdictions offer both below market
rate housing and affordable housing. Three
jurisdictions do not offer either type of housing.
• The 12 jurisdictions that offer below market
rate housing and affordable housing utilize a
mix of city, county, state and private funding
to support below market rate housing and
affordable housing.
90 APPENDIX E – COUNTY DISTRICT 5
Mountain View is a part of County of Santa Clara Supervisorial District 5 (District 5), which spans the North County and West Valley regions of Santa Clara County and includes the following cities, towns and communities:

Table 10 below summarizes the homeless programs and services, along with affordable housing for the cities and towns that are a part of District 5. The information collected was validated through surveys of staff familiar with Community Development Block Grant work at these cities between August and October 2024, and cross-referenced with publicly available information online as of October 2024. • Cupertino
• Los Altos
• Los Altos Hills
• Los Gatos
• Monte Sereno
• Mountain View
• Palo Alto
• Saratoga
• Stanford (Unincorporated)
• Portions of San Jose
• Unincorporated
communities in the Santa
Cruz Mountains
City or Town Cupertino Los Altos Los Altos Hills Los Gatos Monte Sereno Mountain View Palo Alto San José Saratoga Basic Services
Street Outreach
Safe Parking
Homeless Prevention and/or
Housing Problem-Solving
Navigation Center
Year-Round Shelter
Seasonal Shelter
Interim (Transitional)
Housing
Affordable Housing
Below Market Rate Housing
Permanent Supportive
Housing
Rapid Rehousing
Table 10: Homeless Services and Programs and Affordable Housing in District 5 Based on self-reported data (subject to change) from staff at each jurisdiction as of October 30, 2024.

KEY
Services OfferedServices Not Offered
91 District 5 Chart Terms
Some terms are defined differently by different
parties. For example, some jurisdictions do not
separate out their Below Market Rate Housing
from their Affordable Housing. To the extent
possible, data represented corresponds to the
below definitions, and will be adjusted as needed
based on input from staff in the corresponding
jurisdiction.

Basic Services - describe the fundamental
necessities that people need to survive, such as
food, water, hygiene.

Affordable Housing - Housing where the
household pays no more than 30% of their gross
income for housing costs, including utilities,
and not specified with a Below Market Rate
designation.

Below Market Rate Housing (BMR) - Housing
inventory specifically designated as Below Market
Rate, including both rentals and homeownership
opportunities. “Below Market Rate” is a rental
rate or home price that is lower than the market
rate, which is the amount a property owner can
reasonably expect to receive for a tenancy or sale
of the home on an open market. Residents in BMR
housing units need to meet certain requirements
to live there.

Street Outreach - Programs that include staff
trained to connect unstably housed households
to relevant community resources, whether
through one-time or consistent contact. Case
management includes assessment, planning,
facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and
advocacy with people experiencing homelessness.

Staff work with individuals and families to address
their comprehensive needs to help them exit
homelessness and stay housed.

Homeless Prevention and/or Housing Problem
Solving - Including Rent Relief/Assistance, Rent
Stabilization, Tenant Landlord Mediation, etc.

Housing problem solving is a person-centered,
strengths-based approach to support households
in identifying choices and solutions to quickly end
their housing crisis.

Interim (Transitional) Housing - is a short-term,
dignified environment where community
members can be housed and supported with
services and case management. Navigation
Center is a low-barrier, housing-focused shelter
that provides comprehensive onsite services to
support participants in exiting homelessness
permanently.

Permanent Supportive Housing - provides long-
term housing with intensive supportive services
to persons with disabilities. These programs
typically target people with extensive experiences
of homelessness and multiple vulnerabilities and
needs who would not be able to retain housing
without significant support.

Rapid Rehousing Services - provides rental
housing subsidies and tailored supportive services
for up to 24 months, with the goal of helping
people to transition during that time period to
more permanent housing. .

Safe Parking Programs - Temporary, safe locations
to park for those living in a vehicle, usually
combined with access to services to support a
transition into more stable housing.

Seasonal Shelter - Community locations designed
to provide respite to the unstably housed during
seasonal heat and/or cold.

Year-Round Shelter - Homeless shelter operating
365 days a year.
92 APPENDIX F - GLOSSARY
42 CDC, The Critical Need for a Population Health Approach: Addressing the Nation’s Behavioral Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0261.htm Affordable housing describes as housing where
the household pays no more than 30% of their
gross income for housing costs, including utilities.

