Our Santa Clara County Supportive Housing System achieved a major milestone in 2023 by permanently housing nearly 4,500 formerly homeless people. This is a 29% increase in housing placements over 2022 and the most ever in a single year.
However, at the very same time, we also saw more people pushed into homelessness than ever. In 2023, the number of people becoming homeless for the first time jumped by 24%.
Considering national trends, it’s sadly no surprise – for the first time the majority of U.S. renters cannot afford their housing, considered rent-burdened. These residents are forced to choose between keeping a roof over their head or covering other critical expenses like food, medicine or transportation.
Homelessness is fundamentally a housing problem, and rents have long been out of reach for the lowest-income households. The end of pandemic eviction protections and relief programs only put more of these families at greater risk of homelessness. In fact, when the statewide moratorium was lifted, eviction cases soared by 35% in Santa Clara County.
Addressing The Rise In Homelessness In Our Community
Today, Destination: Home is sharing an update on the Santa Clara County 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness. This update makes the case for more funding to scale proven housing and prevention solutions and more adequately address our homelessness crisis.
Serious gains have been made over the past four years as the direct result of close collaboration and continued innovation by our Supportive Housing System. It’s evident we have effective strategies underway that should be expanded to stem the inflow of people pushed into homelessness and end experiences of homelessness lasting far too long.
We Must Do More to Scale Up These Strategies
To address the severe shortage of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents driving our homelessness crisis, public and private partners across the community are working to build more affordable homes. These efforts have helped more than 13,817 people end their experiences of homelessness and move into permanent housing since 2020.
To address the severe shortage of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents driving our homelessness crisis, public and private partners across the community are working to build more affordable homes. These efforts have helped more than 13,817 people end their experiences of homelessness and move into permanent housing since 2020.
To address the severe shortage of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents driving our homelessness crisis, public and private partners across the community are working to build more affordable homes. These efforts have helped more than 13,817 people end their experiences of homelessness and move into permanent housing since 2020.
We Must Do More To Keep People From Losing Their Home
Our homelessness crisis is the consequence of decades of inaction and federal disinvestments in housing for the poorest people. There’s now a pile of evidence proving how effective direct cash assistance is at supporting a family’s stability. The need for increased commitments in proven strategies to prevent homelessness – particularly at the federal level – is greater than ever.
Join Us This Friday to Get a Closer Look at Temporary Housing & Shelter Programs in Santa Clara County
We’re hosting a webinar this Friday where we’ll review the progress of our Community Plan and feature a closer look at temporary housing and shelter programs throughout Santa Clara County. Join us on March 1st at noon!
