REPORT TO HOUSING AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Recommend to City Council: Adopt the Sunnyvale Homelessness Response Plan as the City’s Five-Year Framework for Addressing Homelessness and Its Impacts on the Community, and Receive an Update on Community Outreach Efforts
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
This report provides an overview of the draft Sunnyvale Homelessness Response Plan (“Plan”), the City’s five-year framework (from 2026 to 2031) to reduce homelessness, increase pathways to permanent housing, and reduce the impacts of unsheltered homelessness on the community. The Plan is informed by community engagement, local data, existing City plans, and best practices research.
The plan recognizes that reducing homelessness and addressing the impacts of unsheltered homelessness are related but distinct objectives. Reducing homelessness requires preventing households from becoming homeless and increasing the number of people who exit homelessness to permanent housing. Addressing the impacts of unsheltered homelessness requires the City to respond to health, safety, sanitation, and public-space concerns while continuing to connect homeless residents to appropriate services.
The Plan established two overarching goals: (1) reduce homelessness by at least 25% by 2031 and (2) reduce the impacts and City resources associated with unsheltered homelessness.
The Plan advances these goals through three focus areas:
1. Homelessness Prevention
2. Housing, Shelter, Vehicle-Based Shelter Solutions, and Supportive Services
3. Coordinated Homelessness Response and Community Engagement
The Plan includes strategies and activities, implementation targets and timelines, and funding considerations to guide implementation over the five-year period. Implementation will be phased based on available funding, operational capacity, community need, and site availability.
Council adoption of the Plan would establish the City’s policy framework and priorities for addressing homelessness over the next five years. It would not authorize all proposed programs, appropriations, contracts, sites, or other implementation actions identified in the Plan. Staff will return to Council either separately or through existing processes (e.g. budget adoption) for additional approvals, including proposed sites, implementation details, and funding requests, as required.
The Plan is estimated to require approximately $40 million in capital and operating funding over five years. In addition, the City will spend an additional $14.5 million in already established operating costs over that time for a total of $54.7 million. These estimates do not include the city’s next Notice of Funding Availability for affordable housing projects, which is currently anticipated to be $19 million.
The Plan identifies funding sources for the activities included in the cost estimate; however, implementation will occur through future budget, grant, contract, and other approval processes. If all proposed new programs are implemented, the City may also require up to 2.0 additional FTE positions.
This report asks the Housing and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to recommend that City Council approve the draft Plan. The City Council is scheduled to consider the Plan on September 29, 2026.
BACKGROUND
For many decades, the City has focused on supporting lower-income households, including those at risk of homelessness, by funding human services programs. The City has also historically relied on Santa Clara County to provide homelessness-related services. As homelessness has evolved and community needs have increased, the City Council expanded the City’s role by establishing programs and investing additional resources to supplement the regional homelessness response system.
Santa Clara County leads the regional homelessness response system and funds and administers many programs and services. The City, however, has a separate role in establishing local policy, funding and augmenting services, coordinating with regional and community partners, and addressing the impacts of unsheltered homelessness on City facilities and public spaces. The Plan is intended to clarify and coordinate the City’s role within the broader regional system.
In 2020, the City Council approved the 2020 Housing Strategy, which identified developing a Safe Parking program as an action.
In 2022, the City Council added Supporting the Unhoused Community as a Council Strategic Priority. Also in 2022, the City Council authorized and funded street outreach services to augment other social service programs in the County and to assist unhoused individuals in learning about and accessing services. The City’s contract for street outreach services with HomeFirst was extended three times through September 30, 2024.
In July 2023, a new Human Services Manager position (previously titled Homeless Services Manager) was added to the Community Development Department’s Housing Division to work on the Council Strategic Priorities and study issues related to homelessness.
In February 2023, the City Council directed staff to evaluate existing and potential emergency housing and shelter opportunities for families with minor children experiencing homelessness (Study Issue CDD 23-05).
