REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Award of Agreement with WeHOPE for Street Outreach and Essential Homeless Services
Report
BACKGROUND
Homelessness is a multi-faceted issue, and many of the services and programs available to City of Santa Clara residents are part of a countywide system supported by various funders, including the County. These services help prevent homelessness, assess vulnerability, connect unhoused residents with emergency shelter and housing opportunities, and connect people with a range of health and human services. The City of Santa Clara contributes resources to this countywide system, in addition to the targeted services it provides within the City itself.
The City of Santa Clara (City) is committed to implementing a comprehensive, strategic response to reduce homelessness through a combination of building affordable housing, homelessness prevention and crisis response which includes basic needs services, street-based outreach and case management, and meaningful connections to a range of essential services, emergency shelter, and long-term housing opportunities.
With the goal of keeping people stably housed, the City supports various homelessness prevention services through the County and service providers. The City contributes annually to the County of Santa Clara’s (County) Homelessness Prevention System (HPS), a collaborative program that provides financial assistance, legal support, and case management to low-income households at risk of losing their housing (for additional details about the HPS, see Attachment 1). The City’s agreement with the County for this partnership extends through 2027. Additionally, the City contracts with ABODE Services to administer the City’s Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program, which offers short-term rental subsidies for up to 12 months, help with security deposits, and case management for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, at risk of becoming homeless, or fleeing domestic violence. The City also contributes to the County’s Intensive Case Management program and a 211 hotline through United Way, and provides landlord/tenant mediation through Project Sentinel and domestic violence services through Next Door Solutions.
To further assist individuals experiencing homelessness, on January 25, 2022, the City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into an agreement with WeHOPE to provide mobile hygiene services through its Dignity on Wheels program. This program offers mobile showers, laundry services, and case management for unsheltered individuals in Santa Clara. To deliver these services, the Dignity on Wheels mobile trailer is currently stationed at Marsalli Park every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., providing regular access for those in need. During a July 8, 2025 study session, several Councilmembers expressed interest in relocating this service to a different location where unhoused individuals also receive other basic need services (i.e., food). Staff is exploring a potential relocation that would occur in early 2026 with the vendor and other partners. Should the relocation occur, staff will monitor and evaluate program data and other considerations to ensure the effectiveness of the new site. The agreement with WeHOPE for the mobile shower and laundry services allows for relocations as needed, and is effective through February 2026, after which the City may exercise its option to extend for one additional year.
In addition to the contracted services described above, the Santa Clara Police Department’s Community Response Team (CRT), which is made up of four Police Officers and a licensed Mental Health Clinician, conducts non-uniformed outreach to respond to crises and connect people experiencing homelessness to existing services. While the team does not conduct housing assessments for the County’s supportive housing system, CRT facilitates assessments through partnering entities. The CRT is also responsible for the department’s oversight of businesses regulated by City, State and federal laws including inspections and corresponding investigations, responding to mental health crises, and is a liaison to Santa Clara University for student education and enforcement of a variety of issues including drug/alcohol use and neighbor relations.
While simultaneously working on housing production, homelessness prevention, and crisis response, the City has also developed a Draft Citywide Plan to Reduce Homelessness. This effort was initiated in 2022 with the convening of a Homelessness Taskforce and the hiring of a consultant to help facilitate community engagement and the draft plan development. The Draft Citywide Plan to Reduce Homelessness and Its Impacts was presented at the July 8, 2025 study session and includes 34 work items, many of which aim to address service gaps. Key work items include securing a service provider to implement street outreach and case management; adding 136 new emergency shelter, interim housing, rapid rehousing, or shared supportive housing beds/units by 2031; and implementing a pilot emergency overnight shelter program to be activated during inclement weather events.
The described work items align with an existing Council priority and Housing Element goal. As part of its 2024 Priority Setting Session, the City Council identified providing interim supportive housing and outreach services for the City’s unhoused population as a Council priority. In addition, there is a goal in the City’s certified Housing Element plan to increase the number of interim housing, rapid rehousing, or emergency shelter beds by 136 beds by 2031. Staff is preparing to bring the Final Draft Citywide Plan to Reduce Homelessness and Its Impacts for the Council’s consideration and adoption in December 2025.