Area Median Income is defined by the United
States Department of Housing and Urban
Development as the midpoint of a specific area's
income distribution and is calculated on an annual
basis by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development.

Basic services describe the fundamental
necessities that people need to survive, such as
food, water, hygiene.

Behavioral health describes the connection
between a person's behaviors and the health and
well-being of the body and mind.42
Below-market-rent is a rental rate that is lower
than the market rate, which is the amount a
landlord can reasonably expect to receive for a
tenancy. Market rent is based on the value of the
unit in the market similar to the rent charged for
similar properties in similar areas. Below market
rent can be based on a percentage of the area's
median income, and tenants may need to meet
certain income requirements to live there.

California Department of Housing and
Community Development helps to provide stable,
safe homes affordable to veterans, seniors, young
families, farm workers, people with disabilities,
and individuals and families experiencing
homelessness.

California
Interagency Council
on Homelessness
oversee the implementation
of Housing First policies, guidelines,
and regulations to reduce the prevalence and
duration of homelessness in California.

Case management includes assessment, planning,
facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and
advocacy with people experiencing homelessness.

Staff work with individuals and families to address
their comprehensive needs to help them exit
homelessness and stay housed.

Chronically homeless describes a person has been
homeless for at least a year, either 12 months
consecutively or over the course of at least 4
separate occasions in the past 3 years. To be
chronically homeless, the individual or head of
household must also have a disability.

City-affiliated described the zip code of last
permanent address and/or is determined based
on a client’s self-reported data from the following
four city affiliation questions:
• In which city do you spend most of your time?
• Which city did you live in prior to becoming
homeless?
• If you are employed, in which city is your
work place?
• If you (or your children) go to school, in which
city is your school?
93 43 Continuum of Care Interim Rule, https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/2033/hearth-coc-program-interim-rule/ 44 Ibid
Community Development Block Grant supports
community development activities to build
stronger and more resilient communities.

Activities may address needs such as
infrastructure, economic development projects,
public facilities installation, community centers,
housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/
acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code
enforcement, and homeowner assistance.

Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act is a
voter-approved measure from 2016 that seeks
to stabilize the community by reducing rental
housing turnover in certain rental units. Its three
main goals are to a. stabilize rents; b. provide
eviction protections; and c. ensure a fair rate of
return on investments for landlords.

Continuum of Care (CoC) is the group organized
to carry out the responsibilities prescribed in
the Continuum of Care Program Interim Rule43 for
a defined geographic area. A Continuum of Care
is composed of representatives of organizations
including nonprofit homeless providers, victim
service providers, faith-based organizations,
governments, businesses, advocates, public housing
agencies, school districts, social service providers,
mental health agencies, hospitals, universities,
affordable housing developers, law enforcement,
organizations that serve homeless and formerly
homeless veterans, and homeless and formerly
homeless persons. Responsibilities of a Continuum
of Care include operating the Continuum of Care,
designating and operating a Homeless Management
Information System, planning for the Continuum of
Care (including coordinating the implementation of
a housing and service system within its geographic
area that meets the needs of the individuals and
families who experience homelessness there), and
designing and implementing the process associated
with applying for Continuum of Care Program funds.

Continuum of Care Program is designed to
promote communitywide commitment to the
goal of ending homelessness; provide funding
for efforts by nonprofit providers, and state and
local governments to quickly rehouse homeless
individuals and families while minimizing the
trauma and dislocation caused to homeless
individuals, families, and communities by
homelessness; promote access to and effect
utilization of mainstream programs by homeless
individuals and families; and optimize self-
sufficiency among individuals and families
experiencing homelessness.

Continuum of Care Program Interim Rule focuses
on regulatory implementation of the Continuum
of Care Program, including the Continuum of Care
planning process. The Continuum of Care Program
was created through the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act as amended by the
HEARTH Act of 2009.44
Coordinated Entry provides a centralized
approach to connect the region’s most vulnerable
homeless residents to housing through a single
community-wide assessment tool and program
matching system.

Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to
household income. For renters, housing cost
is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For
owners, housing cost is "select monthly owner
costs,” which includes mortgage payment,
utilities, association fees, insurance, and real
estate taxes. A household is cost-burdened when
it spends more than 30% of its income on rent
and utilities and severely cost-burdened when
it spends more than 50% of its income on these
expenses.
94 County of Santa Clara’s Homelessness Prevention
System provides assistance to low-income
families or individuals who are at risk of losing
their housing, including a. temporary financial
assistance; b. legal support; and c. case
management and other services.