In December 2023, the City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element of the General Plan (RTC No. 23-1120). The City incorporated remaining programs from the 2020 Housing Strategy into the Housing Element, including Program H34 - Safe RV Parking, which directs staff to work with local service providers to encourage the creation of a Safe RV parking program for the unhoused community.
In August 2024, the City Council approved a one-year service agreement with WeHope for $909,780 for street outreach, a temporary hotel program, and Dignity on Wheels mobile hygiene services (RTC No. 24-0830). The City Manager extended this contract through September 2027.
In November 2024, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 3233-24, which amended Article 5 of Title 19 of the Sunnyvale Municipal Code to allow Safe Parking as a primary or ancillary use at specified sites (RTC No. 24-1171). Additionally, Council directed staff to pursue implementing a Safe Parking Pilot program on public property, return to Council with program details, and prepare a Budget Issue for consideration with the FY 2025/26 Recommended Budget for a General Fund grant for a nonprofit or faith-based organization to provide a Safe Parking Program on private land. Council approved an appropriation of $100,000 for a capital grants pilot program to support establishing a Safe Parking Program on private land.
In December 2024, an Inclement Weather Hotel Pilot Program was approved as an addition to WeHope's services (RTC No. 24-0198).
In FY 2025/26, the City added a term-limited Unhoused Specialist position to the Housing Division to support the growing volume and complexity of homelessness-related projects, programs, and initiatives.
On December 2, 2025, a draft Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness, the City’s first plan to outline how the City would tackle homelessness, was brought to Council and the HHSC in a joint hearing. Council directed staff to conduct additional community outreach to further inform the Strategic Plan (RTC No. 25-0110).
On April 21, 2026, the City Council directed staff to pursue the development of Interim Housing, an RV Buyback Program, an Oversized Vehicle Permit Parking Program, and to explore Safe Parking to address vehicular homelessness (RTC No. 26-0016).
EXISTING POLICY
GENERAL PLAN - HOUSING ELEMENT
GOAL HE-5 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS - Promote equal housing opportunities for all residents, including Sunnyvale’s special needs populations, so that residents can reside in the housing of their choice.
Policy H-5.7. Emergency Rental Assistance. Provide emergency rental assistance for residents in greatest need as a strategy for preventing homelessness.
Policy H-5.11. Housing for Persons with Disabilities. Continue to address the special needs of persons with disabilities through the provision of supportive housing, accessibility grants, and procedures for reasonable accommodation.
Policy H-5.13 Housing and Services to Address Homelessness. Participate in the County Collaborative on Affordable Housing and Homeless Issues to support its efforts to prevent and end homelessness. Facilitate and sponsor the provision of permanent supportive housing for homeless people. Support local service providers that offer facilities and support services to homeless individuals and families, and persons at risk of homelessness.
H32. Programs to Address Homelessness. Continue to provide funding for programs that seek to prevent and end homelessness and provide supportive services to homeless and at-risk clients. Continue to implement programs such as WorkFirst Sunnyvale and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance. Using new funds such as Permanent Local Housing Allocation and HOME-ARP, create and fund new programs that support the City’s residents who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
H33. Capital Projects to Address Homelessness. Prioritize City financing and provide development assistance to capital projects that address homelessness including permanent housing, interim housing, and emergency shelter. The City will adopt a comprehensive approach to identify multiple projects located throughout the City through the following actions:
• Work with owners of hotels, aging lower-density multifamily developments, or other scattered sites to apply for Homekey funding to create housing for people experiencing homelessness.
• Identify public or private property for new inclement weather shelters.
• Continue collaborating with Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing on Measure A-funded projects for the creation of new permanent supportive housing units.
• Continue to prioritize financing for new development projects that reserve units for tenants transitioning out of homelessness, including permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing projects.
H34. Safe RV Parking. Work with local human service providers to encourage the creation of a Safe RV Parking program for the unhoused community.
