La Oferta

March 28, 2024

County of Santa Clara approves $33 Million for new apartments to help homeless youth

The developments, funded in part by the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, will include 173 new units in San José for low-income residents
Santa Clara County, CA — The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors today voted 5-0 to approve two new sites for affordable housing developments that will be funded by the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond and No Place Like Home funds. Combined, funds for the projects total $33 million, with $15.6 million from Measure A and $17.4 million from No Place Like Home.

“With the Board’s unanimous approval of two Measure A projects today, we now have 21 in the works,” said Supervisor Dave Cortese. “Of those, construction is expected to be completed on three affordable housing developments next month, with one more to be completed in December. This is real progress, and we need to keep up the momentum.”

With approval of the two new developments, the County will reach nearly a third of its total housing production goal, which is to finance the development of at least 4,800 housing units by June 30, 2027. So far, the Measure A Affordable Housing Bond has funded 21 projects in six cities.

“Residents understandably are asking what is being done to address homelessness,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Mike Wasserman. “The answer is that we are housing them. Housing is not a temporary solution— it moves people from homeless to housed and it changes lives.”

The two developments will include 176 total units, with three reserved for site managers. Of these units, 87 will be used as permanent supportive housing to help individuals and families with special needs, two will be affordable to extremely low income (ELI) households, 57 will be affordable to very-low income households (VLI), and 27 will be affordable to low-income (LI) households. More information on income levels for each threshold is listed in a table below. The units will range from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Construction of both developments is expected to be completed in 2022.

“The housing crisis disproportionately impacts Santa Clara County residents with the least resources,” said Ky Le, Director of the Office of Supportive Housing. “Our top priority is to use these voter-approved funds and other public investments to create affordable housing for seniors on fixed incomes, young adults with a mental illness, and other vulnerable residents.”

On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors also received this year’s annual report on the status of the Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, which voters passed in 2016. The purpose of the bond’s Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee is to ensure the funds are spent efficiently and effectively, as approved by voters.

“We wanted to make sure we had the strongest oversight we could on these housing projects. The Measure A Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee has been giving us very high marks for the progress we have already made in funding new affordable housing, and they have their own independent auditor,” said Supervisor Cindy Chavez, the primary architect of the affordable housing bond.

The new developments approved on Tuesday include:

Gallup & Mesa Apartments, San José:  Gallup & Mesa Apartments is a new 46-unit affordable family development in San José. If approved, the County’s investment of up to $7,000,000 would contribute to the construction of 23 NPLH-funded PSH units to help individuals and families with special needs obtain and maintain permanent housing.  Of the remaining 23 units, two units would be affordable to ELI households, 14 units would be affordable to VLI households, six units would be affordable to low-income (LI) households, and one unit would be reserved for a resident manager.  For this development, Eden Housing, the developer, is seeking an allocation of 23 Section 8 Project Based Vouchers (PBVs) from the Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) and $5,750,000 from the City of San José.

425 Auzerais Apartments, San José:  425 Auzerais Apartments is a new 130-unit affordable family development in San José.  If approved, the County’s investment of up to $26,000,000 would contribute to the construction of 64 NPLH-funded PSH units to help individuals and families with special needs obtain and maintain permanent housing, 43 units for VLI households, 21 units for LI households, and two units for the resident managers.  The developer, Eden Housing, has also requested an allocation of 64 PBVs from SCCHA and $14,482,203 from the City of San José.

2019 Income limit thresholds for Santa Clara County

1 PERSON2 PERSONS3 PERSONS4 PERSONS5 PERSONS6 PERSONS
Extremely Low Income (ELI)$30,750$35,150$39,550$43,900$47,450$50,950
Very Low Income (VLI)$51,250$58,550$65,850$73,150$79,050$84,900
Low Income (LI)$72,750$83,150$93,550$103,900$112,250$120,550

ABOUT THE 2016 MEASURE A AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND
The 2016 voter-approved $950 million Measure A Affordable Housing Bond is projected to fund 120 new affordable housing developments over 10 years, including 4,800 new apartments dedicated to extremely low-income and very low-income households. In addition, the County will establish rental and ownership opportunities for moderate income households. The bond will enhance the County’s ability to achieve its housing priorities, which include: increasing the scope and breadth of supportive housing for special needs populations (including veterans, seniors, people who are disabled, foster youth, survivors of abuse, the chronically homeless, and individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse illnesses); increasing the supply of housing that is affordable to extremely low-income households; and improving coordination and collaboration among the County, the cities, other governmental agencies, and the affordable housing community. For more information on the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, visit www.supportivehousingscc.org/housingbond. For more information on the initiative to end homelessness, visit scctoolkit.org.

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA  
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, the sixth largest county in California. With more than 70 agencies/departments and nearly 22,000 employees, the County of Santa Clara plans for the needs of a dynamic community, offers quality services, and promotes a healthy, safe and prosperous community for all.  The County provides essential services, such as public health and environmental protection; behavioral health and medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, including Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (Hospital and Clinics), O’Connor Hospital and Saint Louise Regional Hospital; child and adult protection services; homelessness prevention and solutions; roads, parks and libraries; emergency response to disasters; protection of minority communities and those under threat; access to a fair criminal justice system, and scores of other services, particularly for those members of our community in the greatest need.

Visit the County of Santa Clara at: http://www.sccgov.org
Like us on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/County.of.Santa.Clara/
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sccgov