Tens of millions of dollars will be given to San Jose and Santa Clara County to help avoid homelessness and build homes.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated that the Homeless, Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program would be giving $827 million to more than 100 communities. The city of San Jose will get $28.8 million, and Santa Clara County will get almost $28 million. There are stricter rules about who is responsible for the funds and how they are used.
“I want to thank the governor and the legislature for sharing our sense of urgency and protecting important HHAP funding,” Mayor Matt Mahan told San José Spotlight. “This has helped San Jose move hundreds of homeless neighbors inside.”
This is how grantees will have to report the money they spend every month and make it public on the HHAP website. Also, they will have to share the results of the program every three months.
Newsom also said that cities and towns would be getting new instructions on how to deal with homeless camping sweeps. As part of this, you must give at least 48 hours’ notice and make it clear how to handle and store things that are left alone.
Other advice includes letting government agencies know how many open spots there are in shelters and other temporary housing places that can help people living in camps before a sweep right away.
The grant announcement comes after Newsom’s executive order three months ago, which told agencies to quickly deal with encampments on state-owned land. This was followed by millions of dollars to help localities deal with encampments of the homeless, including almost $5 million for San Jose.
“The state has stepped up in ways the state has never stepped up before,” Newsom said at a news conference not long ago. It wasn’t until a few years ago that California cared about the problem of homelessness.
The HHAP program was set up by the state five years ago to help reduce homelessness by giving one-time funds. HHAP money can be used to help people who are homeless avoid becoming homeless, pay their rent, find temporary or permanent housing, reach out to new people, provide services, and improve shelters.
Five rounds of funds worth almost $120 million have been given to San Jose since then. With $39 million, the city has set aside the most money for temporary housing. With $23 million, it has set aside money for new emergency shelters and guidance centers.
“I’m excited to look over staff proposals for the latest allocation of our $28 million HHAP award,” Mahan said. “I expect that we’ll continue to use these funds to support tried-and-true, cost-effective solutions, like expanding our range of temporary housing options and focusing on upstream prevention.”
Nearly $114 million has been given to Santa Clara County by the HHAP program. Nearly $32 million has been used for running subsidies, and $16 million has been spent on preventing and diverting homelessness.
“(HHAP funding) has been vital to the success of the county’s Homelessness Prevention System,” Aaron Kinney, a spokesperson for the county Office of Supportive Housing, told San José Spotlight. “This system helps families who are at risk of becoming homeless by giving them temporary financial aid, legal support, and other services.”
The Homelessness Prevention System helps people who are about to be evicted by giving them money, legal help, and case management. It has helped more than 7,000 families since it began in 2017. Thanks to HHAP funding, the system has grown to help more than 2,500 families each year.
It was approved in June that the sixth round of HHAP funding would give $1 billion to local governments. Applications are scheduled to open next year.
“We’ve given our partners in the area the things they need.” He said, “It’s time to end this crisis now.” “These new funds are the result of years of hard work, accountability, and strategic planning that are needed to end homelessness for good.”