Objective: Support the establishment of a safe RV parking program and identify at least one potential site.
H35. Special Needs Housing Development Assistance. Include priority for special needs units in City notices of funding availability for new housing construction, rehabilitation, and/or preservation projects. Aim to assist in the development of at least one new project with some or all of the units reserved for special needs tenants as defined in State Regulations Section 10325(g)(3), including tenants with severe intellectual or developmental disabilities, individuals with chronic illnesses, and individuals, families, and/or youth experiencing homelessness. Encourage developers to include special needs advocacy groups in their marketing and leasing efforts related to newly available special needs units.
COUNCIL STRATEGIC GOAL #4: A model to prevent homelessness, prioritize new housing and support the unhoused community.
COUNCIL POLICY MANUAL
Council Policy 5.1.3 Human Services
POLICY PURPOSE: The City of Sunnyvale recognizes that the supportive human services programs of the Federal, State, and County governments do not fully meet the needs of all its population. The City, therefore, shall make its best efforts to provide supplemental human services, which include but are not limited to emergency services, senior services, disabled services, family services, and youth services.
Other Relevant Policies from Council Policy Manual:
• Policy 2.3.3 Strategies for Affordable Housing and the Use of Housing Mitigation Fees
• Policy 5.0 Long-term Advocacy Positions - Socio-Economic
• Policy 5.4 Health and Social Services:
(3) Support the Food Stamp Program, the School Breakfast and Lunch Program, the WIC Program, senior nutrition programs, and support services for homeless families.
• Policy 5.6 Affordable Housing and Homelessness
• Policy 7.4.14 2025 Legislative Advocacy Issues: Affordable Housing, Homelessness, and Land Use
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15262 as the actions relate to the authorization of a feasibility and planning study for possible future actions that the City Council has not approved, adopted or funded.
DISCUSSION
During the December 2, 2025, joint hearing with City Council and HHSC, the HHSC recommended that City Council adopt the Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness and direct staff to return with an implementation plan with modifications, as an Information Only item. Follow-up information on these modifications is included at the end of this report.
City Council Direction
The City Council directed staff to conduct additional community outreach to further inform the Plan and return with an updated draft in the first half of 2026. The timeline was subsequently extended to September 2026 to allow staff additional time to develop implementation details and funding recommendations for proposed programs addressing vehicular homelessness.
Community Outreach & Engagement
Community engagement was conducted between January to April 2026 to inform the Plan through a broad range of perspectives, identify unique community priorities, and better understand service gaps and barriers. Table 1 provides information on all outreach activities conducted by City staff and the City’s street outreach provider.
The outreach process was intended to understand community priorities, service gaps, barriers, and concerns about the impacts of unsheltered homelessness. Staff blended this information with existing City policies to determine which strategies should be included in the Plan and which potential activities should be prioritized for further evaluation.
For detailed information on community outreach activities, participation, stakeholders engaged, and key findings, see Appendix D of the Homelessness Response Plan.
Key Findings and How Community Feedback Informed the Plan
Staff analyzed community outreach findings alongside the 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, local service utilization data, previously adopted City plans, and best practice research to identify opportunities to strengthen the City’s response to homelessness. Staff also considered other forms of community comments and feedback such as email messages to staff and Councilmembers. Together, these sources informed the Plan’s three focus areas, strategies, and activities.
Community Engagement Key Themes
Community feedback closely aligned with the quantitative data and highlighted several recurring priorities. Collectively, community feedback and supporting data reinforced the need for a comprehensive approach that prevents households from entering homelessness, expands pathways out of homelessness, and addresses the conditions associated with unsheltered homelessness in the community. Table 2 demonstrates how key community priorities are reflected in the Plan’s three focus areas:
Community feedback also reflected competing needs and perspectives. Participants identified the need for additional housing, prevention resources, shelter and vehicle-based solutions, and supportive services, while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining clean, safe, sanitary, and accessible public spaces. The Plan attempts to address these needs through a combination of prevention and housing strategies and a coordinated response to the impacts of unsheltered homelessness.