County of Santa Clara’s Housing Problem-Solving
Initiative is a person-centered, strengths-based
approach to support households in identifying
choices and solutions to quickly end their housing
crisis. It supports people through creative
problem-solving conversations and resource
connections to quickly secure permanent or
temporary housing by encouraging creative, safe
housing options that meet their unique needs.

County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive
Housing is a County office whose mission is to
increase the supply of housing and supportive
housing that is affordable and available to
extremely low-income and /or special needs
households. The Office of Supportive Housing
supports the County mission of promoting a
healthy, safe, and prosperous community by
ending and preventing homelessness.

County of Santa Clara Supportive Housing
System is a coordinated, collaborative system of
services provided by regional partners dedicated
to ending and preventing homelessness in
Santa Clara County. These programs include
homelessness prevention, outreach, coordinated
entry, housing problem solving, the Here4You Call
Center, emergency sheltering, emergency interim
housing, transitional housing, rapid rehousing,
and permanent supportive housing.

Crisis Intervention provides temporary places for
people to stay while they access other services
(including behavioral health services) and seek
more permanent housing solutions.

Destination: Home is a regional public-private
partnership committed to ending homelessness
in Silicon Valley, and is a supporting organization
under the umbrella of the Silicon Valley
Community Foundation.

Emergency Assistance Network is a group of
agencies in Santa Clara County that provide a
variety of services to prevent homelessness, utility
disconnections, and hunger.

Emergency sheltering offers a temporary, short-
term place to stay for unhoused individuals and
families.

Extremely low-income is defined under the
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1937, as
families (including single persons) whose incomes
do not exceed 30% of the median income for the
area.

Federal Consolidated Plan is a five-year plan
that helps states and local jurisdictions assess
and address their community development
and affordable housing needs. The plan guides
the City’s investment for using Community
Development Block Grant and HOME funding.

Federal poverty guidelines are issued each year
by the federal Department of Health and Human
Services. The guidelines are a simplification of
the federal poverty thresholds and are used to
determine financial eligibility for certain federal
programs.
95 Flexible funds have increasingly been permitted
and encouraged as an allowable expense by
federal, state, and County funders. Flexible funds
can be used for different purposes. They can
pay for costs that will result in an immediate
solution of a housing crisis. They can bridge the
gap while permanent housing is secured. They
can cover household needs that will help people
keep their housing. Flexible funding can be used
to purchase grocery cards, gas cards, certificates
or licenses to work, car repair, furniture, pest
extermination, storage, essential minor repairs to
make living space more habitable, transportation
vouchers/passes, costs for birth certificates or
other documents, bus or train tickets, shipping
belongings, housing application fees, credit checks,
rental deposits, past due rent, one-month rent on
new units, utility deposit, and/or utility payments.

Functional Zero is a term that is often used for
specific subpopulations, i.e. veterans. It refers
to when the number of people experiencing
homelessness at any time does not exceed the
community’s proven record of housing at least
that many people in a month.45
General Fund is a government fund that that
finances the daily and long-term operations of a
government and is used to budget for programs
not specifically designated to be accounted for
by any other fund. The primary sources in a city
are fees, fines, taxes, and other undesignated
resources.

General Non-Operating Funds are funds that are
not related to recurring annual activities.

General Fund Public Services Grants are
grants available to public service agencies and
community-based organizations to provide
funding for needed and valuable services to
vulnerable populations. The grants are funded
from the City’s General Fund.

Here4You Call Center is a hotline that centralizes
referrals to temporary housing programs and
serves singles, couples, and families in Santa
Clara County. Here4You can help match people
to emergency shelter and provide transportation
to the shelter; direct people seeking rental
assistance to the Homelessness Prevention
System; and make referrals to other community
resources.

HOME is the Home Investment Partnership
Program, funded by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, which provides
funding exclusively for affordable housing
activities benefitting low income households.

