Silicon Valley officials worry about transition to homeless shelters

Homeless residents, advocates and local officials have questions about the Sunnyvale shelter as the facility transitions to a nonprofit operator.

The 145-bed homeless shelter owned by Santa Clara County will change operators on July 1. HomeFirst In the “Your User Account in Your New System 145” email, Bill Wilson Center. Residents fear being kicked out as the shelter shifts from serving homeless people to families, and workers fear losing their jobs. Sunnyvale officials want to know if the change will lead to an increase in homeless people in their city.

“Let us stay here longer and find a place to stay,” a resident named Claudia told San José Spotlight.

Supervisor Otto Lee shares similar concerns and said he was assured by county employees that no one would be removed from the shelter due to the transition. He also asked the Bill Wilson Center to consider retaining current shelter employees to maintain continuity and support.

“Since the needs are still there, the customers are still there, their services will also need to continue, especially if they have developed relationships with customers,” Lee told San José Spotlight.

The shelter stopped accepting referrals for single adults on April 24 and the county has no details on when it will restart. The shelter will continue to serve single adults residing there through 2025, pending the opening of another county-owned shelter in Palo Alto.

Kathryn Kaminski, deputy director of the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing, reiterated that no one from the shelter will be kicked out on July 1 and said county employees have regularly attended meetings at the shelter to share information and answer questions about the transition.

“Our ultimate goal is to not close it and be able to maximize the use of the site, while allowing us to make the necessary improvements to ensure the shelter can continue to serve as many people as possible. Kaminski told San José Spotlight.

Kaminski said he doesn’t know how many shelter workers have been rehired, but noted that representatives from the Bill Wilson Center have attended shelter staff meetings to share information about how to apply for a job.

Homeless advocate Shaunn Cartwright said as summer sets in and temperatures rise, the shelter’s air-conditioned space could save lives. Cartwright demonstrated outside the shelter on Monday with a handful of advocates, demanding that the shelter accept new referrals.

“More people are going to die from hyperthermia,” Cartwright told San José Spotlight. “This decision is not exclusively about who is in the shelter, but also how it affects everyone around them.”

Santa Clara County has been grappling with homelessness for the past decade as the region’s population continues to grow. Since last year, the county’s homeless population has grown 3% from 2019, totaling 10,028, of which 1,026 are in families.

For every Santa Clara County household that was housed in 2023, nearly two were homeless, according to the county’s year-end analysis of its 2020-25 Community Plan to End Homelessness. That’s a 24% increase from the 3,473 households reported in 2022.

Sunnyvale has about 385 unhoused residents, according to the 2022 Point-in-Time Count, although county officials said the count is often an undercount.

Sunnyvale

According to Kaminski, about 70 homeless people are housed in the shelter. That’s about half the shelter’s capacity, and Sunnyvale officials worry that people who could stay there will be pushed onto city streets.

Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein said he is asking the city and community leaders to participate in transition planning. He said the city’s housing department and homeless resource manager are coordinating with county employees.

“The most important thing for us is that there is no net loss of shelter beds in North County, but the most important thing is to have a plan for the people who are currently unhoused in Hamlin (and) determine where they will ultimately be moved, whether or not that is North County, whether or not that is somewhere else in the county,” Klein told San José Spotlight.

Councilwoman Alysa Cisneros said when people are removed from the shelter, they immediately enter the city’s homeless population, which increases demand for city services. While the city is working to expand its capacity, she said this transition requires an immediate response.

People leaving the shelter will receive the same support they would receive if there was no transition, Kaminski said. He added that the county has been working for several years to expand shelter capacity.

“We recognize that there is a need for shelter beds, both in Sunnyvale and in North County, in San José and in South County, and we have been working hard with our partners to expand,” he told San José Spotlight.

Office of Supportive Housing Director Consuelo Hernandez said her office is working with Supervisor Lee on a community engagement plan. As part of the plan, she said the county will have one-on-one conversations with city officials and nonprofits like Sunnyvale Community Services.

“It’s no secret that we have a lot of homeless people on the streets in every neighborhood and the shelter gives them a safe place to stay,” Lee told San José Spotlight. “This is the kind of place we need to make sure it’s available.”

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.