Overview of the Homelessness Response Plan
The Plan is designed to provide direction at three levels. The goals establish the outcomes the City seeks to achieve by 2031. The focus areas and strategies identify the approaches the City will prioritize to achieve those outcomes. Individual activities establish specific actions, implementation targets, timelines, and funding considerations.
This distinction is important because not every activity will be implemented at the same time or at the scale identified in the Plan. Implementation will depend on funding availability, operational capacity, community need, site availability, and the ability to secure sustainable funding.
The Plan is centered around two goals:
• Goal 1: Reduce unsheltered homelessness by at least 25% by 2031. This goal focuses on reducing inflow into homelessness and expanding pathways to housing through a coordinated, data-informed approach. Progress will be measured by a reduction in the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Sunnyvale, as measured by the 2031 PIT Count.
• Goal 2: Reduce homelessness-related reports to the City by 25% by 2031. This goal focuses on reducing the impacts and City resources associated with abatements, debris cleanups, misuse of public spaces, sanitation concerns, and other conditions affecting the broader community. Progress will be measured by reductions in homelessness-related calls for service, MySunnyvale reports, and encampment abatements over time.
The three focus areas represent the City’s priorities for advancing these goals over the five-year Plan period:
Focus Area 1: Homelessness Prevention
This focus area emphasizes preventing individuals and families from entering homelessness by strengthening housing stability, reducing displacement, and expanding access to resources that help residents remain safely housed. It directly supports both goals by reducing the number of households entering homelessness and strengthening long-term housing stability.
Focus Area 2: Housing, Shelter, Vehicle-Based Shelter Solutions, and Supportive Services
This focus area expands pathways out of homelessness through supportive housing, rental assistance, inclement weather shelter, service-connected vehicle-based shelter options, and connections to supportive services, including mental health and substance use disorder treatment. It also directly supports both goals by expanding pathways to housing, shelter, and services that help people transition out of unsheltered homelessness.
Focus Area 3: Coordinated Homelessness Response and Community Engagement
This focus area strengthens the City’s coordinated response to unsheltered homelessness while increasing community awareness, engagement, and involvement. It directly supports Goal 2 through compassionate and consistent encampment response practices, connections to services and resources, and engagement of the broader community in the City’s homelessness response.
What Adoption of the Plan Means
The Plan is intended to establish a five-year policy and implementation framework rather than authorize every individual activity identified in the Plan. Adoption would establish the City’s priorities and direction for addressing homelessness and its impacts through 2031. Staff would then implement activities consistent with the Plan as funding, operational capacity, community need, and other conditions allow.
Some activities can be implemented through existing contracts, appropriations, or administrative authority. Other activities require additional funding, site selection, contracts, additional public outreach, capital investments, or other Council action. Staff will return to Council for those actions as required.
This approach allows the City to establish a coordinated long-term direction while maintaining flexibility to respond to changes in funding, available sites, community needs, regional resources, and program performance
Overview of Proposed Programs
The Plan includes a comprehensive list of programs. Below are some of the more significant or new activities included in the Plan. The Plan also includes additional prevention, housing, supportive services, encampment response, and community education. Attachment 2 provides the complete list of activities, implementation targets, estimated costs, and funding sources.
Interim Housing
Interim Housing provides medium-term shelter stays, supportive services including case management and behavioral health, and connections to permanent housing. Staff will return to Council for approval of the proposed site and implementation details.
RV Permit Parking Program
This program would provide a designated, time-limited parking option for eligible households experiencing vehicular homelessness. Participants would be connected to street outreach, case management, housing navigation, and other supportive services to support progress toward housing. Staff will return to Council to approve the proposed location and implementation details.