Homeless is defined as “homeless” by the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development
in four categories:

1. individuals and families who lack a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime residence
and includes a subset for an individual who
resided in an emergency shelter or a place not
meant for human habitation and who is exiting
an institution where he or she temporarily
resided;

2. individuals and families who will imminently
lose their primary nighttime residence;

3. unaccompanied youth and families with
children and youth who are defined as
homeless under other federal statutes who do
not otherwise qualify as homeless under this
definition; and

4. individuals and families who are fleeing, or are
attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other
dangerous or life-threatening conditions that
relate to violence against the individual or a
family member.
45 Functional Zero: A Definition for Ending Homelessness for a Population, Community Solutions. 96 Homeless Management Information System is
a local information technology system used to
collect client-level data and data on the provision
of housing and services to homeless individuals
and families and persons at risk of homelessness.

Homeless system of care is another way of
describing the Continuum of Care and the
network of partners who come together to work
to support people experiencing homelessness or
at risk of homelessness.

Homelessness prevention refers to services
aimed at supporting unstably housed individuals
and households to remain housed.

Homelessness Prevention System (see County of
Santa Clara’s Homelessness Prevention System)
Housing Problem Solving Initiative (see County of
Santa Clara’s Housing Problem Solving Initiative)
Housing and Urban Development, HUD is the
federal agency responsible for national policy and
programs that address housing needs, improve
and develop communities, and enforce fair
housing laws.

Housing Choice Vouchers, formerly known as the
Section 8 program, are long-term rental subsidies
funded by HUD and administered by Public
Housing Authorities that can be used to help pay
for rent.

Housing Element is the City’s plan to meet the
housing needs of everyone in the community and
is incorporated into the City’s General Plan, or
blueprint for how the city will grow and develop.

Housing Element Updates are required every five
years by the California Department of Housing and
Community Development to guide the creation of
housing policy in the City of Mountain View.

Housing First is a national, evidenced-based
best practice that eliminates barriers to housing,
ensuring individuals and families can exit
homelessness as quickly as possible. Housing
First is an approach to quickly and successfully
connect households experiencing homelessness
to permanent housing without preconditions and
barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or
service participation requirements. Supportive
services are offered on a voluntary basis to
maximize housing stability and prevent returns
to homelessness as opposed to addressing
predetermined treatment goals prior to
permanent housing entry.46
Housing problem solving is a person-centered,
housing-focused approach to quickly resolve
housing crises by exploring creative, safe, and
cost-effective alternatives to literal homelessness.

Interim housing is a short-term, dignified
environment where community members can
be housed and supported with services and case
management.

Limited Period funds are one-time funds.

Low-income is defined under the Housing and
Urban Development Act of 1937, as “families
(including single persons) whose incomes do not
exceed 80% of the median income for the area.”
McKinney-Vento Act is a federal statute that has
a more expansive definition of homelessness
than the HUD definition. The Act requires schools
to track students experiencing homelessness.

For public education programs up through
high school, homelessness includes people
experiencing homelessness under the HUD
definition, but also includes youth who are couch
surfing or doubled-up (e.g., with multiple families
sharing the same space).
46 What Housing First Really Means, National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), https://endhomelessness.org/what-housing-first-really-means/ 97 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond is a
countywide Measure that voters approved in
2016 dedicating $950 million toward affordable
housing. The housing bond provides the County of
Santa Clara with an unprecedented opportunity to
partner with cities, residents, and the affordable
and supportive housing community to significantly
address the housing needs of the community’s
poorest and most vulnerable residents.

Memorandum of Understanding is an agreement
between two or more parties that outlines, in
a formal document, their intentions. It is not
necessarily legally binding.

Mobile Crisis Response Team provides crisis
screening by telephone, assessment and in-field
intervention and referral to other supportive
services. Behavioral health clinicians, usually
accompanied by law enforcement liaisons
for on-the-scene safety, serve as the primary
responder to callers experiencing a mental health
crisis.

Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance
was adopted by the City of Mountain View in
2021 to protect mobile home residents from
unreasonable rent increases, while at the same
time protecting the rights of park owners and
mobile home landlords to receive a fair return
on their property and rental income sufficient to
cover increases in the costs of operating the Park.

The ordinance also provides just cause eviction
protections for mobile home renters.

Navigation Center is a low-barrier, housing-
focused shelter that provides comprehensive
onsite services to support participants in exiting
homelessness permanently.

Outreach is a process that involves connecting
people experiencing homelessness with services
and resources to meet their needs. It involves
building relationships, providing services,
facilitating access, and providing information.

People with lived experience is a term used
to refer to people who have lived through the
experience of homelessness and have first-hand
knowledge of what it feels like to live unsheltered
and/or to move through the homeless system of
care.