In 2023, the City submitted state budget requests to its elected state representatives for consideration. With the support of California State Senator Aisha Wahab and former Assemblymember Evan Low, the City was awarded $1,800,000 in State funding to enhance its homelessness response through a street and encampment outreach team, a pop-up inclement weather program, and explore partnerships with other public agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and volunteer and faith-based organizations to leverage funding, facilities, expertise, and staffing to create a more comprehensive homelessness response.
DISCUSSION
Consistent with the Council priority, Housing Element, and the 2023 State grant, staff is requesting the City Council to authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with WeHOPE to provide three program services, Street Outreach and Case Management (SO/CM), Temporary Hotel Program (THP), and Inclement Weather Hotel Program (IWHP), for an initial two-year term with an annual not-to-exceed amount of $851,163 and a total not-to-exceed agreement amount of $1,702,326. This agreement will expand the City’s homeless support services by creating new pathways for outreach, case management, coordinated entry system, and emergency shelter through the THP and IWHP.
The City is leveraging an agreement between WeHOPE and the City of Sunnyvale (Sunnyvale), pursuant to City Code Section 2.105.270(d), which allows the City to procure services by contracting directly with a vendor at a price and on the terms obtained through the competitive bidding process conducted by another public agency, provided that the process meets or exceeds the City’s procurement standards.
On May 13, 2024, Sunnyvale issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for street outreach and essential homeless services, consisting of mobile shower and laundry services, street outreach and case management services, and coordination of short-term hotel stays. It is staff’s understanding that Sunnyvale completed extensive outreach to non-profit service providers. Sunnyvale received one proposal in response to their RFP, which was reviewed by a multi-agency evaluation team according to the criteria published within the RFP. Upon their review, the evaluators determined that the proposal met the requirements of the RFP and Sunnyvale’s service needs and made a recommendation to award to WeHOPE. In September 2024, Sunnyvale executed their original agreement with WeHOPE for an initial term of one year with the option to renew for up to four additional one-year terms and later amended their agreement to include an inclement weather hotel program. WeHOPE has performed well in Sunnyvale and is in the process of renewing their contract.
WeHOPE is a Bay Area non-profit whose mission is to help individuals become healthy, employed, and housed through innovative, dignity-centered programs. WeHOPE has proven experience in providing a variety of services to individuals experiencing homelessness, including operating three non-congregate shelters in San Francisco, East Palo Alto, and Half Moon Bay and the City’s Dignity on Wheels program. Additionally, several of the City’s neighboring jurisdictions, including Sunnyvale, San Jose, Milpitas, Mountain View, and the County of Santa Clara’s Office of Supportive Housing, contract with WeHOPE to provide various homelessness related services.
Program Services Overview
WeHOPE’s programs are based on the principles of Housing First, a nationally recognized approach that prioritizes providing people experiencing homelessness with immediate access to safe, stable housing without requiring sobriety, employment, or other preconditions. This model operates on the belief that everyone is “housing ready” and that stable housing is a critical foundation for improving health, well-being, and long-term self-sufficiency.
To implement these principles locally, WeHOPE will offer and provide the following services to unhoused adults, youth, and families in the City of Santa Clara.
Street Outreach and Case Management (SO/CM)
WeHOPE will provide street outreach and case management services seven days a week throughout Santa Clara, focusing on locations where unhoused individuals congregate. The program aims to build trust through consistent engagement and will connect individuals to shelter/housing opportunities, health care, behavioral health, and supportive services. A team of outreach workers and case managers will implement key activities that include conducting a formal intake process, administering housing assessments (e.g., Vulnerability Index Specialized Prioritization Decision and Assessment Tool (VI-SPDAT)) and linkage to the County’s Coordinated Entry System, developing service and housing plans, assisting with benefits enrollment, providing transportation to critical appointments, and placement into the THP and IWHP.