Safe Parking Program
Safe parking provides designated parking and supportive services for people experiencing vehicular homelessness, including individuals residing in RV’s or passenger vehicles. Staff also recommends continuing to support opportunities for small-scale, privately-operated (such as a place of worship) safe parking service by providing permitting assistance and technical support, and will come back to Council with the feasibility of an alternate City-owned site that may be viable for Safe Parking.
Behavioral Health Services
Staff will be exploring opportunities to embed behavioral health staff into street outreach and shelter programs. These services are intended to support individuals facing mental health and/or substance use issues so that they can get the specialized help they need to reach their goals.
Inclement Weather Program
Over the past two years, the City has run an inclement weather program with support from the street outreach team. This program has served approximately 45 individuals over 40 inclement weather nights over the two-year period. This program is recommended as an ongoing program.
Plan Cost
The Plan is expected to require approximately $54.7 million over five years, including one-time capital investments and ongoing operating costs for current and proposed programs and services. Each new and existing program identified in the Plan that requires funding has an identified funding source, including existing City resources from various funding sources, the General Fund - Future Unhoused Services, and external grant funding. Attachment 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the Plan’s estimated costs and proposed funding sources.
If Council approves the plan and implements all proposed new programs, the City may also need up to 2.0 FTE positions at the Housing Specialist II equivalent, at an estimated cost of $12.5 million over 20 years. These costs are in addition to the costs included in the $43 million estimate. Staff will refine this estimate and address any additional staffing needs through the regular budget cycle.
Implementation and Accountability
Throughout development of the Response Plan, staff incorporated feedback from the community engagement process emphasizing the importance of a framework that is measurable, action-oriented, transparent, and able to demonstrate progress over time. In response, the proposed Plan identifies activities, implementation targets, timelines, and funding sources to guide implementation over the five-year planning period. Because the Plan is intended to serve as a broad policy framework, the program or contract level will establish specific performance and outcome measures as activities are implemented. These measures will be tailored to each program's scope, structure, and intended outcomes and will support ongoing monitoring of Plan implementation.
Community engagement also identified a broad range of needs and potential solutions. However, available funding, staffing, organizational capacity, and other implementation considerations limit the number and scale of initiatives the City can pursue at one time. The Plan therefore prioritizes programs and initiatives based on anticipated impact, feasibility, available resources, and long-term sustainability.
The Plan’s activities are intended to collectively support the goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness in Sunnyvale by at least 25% by 2031. The Plan identifies prevention activities intended to reduce the number of households entering homelessness and housing, shelter, vehicle-based shelter, rental assistance, and supportive service strategies intended to expand pathways out of unsheltered homelessness. The City will assess progress toward the 25% reduction goal primarily through its biennial Point-in-Time Counts, with annual Council reporting and program-level performance measures providing additional information on implementation and program outcomes.
As the City’s human and homeless services and programs have expanded over time, performance measures and reporting requirements have varied by program. With dedicated homelessness services staff now in place within the Housing Division, staff will work to standardize appropriate performance measures in all human services and homelessness service contracts.
To support implementation and ongoing program oversight, staff will continue to:
• Review quarterly contractor reports to assess program activities, outcomes, and progress toward established program performance measures.
• Conduct annual monitoring of contracted service providers to assess program performance and compliance with contract requirements.
• Provide annual Plan updates to Council and the Housing and Human Services Commission that include performance information and progress on activities identified in the Homelessness Response Plan.
Annual updates on Plan implementation will provide an opportunity to assess progress, identify needed adjustments during the five-year planning period, and ensure the Plan continues to reflect community priorities, available resources, and evolving best practices.
Evaluate Existing and Potential Emergency Housing and Shelter Opportunities for Families with Minor Children Experiencing Homelessness (Study Issue CDD 23-05)
After the Study Issue on Family Shelter was initiated (see Attachment 3), the County’s North County Shelter has transitioned from congregate shelter for individuals and some families to serving families with minor children only. The facility was renovated to provide semi-congregate accommodations with greater privacy for up to 30 families. Staff also found that family-serving shelters and interim housing programs throughout the region predominantly provide non-congregate or semi-congregate accommodations.
