Silicon Valley receives millions from the government to combat homelessness

San Jose and Santa Clara County are set to receive tens of millions of dollars for homelessness prevention and housing.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced the latest round of Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program funding totaling $827 million in more than 100 communities. San Jose will receive $28.8 million and Santa Clara County will receive nearly $28 million in funding. The grants come with stricter standards of accountability and transparency.

“I want to thank the Governor and Legislature for sharing our sense of urgency and securing critical HHAP funding that has helped San Jose place hundreds of homeless neighbors into homes,” Mayor Matt Mahan told San Jose Spotlight.

Grantees must report funds spent each month and make them available on the HHAP dashboard. They must also upload program results quarterly.

Newsom also announced new guidance on how municipalities should handle clearing out homeless encampments. This includes providing notice at least 48 hours in advance and establishing clear guidelines for the handling and storage of unattended items. Other guidance includes that state agencies must be informed before an eviction of how many vacancies are available in emergency shelters and shelters so that people living in camps can be provided with immediate care.

The grant announcement follows Newsom's executive order three months ago directing authorities to urgently address encampments on federal lands, followed by millions of dollars to help municipalities set up homeless camps – with San Jose receiving nearly $5 million .

“The state has stepped up in a way it has never done before,” Newsom said at a recent news conference. “California started addressing the issue of homelessness just a few years ago.”

The HHAP program was created by the state five years ago to provide one-time grants for efforts to reduce homelessness. HHAP funds can be used for things such as homelessness prevention, rental assistance, temporary and permanent housing, community outreach, services and shelter improvements. Since then, San Jose has received nearly $120 million in grants in five rounds of funding. The city allocated the largest portion, $39 million, to transitional housing and $23 million to new emergency shelters and navigation centers.

“I look forward to considering staff suggestions for the (latest) allocation of our $28 million HHAP award and expect that we will continue to use these funds to support proven and cost-effective solutions – “by expanding our transitional housing offerings and focusing on upstream prevention,” Mahan said.

Santa Clara County has received nearly $114 million from the HHAP program, with the largest amount of money allocated to operating grants at nearly $32 million and homelessness prevention and diversion at $16 million.

“(HHAP funding) has been critical to the success of the county's homelessness prevention system, which provides critical assistance to households at risk of homelessness through temporary financial assistance, legal assistance and other services,” said Aaron Kinney, spokesman for the county office of Supportive housing, said San Jose Spotlight.
The Homelessness Prevention System provides financial assistance, legal assistance and case management to those at risk of eviction. Since the program launched in 2017, it has helped more than 7,000 households. Thanks to HHAP funding, the system was able to expand and now serves nearly 2,500 households per year.

The sixth round of HHAP funding, approved in June, will provide $1 billion to local governments. Applications are expected to open next year.

“We have provided our local partners with the tools and resources they need. “It’s time to end this crisis now,” Newsom said. “These new funds represent the hard work, accountability and strategic planning needed to address homelessness with real, lasting results.”

Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.