The SO/CM team will also assist clients in obtaining identification and other necessary documentation to secure housing and benefits, distribute hygiene supplies, and facilitate enrollment the County’s Coordinated Entry System for interim and supportive housing and other local resources, and collaborate with the City during City-activated inclement weather events to notify unhoused individuals of local warming and cooling centers and room availability in the City’s IWHP, provide transportation, and distribute supplies. Additionally, the SO/CM team will collect feedback from unhoused individuals on existing services and resources, as well as potential service gaps, to provide the City with more information on how to better serve its unhoused community.
WeHOPE will coordinate its services with City departments and partner agencies, including but not limited to, the County of Santa Clara. WeHOPE’s coordination may include participation in meetings with City departments and/or partner agencies. WeHOPE’s SO/CM services will complement the City’s existing CRT services. While the CRT will continue to respond to calls for service, quality-of-life issues, and public safety crises regardless of an individual’s housing status, WeHOPE will focus on proactive, voluntary engagement with unhoused individuals, emphasizing long-term, housing-focused case management. By providing consistent support and addressing non-emergency needs, the SO/CM team is expected to ease the demand on the CRT and complement their efforts, enabling the team to focus on other priorities.
While some of the described services may overlap with those provided by the countywide ABODE Homeless Engagement Access Team (HEAT), which conducts outreach to unhoused individuals who have moderate to severe mental health issues across 13 cities in the county on a bi-weekly basis, there is a need for more regular outreach and services that the SO/CM would provide specifically to Santa Clara residents. While ABODE’s HEAT provides valuable countywide outreach, there is a need for more consistent, localized engagement in Santa Clara. The proposed SO/CM services will fill this gap by offering regular, housing-focused support specifically for Santa Clara residents. This will be the first time street outreach and case management services provided that are one hundred percent dedicated to Santa Clara.
Staffing costs and related benefits directly associated with the SO/CM program total $276,307 annually; however, there are also additional operating and staffing costs shared across the three programs as described in more detail under the fiscal impact section. The operating costs includes program supplies and client assistance, such as hygiene products, clothing, transportation, etc.
Temporary Hotel Program (THP)
Through a direct agreement with a hotel located in Santa Clara, WeHOPE will secure five rooms year-round for unhoused Santa Clara residents, with prioritized use for unhoused individuals who are actively participating in their case management program and working to transition into permanent housing, a shelter program, or another transitional housing opportunity. Participants may stay in a hotel room for up to 30 days.
While enrolled, participants will meet regularly with a case manager to review and advance their housing plan and receive meals and case management services that include all the services provided by the SO/CM team described above. A residential coordinator will also conduct regular wellness checks and room inspections to ensure compliance with program rules, including “no visitors” and "good neighbor" policies.
Staffing costs, related benefits, and hotel-related expenses directly associated with the THP total up to $300,322 annually; however, there are also additional operating and staffing costs shared across the three programs as described in more detail under the fiscal impact section.
Inclement Weather Hotel Program (IWHP)
The Inclement Weather Hotel Program provides up to ten (10) hotel rooms on a first-come, first-served basis for unhoused individuals residing in Santa Clara during City-activated inclement weather events, for up to 45 nights per year. Services include participant intake, wellness checks, meals, care coordination, and exit planning. WeHOPE staff will be on-call 24/7 during activations to ensure program rules are followed and ensure the health and safety of participants during the inclement weather event. They will have a room onsite during IWHP activations to assist with this coordination. The WeHOPE team will also conduct communications and outreach activities to inform unhoused individuals and service providers when the program is activated.
The City will determine when to activate the IWHP based on local conditions and will notify WeHOPE whenever an inclement weather event is declared. Consistent with the County’s Inclement Weather and Excessive Heat Response Annexes, the City may activate the program at its discretion whenever forecast conditions pose a serious health risk, including but not limited to, overnight lows below 40 °F with at least a 5% chance of rain, two or more days of persistent or flooding-level rainfall, or National Weather Service “High” or “Very High” Health Risk alerts indicating prolonged, dangerous heat with little nighttime relief.
