Santa Clara Valley Water District:
Dealing with
Creekside Encampments
The Santa Clara Valley Water District has also stepped up to
acknowledge the crisis of homelessness and to work with other
key stakeholders on the issue. As a steward of precious local
water resources, the water district works to protect creeks and
other waterways from trash and debris, maintain fences, and
preserve banks and trees. Creekside homeless encampments
are deemed both unsafe and illegal. Water district officials are
working with city and county agencies to find solutions. In May,
the water district held an ad hoc meeting open to the public
to discuss the homeless encampments. During the three-hour
meeting, water district board members heard from subject
matter experts and concerned citizens regarding requests from
several groups to make vacant district rental properties available
to unsheltered individuals and families with County housing
vouchers. Expect to hear more on this in the coming weeks
and months.
Bringing Our Veterans “All the Way Home”
On Veteran’s Day in 2015, County Board President Dave Cortese and Mayor Sam Liccardo
announced and launched All the Way Home, a campaign to provide housing or shelter
for the County’s more than 700 homeless veterans, by the end of 2016. The City of San
Jose, the County of Santa Clara, the County Housing Authority and Destination: Home
are collaborating on this campaign, inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2015 Mayors
Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, in partnership with the Veteran’s Administration
and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The campaign is working with landlords
and apartment owners to increase access to rental units for homeless veterans and their
families. Outreach will also be made to corporations and faith-based groups to aid with land
acquisition, housing development, access to rental units, financial assistance and services.
A high percentage of our homeless veterans
are unsheltered and suffer health conditions
that make it difficult to break the cycle of
homelessness.
Source: Santa Clara County Point-In-Time Census and Survey Comprehensive Report 2015. Provided by Destination: Home.
“I read a quote recently… ‘We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem that we
just can’t solve’ . . . the challenge is enormous and the need is heart-breaking. Providing permanent housing for more
than 6,000 men, women and children in Santa Clara County may sometimes seem impossible. But we are making
progress and will continue to do so until no one in Santa Clara County has to sleep outside.
— Dave Cortese, President, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,
2016 State of the County Address
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JULY / AUGUST 2016
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