With approval of the Plan, staff recommends formally concluding Study Issue CDD 23-05 (regarding Emergency Housing and Shelter Opportunities for Families with Minor Children). The Plan provides multiple housing and shelter pathways for families with minor children, including prioritization in the City’s Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and Temporary Hotel Shelter programs. Staff will continue to monitor demand and regional shelter capacity and may return to Council if additional family shelter needs are identified.
Follow Up Items from the December 2, 2025 Joint Hearing
1. Disaggregated Veteran Data/Coordination with VA
Staff obtained veteran-specific data for Sunnyvale; however, consistent with County guidance, populations of fewer than 11 individuals are not publicly reported. Sunnyvale’s data fell below this threshold and is therefore not included in the Plan. The City’s street outreach team currently connects veterans experiencing homelessness to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs resources and services, as appropriate. Staff will continue to evaluate veteran-specific data and potential coordination opportunities with the County, VA, and veteran-serving non-profits.
2. Innovative Solutions in Other Jurisdictions
Staff continues to stay abreast of local, regional, and national trends and best practices in homeless programs and services through coordination meetings, webinars, and conferences. Staff also regularly coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions, including through bi-monthly Intercity meetings and the development of the North County Subregional Plan as part of the Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness. This subject is also regularly discussed at the Santa Clara County City Managers Association meetings where City Managers from across the county contend with the same issues as we support the broader local community.
3. Downtown Streets Team (now disbanded) and Regional Workforce Partnerships
Staff continues to explore workforce development program opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness, which the Plan’s community engagement also identified as a priority. However, staff has not identified a comparable organization to operate a workforce development program similar to the Downtown Streets Team model, which provided individuals experiencing homelessness volunteer opportunities to clean up the local community coupled with case management services, basic job and resume skills, and a weekly gift card stipend for their program and volunteer engagement. Given available resources, the current Plan prioritizes homelessness prevention and housing and shelter solutions. Staff will continue to explore innovative workforce models for the unhoused community and potential partnerships with neighboring jurisdictions if opportunities and resources become available.
4. Urgency of the Homelessness Crisis
The revised Plan recognizes homelessness as a complex, persistent, and evolving challenge and establishes a measurable goal to reduce unsheltered homelessness by at least 25% by 2031, as measured by the City’s 2031 PIT Count.
5. Partnerships with Local School Districts and Community Colleges
As part of the community engagement process, staff talked to representatives from three local school districts serving grades K-12 (Sunnyvale School District, Cupertino Union School District, and Fremont High School Union School District) and attempted to engage the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. K-12 district representatives generally indicated that existing systems and partnerships are meeting current needs but identified transportation as an area where future support may be needed as resources become strained. Staff will continue to coordinate with local school districts (including Santa Clara Unified School District) as partnership opportunities emerge.
6. Metrics, Goals, and Measuring Plan Success
The recommendation to include metrics and goals significantly shaped the revised Plan by adding measurable goals, implementation targets, and activity timelines. The Plan establishes a goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness by at least 25% by 2031, as measured by the City’s 2031 PIT Count, with progress further evaluated through annual Council reporting and contract performance metrics for City-funded nonprofit services.
7. Living Conditions for Individuals in Encampments
Staff further explored opportunities to improve conditions for individuals living in encampments through the community engagement process, including direct feedback from people experiencing homelessness. The revised Plan responds by expanding pathways from unsheltered homelessness into service-connected housing and shelter while continuing street outreach and connections to supportive services.