The proposed IWHP is based on research that City staff completed through consultations with several other jurisdictions experienced in administering similar programs. An inter-departmental team of City staff also met to identify a potential location for an overnight inclement weather location that would provide shelter during extremely hot or cold weather events, after the City’s daytime warming or cooling centers close and discuss the involved logistics. These consultations have helped staff compare various emergency shelter models and determined that a non-congregate, hotel-based inclement weather shelter program operated by a service provider is more effective than establishing and administering a “pop-up” shelter in a City facility (e.g., library). Discussions with other jurisdictions revealed that operating “pop-up” shelters presents significant logistical challenges, including securing staffing, facility setup/cleanup, meal coordination, and potential scheduling conflicts at City facilities. In contrast, a hotel-based program operated by a service provider enables faster activation, provides greater participant privacy and safety than a congregate shelter setting, and a site location that is already dedicated for residential uses.
Staffing costs, related benefits, and hotel-related expenses for the IWHP total up to $94,284 annually; however, there are also additional operating and staffing costs shared across the three programs as described in more detail under the fiscal impact section.
Stewardship of Hotel Sites
WeHOPE is responsible for establishing an agreement directly with local hotel(s) for the THP and IWHP and will submit all hotel partnership agreements, including the selection of the primary hotel site, to the City for prior review and approval. While WeHOPE intends to operate both programs in a single hotel, the unpredictability of inclement weather activations may at times require a secondary hotel for the IWHP. Additionally, as part of this agreement, WeHOPE will adhere to the hotel’s requirements for room occupancy and verify that individuals sharing a hotel room are family members or otherwise have an established prior relationship. WeHOPE has identified a hotel located in Santa Clara on El Camino Real as a primary hotel site.
Importantly, although the City did not receive any reports from neighboring jurisdictions with similar programs or WeHOPE about major incidents or major damages to hotel rooms in their respective hotel programs, this agreement designates funds for potential incidents: $12,813 per year for THP hotel maintenance, supplies and repairs and $5,625 per year for the IWHP rooms. These funds ensure resources are available should any issues arise.
Staffing
The described services will be facilitated through a team of homeless services specialists that includes:
• 2.0 FTE Outreach Workers
• 2.0 FTE Case Managers
• 0.5 FTE Program Manager
• As Needed Residential Services Coordinators (THP and IWHP only)
WeHOPE will provide their staff regular training and development on topics, including but not limited to County OSH required trainings on use of the County’s Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) and HMIS enrollment, VI-SPDAT assessments, housing navigation, de-escalation, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, implicit bias, street engagement, professionalism and ethics, cultural competency, overdose prevention, overdose response including administration of Narcan, mental health coordination, and substance abuse community resources.
Policies
WeHOPE will be responsible for developing program policies and procedures tailored to the City’s specific needs and priorities. City staff will review and approve these policies before services begin. At a minimum, these policies address:
• Program Eligibility Requirements
• Admissions/Selection Process
• Program Rules
• Client Removal From A Program
• Client Grievance Process
• Overdose Prevention
• Crisis Intervention
• Engaging with Law Enforcement
• Good Neighbor Policy
Language and Interpretation Services
Of the 464 households affiliated with the City of Santa Clara that completed the County’s VI-SPDAT assessment process between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 (FY 2025), 5% identified as America Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous, 9% identified as Asian or Asian American, 19% identified as Black, African American, or African, 42% identified as Hispanic/Latina/e/o, 3% identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 27% identified as White (Non-Hispanic/Latina/e/o). To serve its diverse clientele, WeHOPE will make all program forms, including promotional materials such as flyers, available in English and Spanish. They will also ensure that translation and interpreter services are available. At the City’s request, WeHOPE will provide program forms in additional languages.
