County Of Santa Clara Awarded $29.2m In State “Homekey” Funding For New Affordable Housing

Press release from the Santa Clara County Government:

September 22, 2020

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— The County of Santa Clara has secured $29.2 million in state funding for a proposal to convert a hotel in Milpitas into permanent apartments for people experiencing homelessness. The site, which is currently an Extended Stay America, would be the first development in Milpitas fully dedicated for permanent supportive housing.

According to the proposal, the building, located at 1000 Hillview Court in Milpitas, would be transformed into Hillview Court and provide 132 apartments for formerly homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless – some of whom lost homes as a result of the pandemic.

“This funding comes at a time when the need for affordable housing is greater than ever, as the current pandemic exacerbates the challenges being faced by our most vulnerable residents,” said Cindy Chavez, President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “Service-enriched permanent housing is a proven solution.”

The proposal reflects a unique collaboration between various partners committed to ending homelessness in Santa Clara County. The County’s Office of Supportive Housing worked rapidly with the developer Jamboree Housing Corporation and Destination: Home to submit the application to the state, while the City of Milpitas staff provided support and facilitation.

“The speed at which we pulled together with our partners demonstrates the collective will of our community to address the housing crisis,” said Consuelo Hernandez, Director of the County’s Office of Supportive Housing. “No one entity can solve homelessness alone. It truly takes a strong, united effort, and this is a perfect example of that.”

The $29.2 million comes from the State’s Homekey program, California’s innovative $600 million program to purchase and rehabilitate housing (including hotels, motels, and vacant apartment buildings) and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. This proposal in Milpitas represents about 32 percent of the Bay Area allocation, a testament to the significance and impact of the project in providing permanent housing solutions for those most in need – especially in terms of the scale and speed of the development.

The Milpitas permanent supportive housing project has been a long time coming, said Bob Nuñez, Milpitas Vice Mayor and a member of the City Council Housing Subcommittee.

“Staff has had a multitude of in-depth discussions on finding safe, effective solutions to help the chronically homeless, the City's most vulnerable population. This is a significant headway in our fight to end homelessness,” Nuñez said. “I could not be more proud of how staff has represented the City of Milpitas. We are part of a multi-agency partnership and the Homekey program that will transform lives. This is truly a unique opportunity to address critical housing needs.

" The established partnership, along with streamlined review and inspections, would allow Jamboree to complete the minor rehabilitation work quickly. Onsite services would provide the health and stability necessary for formerly homeless residents to successfully live independently.

“Hillview Court will be an asset to the Milpitas community and Jamboree is excited to bring its years of experience working with homeless populations and providing quality affordable housing to this development,” said Laura Archuleta, Jamboree President and CEO. “The Homekey funding offers us the ability to convert the hotel quickly and efficiently to address the immediate needs of the community.”

Neighborhood meetings will be conducted in the coming weeks to discuss the project with the community.

"Housing is the true solution to homelessness, and this unique project will allow us to immediately bring people inside into permanent housing for our most vulnerable neighbors," said Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination: Home. "We are extremely grateful to our partners at the County of Santa Clara, City of Milpitas and Jamboree for moving so quickly to capitalize on this unique opportunity, and to the State of California for investing in this important project. These are exactly the type of partnerships that will be critical to ending homelessness in our community."

The project directly aligns with the 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness, which has set a goal of housing 20,000 people and doubling interim housing capacity over the next five years. The plan serves as a collaborative road map for the county, cities, and community partners to address the homelessness crisis, and was formally adopted by the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors in August.

This press release was produced by the Santa Clara County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.