8. City Funding for Homelessness Services and Plan Implementation
During the FY 2026/27 budget process, the City Council approved allocating $43 million from the Council Level Set Aside over a 20-year period to support homelessness programs and services to be identified through future planning and budget processes. This funding, together with existing City resources and new grant funding the City has received or is pursuing, will support implementation of the activities identified in this plan. Over 60% of the funding is associated with capital improvements for interim housing and safe parking, both of which would be available longer than the 5-year period.
It is also important to note that the City has not been complacent in addressing this issue over the last decade. The most impactful way to reduce homelessness is to increase the availability of affordable housing. Over the past decade, the City has invested over $100 million over thirteen affordable housing projects that are either complete or are in process. This is in addition to millions in annual operating allocations to human service agencies like Sunnyvale Community Services, including significant contributions through loan forgiveness, loans for tenant improvements, and a single $4 million investment to stabilize Sunnyvale Community Services’ facility costs.
FISCAL IMPACT
Accepting this Plan does not appropriate funds or authorize new expenditures. However, implementation of the Plan is expected to require substantial City resources over the five-year period. The Plan estimates approximately $43 million over the next five years, including spending from reserves, which represents a significant financial commitment. The City will bring any future funding needs to Council separately for approval as part of the annual budget development process or as progress on each initiative is made. The funds set aside for these purposes shall remain reserved for these purposes pending appropriation. Overall, the plan envisions the need for $43 million over the five years from 2026-2031, excluding possible staffing costs and current operating costs already budgeted.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the City Hall reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the draft Homelessness Response Plan and find that these actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262.
2. Approve the draft Homelessness Response Plan with modifications and find that these actions are exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262.
3. Take no action at this time.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Recommend to City Council: Alternative 1: Approve the draft Homelessness Response Plan and find that these actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262.
JUSTIFICATION FOR RECOMMENDATION
While several City plans include homelessness-related efforts, Sunnyvale does not currently have a comprehensive framework to guide how the City prioritizes limited resources to address homelessness. As homelessness continues to evolve and federal funding changes affect housing and other basic needs, a stable, coordinated City response is increasingly crucial.
The Homelessness Response Plan provides a five-year roadmap that balances efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness with addressing conditions associated with unsheltered homelessness in the community. The Plan prioritizes homelessness prevention, housing and shelter pathways, coordinated encampment response, and community engagement, while establishing measurable goals to guide implementation and future investment decisions.
Levine Act
LEVINE ACT
The Levine Act (Gov. Code Section 84308) prohibits city officials from participating in certain decisions regarding licenses, permits, and other entitlements for use if the official has received a campaign contribution of more than $500 from a party, participant, or agent of a party or participant in the previous 12 months. The Levine Act is intended to prevent financial influence on decisions that affect specific, identifiable persons or participants. For more information see the Fair Political Practices Commission website: www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/pay-to-play-limits-and-prohibitions.html
An “X” in the checklist below indicates that the action being considered falls under a Levine Act category or exemption:
SUBJECT TO THE LEVINE ACT
___ Land development entitlements
___ Other permit, license, or entitlement for use
___ Contract or franchise
EXEMPT FROM THE LEVINE ACT
___ Competitively bid contract*
___ Labor or personal employment contract
___ Contract under $50,000 or non-fiscal
___ Contract between public agencies
_X_ General policy and legislative actions
* "Competitively bid" means a contract that must be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder.
Staff
Prepared by: Jocelyn Vidales, Unhoused Specialist
Reviewed by; Annette Tran, Human Services Manager
Reviewed by: Amanda Sztoltz, Housing Officer
Reviewed by: Trudi Ryan, Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Kurtis Mock, Budget Division Manager
Reviewed by: Dennis Jaw, Assistant Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Matthew Paulin, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Connie Verceles, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Tim Kirby, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft 2026-2031 Sunnyvale Homelessness Response Plan
2. Plan Activities Costing Chart
3. Study Issue 23-05 Existing and Potential Emergency Housing and Shelter Opportunities for Families with Minor Children Experiencing Homelessness