The Sunnyvale Community Center will not serve as a cold weather shelter this winter.
Vice Mayor Jim Davis brought up the idea in July for the council to consider allowing his task force–which was formed earlier in the year to find a replacement shelter facility for the Sunnyvale armory–to use the Sunnyvale Indoor Sports Center gym to provide temporary, emergency shelter during the coming winter only.
The Sunnyvale City Council decided not to pursue the site after three hours of discussion and public comments on Aug. 12, and instead decided to continue to support the county as the lead agency on finding a replacement for the shuttered armory, which previously housed the seasonal shelter. More than 30 people came to speak to both sides of the issue.
“We’re not done with this issue; this is something our city, the county and other cities need to look at,” Councilman Glenn Hendricks said during the meeting. “The community center is not an appropriate place for a homeless shelter in the way I’m looking at it. I do think we should try to work with the county to get other locations identified.”
Despite the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors offering up to $400,000 toward using the community center as a temporary location, the gym was vetoed based on the estimated $700,000 cost combined with neighbors’ concerns.
The city council directed the county to explore alternative locations brought up by the board of supervisors, including a county-owned vacant property at Fair Oaks and E. California avenues; the city’s 4.6-acre property at the former Onizuka Air Force Station; and the the Georgia Travis Center, a homeless services center located at 297 Commercial St. in San Jose.
According to the county, that center is underutilized and has space for up to 125 beds.
After 20 years of serving as the cold weather shelter, the National Guard Armory on Maude Avenue in Sunnyvale closed its doors permanently March 31.
Shelter operators HomeFirst, formerly known as EHC LifeBuilders, reported that the program provided 275 emergency shelter beds nightly over the winter months in 2014.
Many efforts have been undertaken to not only find a replacement shelter but to end homelessness on a larger scale.
In 2005, efforts were spearheaded by the Santa Clara County Task Force to End Chronic Homelessness in 10 Years. The group, which was made up of county and San Jose elected officials, county staff and various stakeholders, adopted a plan titled “Keys to Housing: A 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in Santa Clara County.” That plan was adopted by county supervisors on May 3, 2005.
Deeming emergency shelters ineffective and costly, the group recommended that the county gradually phase out emergency shelters and identify permanent housing with supportive services.
According to Sunnyvale city staff, it was the county’s 2005 and 2009 plans that ultimately led to its 2011 decision to cut funding for the Sunnyvale and Gilroy shelter operations by 2014.
With the shift to permanent housing in mind, the Sunnyvale City Council approved the armory site’s transition into two separate affordable-housing projects proposed by MidPen Housing and Charities Housing. Both homeless housing providers decided to build a combination of family units and studio apartments.
MidPen is proposing 58 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in a four-story building.
Charities Housing proposed a three-story building that will house 59 studio apartments. Forty-six units will be dedicated as homeless apartments. Demolition of the armory is anticipated this fall.
The North County Cold Weather Shelter Task Force was formed in early 2014 with the hopes of finding an alternate shelter as soon as feasible. Spearheaded by Davis, the task force is made up of representatives from the offices of state Sen. Jerry Hill and county supervisors Joe Simitian and Dave Cortese; InnVision Shelter Network; the Santa Clara County Office of Housing and Homeless Services; HomeFirst; Charities and MidPen housing; Stop the Ban Coalition; community members; and formerly homeless individuals.
The volunteer group discussed private sector fundraising to purchase alternative locations, including one they identified at 1150 W. Evelyn Ave.
In April, the county board of supervisors agreed to take over the search, a month after the closure of the Sunnyvale cold weather shelter.
The county supervisors will likely discuss identifying a location and funding for a new shelter at its Sept. 9 meeting.