Point-in-Time Count is a biennial process required
of Continuums of Care by the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development
to count the number of people experiencing
homelessness on a single night in January. The
Point-in-Time count provides a snapshot of data
available on the size and characteristics of the
homeless population in a Continuum of Care over
time.

Permanent housing is housing for individuals
and families who are income-eligible and need
long-term support to stay housed. It includes
subcategories of both permanent supportive
housing and rapid rehousing.

Permanent supportive housing provides long-
term housing with intensive supportive services
to persons with disabilities. These programs
typically target people with extensive experiences
of homelessness and multiple vulnerabilities and
needs who would not be able to retain housing
without significant support.

Permanent Supportive Housing Program
provides permanent housing units within Santa
Clara County for leasing or rental assistance
paired with supportive services to assist 20
households achieve housing stability. The City has
a partnership with the County of Santa Clara for
the program.
98 Prevention aims to stop homelessness before
it starts by providing financial assistance and
services to prevent families and individuals from
losing their housing. Assistance may be one-time
or for a short period. Supportive services may
be provided in addition to financial assistance,
or households might be connected to other
resources in the community.

Rapid rehousing provides rental housing
subsidies and tailored supportive services for up
to 24 months, with the goal of helping people
to transition during that time period to more
permanent housing.

Regional Housing Needs Allocation is the
state-mandated process that determines the
number and affordability of new homes that a
local jurisdiction must plan for in an 8 year cycle in
areas of California.

Rent Relief Program provided financial assistance
to qualifying tenants impacted by COVID-19.

Safe parking is a free program that provides
temporary, safe locations for eligible individuals
and families living in vehicles to park, while
connecting participants to supportive services
that can help them transition to more stable
housing and meet basic needs.

Santa Clara County Housing Authority’s
Housing Choice Voucher Program is the federal
government's major program for assisting very
low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled
to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in
the private market. Since housing assistance is
provided on behalf of the family or individual,
participants are able to find their own housing,
including single-family homes, townhouses and
apartments.

Sheltered, for purposes of the Point-in-Time
Count, includes individuals and families living
in a supervised publicly or privately operated
shelter designated to provide temporary living
arrangements (including congregate shelters,
transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid
for by charitable organizations or by federal, state,
or local government programs for low-income
individuals).

Street outreach provides information and
connections to services for people living in
places not meant for human habitation, such as
in parks in cars, by rivers, or in encampments.

It involves multi-disciplinary teams who engage
with people experiencing homelessness who may
be disconnected or alienated from services and
supports that are offered at an agency.

Supportive services are services that are
essential in helping individuals and families
who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness
achieve build a pathway to permanent housing.

Supportive services include assistance applying
for benefits, mental health and substance use
services, outpatient health services, information
and referral services, child care, education, life
skills training, employment assistance and job
training, housing search and counseling services,
legal services, outreach services, transportation,
food assistance, risk assessment and safety
planning (particularly for individuals and families
experiencing domestic violence), and case
management services such as counseling, finding
and coordinating services, and monitoring and
evaluating progress in a program.

Transitional sheltering (See Interim Housing)
99 TRUST (Trusted Response Urgent Support Team)
is a Community Mobile Response pilot program
designed to respond to people experiencing a
mental health crisis or concern without involving
law enforcement. The pilot is funded through
a five-year Mental Health Services Act grant
and operates in three geographic areas: San
Jose, Gilroy, and North County (with a focus on
Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara).

TRUST is staffed by first-aid responders and
community members who have experience in
providing peer support and/or crisis intervention.

Unhoused refers to individuals experiencing
homelessness.

Unsheltered, for purposes of the Point-in-Time
Count, includes individuals and families with a
primary nighttime residence that is a public or
private place not designed for or ordinarily used
as a regular sleeping accommodation for human
beings, including a car, park, abandoned building,
bus or train station, airport, or camping ground.

Unstably housed refers to housed individuals and
families at imminent risk of homelessness.

Year-round shelter is open throughout the entire
calendar year and offers a temporary, short-term
place to stay for unhoused individuals and families.

PATHWAYS TO HOUSING

HOMELESS RESPONSE STRATEGY
IMPLEMENTATION and EXPENDITURE PLAN
City of Mountain View
500 Castro St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Human Services Division
[email protected]
mountainview.gov/humanservices
Housing Department
[email protected]
mountainview.gov/Housing
100

Mountain View City CouncilJune 10, 2025

Mountain View City Council
June 10, 2025