Project will bring San José closer to Mayor Mahan’s goal of ending the era of encampments
San José, CA. 15 April 2023 –This past Thrsday, San José Mayor Matt Mahan was joined by LifeMoves CEO Aubrey Merriman, former Mayor Sam Liccardo, Councilmember Sergio Jimenez (D2), and John Sobrato, Founder and Chairman of the Sobrato Organization, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the city’s largest emergency interim housing (EIH) site to date. The site, located at the corner of Branham Lane and Monterey Rd., is the first to stand vertically with 204 beds spread out among three stories of prefabricated modular apartment units. The EIH site is expected to serve up to 612 people annually, bringing San José closer to Mayor Mahan’s goal of ending the era of encampments.
“The people living on our streets don’t have five years to wait for permanent housing solutions to be built,” said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “The Branham interim housing site will be able to serve hundreds of people per year and brings us that much closer to getting these residents off the streets and into safe, dignified interim housing. I want to extend my gratitude to all the partners who have made this innovative housing solution possible.”
San José has made a monumental effort to scale up its stock of emergency interim housing in recent years, building 397 beds across the Mabury Road, Felipe Avenue, Monterey/Bernal, Rue Ferrari, and Evans Lane EIH sites, serving 1,350 residents, with 72% remaining stably housed. Accounting for the Lot E/Guadalupe EIH community and now Monterey/Branham, San Jose now has 697 units operating or under construction, with another 300 in the pipeline. San Jose is set to receive 200 small homes from Governor Gavin Newsom, which will get San Jose 20% of the way to Mayor Mahan’s goal to create new capacity to move 1,000 unhoused residents out of unmanaged encampments by the end of this calendar year.
San Jose’s EIH model has led to a halt in the increase of unsheltered homeless residents for the first time since 2015. Based on the 2022 countywide point-in-time census (PIT), 75% of homeless residents are unsheltered in San José compared to 84% in 2019.
“This unique ground-breaking also breaks new ground: the region’s first multi-story prefabricated quick-build site, at a record scale that will enable the City to move several hundred unhoused people off the streets every year,” said Former San José Mayor, Sam Liccardo. “Our collective efforts are hitting their stride, and I thank the many hands, heads, and hearts that have made this possible, including the generosity of John and Sue Sobrato, the resolve of the LiveMoves team, the support of the Governor’s Homekey funding, and the leadership of Mayor Mahan and the City team.”
The Branham/Monterey site, expected to be completed in April 2024, is funded in large part by a $51 million grant from California’s Homekey program for construction and multiple years of operations. It is the third-largest funding award in the State and the second-largest Homekey project. Additional funding comes from a generous $5 million donation from John A. and Sue Sobrato, and the City’s Measure E funds. LifeMoves also received $4 million from Santa Clara County’s Challenge Grant to support operations.
“LifeMoves believes that our unhoused neighbors deserve a safe, dignified, and livable place to call home as quickly as possible,” said Aubrey Merriman, CEO of LifeMoves. “This new Homekey Branham Lane interim community will provide a supportive transitional step toward stable housing for hundreds of people, along with resources and customized, intensive services to help chart their course to permanent housing. As San José’s largest quick-build, modular interim housing community, this project showcases Silicon Valley’s spirit of innovation, as well as the shared commitment of our state, county, and local leaders; community and philanthropic partners; and funders to ending homelessness.”
“I am proud to lead the way for homeless housing solutions in South San Jose – this will be the third emergency interim housing community that we welcome within District 2,” said Councilmember Sergio Jimenez. “EIHC’s and the services offered transition houseless individuals into stability so they can reintegrate into society and thrive – they also benefit surrounding communities by reducing blight and crime. I am confident that this location will be an asset to D2 and I look forward to its success.”
Increasing the city’s supply of emergency interim housing and identifying new sites to support them was a focal point of addressing unsheltered homelessness in Mayor Mahan’s budget proposal. The Mayor’s core budget priorities include homelessness, public safety, blight, and bringing jobs and housing back to San José. Mayor Mahan continues to push the City to narrow its focus and make meaningful progress in these areas using practical, cost-effective solutions.
“As a longtime supporter of LifeMoves, I am thrilled to join the groundbreaking of their San José interim housing community,” said Founder and Chairperson of The Sobrato Organization, John A. Sobrato. “The site will offer stability and hope for its future residents. The only thing better to celebrate will be the day this project opens its doors.”
