Larry Klein
Mayor
Murali Srinivasan
Vice Mayor
Russ Melton
Councilmember
Alysa Cisneros
Councilmember
Omar Din
Councilmember
Richard Mehlinger
Councilmember
Linda Sell
Councilmember
June 4, 2024
S
anta Clara County Board of Supervisors
70 W. Hedding Street
San Jose, CA 95110
VIA Email: [email protected]
R
E: Consider recommendations relating to the North County congregate shelter at 999 Hamlin Court, Sunnyvale. (Meeting Date 6/4/2024, Agenda Item #12, #120505) - SUPPORT
D
ear Board of Supervisors:
O
n behalf of the City of Sunnyvale, we encourage the Board to support Supervisor Otto Lee’s referral to the Administration to report to the Board on June 18, 2024, with options for consideration relating to a stakeholder outreach plan and options for consideration relating to working with partner agencies to achieve a net zero reduction in shelter beds for single adults in North County.
G
iven that there was insufficient notice provided to stakeholders and the public about the shift in the shelter’s target population from single adults to families with minor children, we believe that more dialogue is needed to help inform all key stakeholders of the shelter’s transition plans before these changes are fully implemented. And while we understand how dire the need is throughout the County for family shelter, it should not come at the expense of displacing a significant number of single adults in North County. This dialogue should be informed by clearly presented data regarding the population currently being served, including information about where current and previous clients are from, and where they go once they have left the shelter. Such data is critical to ensure that transition plans appropriately address regional shelter needs.
W
ith the proposed change, North County is potentially losing more than 100+ slots for single unhoused adults. Based on past experiences, we know that many unhoused residents have a strong preference to stay in the community where they have ties or have some familiarity. We need viable options in North County to place single adults who will no longer be able to stay at the Hamlin Court shelter.
Attachment 1
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
June 4, 2024
The City of Sunnyvale places a high priority on supporting our unhoused community through our participation in the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care, our continued support of local homeless service providers, and our City Council’s prioritization of unhoused study issues year after year (Policy HE-5.6). The City also continues to implement various policies and programs aimed at providing housing at a variety of affordability levels for residents of all incomes.
For these reasons, we encourage the Board to refer this item to Administration to report to the Board by June 18, 2024, with options for consideration relating to Agenda Item
12. Consider recommendations relating to the North County congregate shelter at Hamlin Court, Sunnyvale. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Trudi Ryan, Director of Community Development at [email protected], if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Larry Klein
Mayor
cc: James R. Williams, Santa Clara County Executive
City Council
Kent Steffens, City Manager
Sarah Johnson- Rios, Assistant City Manager
Trudi Ryan, Director of Community Development
Attachment 1