City’s Efforts to Reduce Homelessness and Its Impacts
By partnering with WeHOPE, the City will gain access to WeHOPE’s extensive regional experience and deep understanding of local conditions and available resources to effectively implement proven programs tailored to address homelessness in Santa Clara. The three programs proposed in this agreement are informed by strategies outlined in the City’s Draft Citywide Plan to Reduce Homelessness and Its Impacts, research on similar programs in neighboring cities, and input from multiple City departments, including the Community Development Department, Police Department, Library Department, Office of Emergency Management, and the City Manager’s Office.
This agreement is a meaningful step forward in implementing the Council priority
related to street outreach and expanding the City’s homeless services. Implementation
of the services proposed in this agreement supports key work items outlined in the
City’s Draft Citywide Plan to Reduce Homelessness and Its Impacts under Strategy
Area 2: Increase availability of short-term shelter, permanent supportive housing, and
Extremely Low Income (ELI) housing, and Strategy Area 3: Conduct proactive street
outreach to engage people who are unsheltered and connect them to resources.
Additionally, the programs fall under several categories of the County’s Countywide
Supportive Housing System, such as Outreach (SO/CM), Coordinated Entry System
(SO/CM), and Emergency Shelter (THP and IWHP). Lastly, there’s also a benefit of having one vendor manage all of the City’s direct homeless services, which provides operational efficiencies.
It should be noted that funding for these programs beyond the initial two-year term has not yet been identified. As such, these are pilot programs that will be assessed for their effectiveness through performance measures outlined in the agreement, which include but are not limited to:
• 50 percent of clients will obtain the necessary documents to move into housing.
• 90 percent of clients will complete a housing plan within 90 days.
• At least 15 percent of enrolled clients will exit to temporary or permanent housing.
Staff will work on identifying potential funding sources to implement the programs long term as needed based on that assessment. The performance measures will be included as part of any future progress updates that staff provides to the City Council on the City’s homelessness response plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $1,702,326 for the initial two-year term ($851,163 annually). The agreement will be funded entirely by the $1,800,000 State grant that was secured in 2023 for these services.
Below is a cost breakdown for the SO/CM, THP, and IWHP’s annual costs:
|
Programs |
Types of Expenses |
Annual Cost |
|
SO/CM |
2.0 FTE Outreach Workers and 2.0 FTE Case Managers (Salary and Benefits) |
$276,307 |
|
THP |
As needed Residential Services Coordinator (Salary and Benefits), Hotel Rooms, Hotel Maintenance, Supplies and Repairs, and Food for Clients |
$300,322 |
|
IWHP |
As needed Residential Services Coordinator (Salary and Benefits), Hotel Rooms, Hotel Maintenance, Supplies and Repairs, and Food for Clients |
$94,284 |
|
Shared - Operating and Staff Costs |
0.5 FTE Program Manager (Salary and Benefits), Insurance, IT Support, Staff Training, Equipment Rentals, Etc. |
$102,872 |
|
Shared - Overhead |
10% Administrative Expense |
$77,378 |
|
Total Annual Cost |
$851,163 |
Hotel rooms and certain operating costs (e.g., THP and IWHP hotel rooms, THP and IWHP hotel maintenance, supplies and repairs, client assistance, staff training, insurance, program supplies, client assistance, etc.) are reimbursed based on actual usage/expenses.
As noted above, funding for these programs beyond the agreement term has not yet been identified. These services will be piloted and assessed through their respective performance measures. Staff will work on identifying potential funding sources to implement the programs long term based on that assessment.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Community Development Department, City Manager’s Office, City Attorney’s Office and Finance Department.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with WeHOPE for street outreach and case management services, and emergency shelter operations and services through the Temporary Hotel Program and Inclement Weather Hotel Program, on the terms presented with an initial two-year term and a maximum compensation not-to-exceed $1,702,326, in a final form approved by the City Attorney.
Staff
Reviewed by: Christine Jung, Deputy City Manager and Afshan Hamid, Community Development Director
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Santa Clara County Homelessness Prevention System Flyer
2. Draft Agreement with WeHOPE