"The Trump administration's proposed changes to federal homelessness funding announced Nov. 13 represent a public safety emergency for Santa Clara County. Plans to slash Continuum of Care funding by two-thirds could push 1,800 stably housed vulnerable residents back onto our streets. The proposed cuts threaten to carelessly and cruelly discard years of progress and taxpayer investment, creating a crisis that will overwhelm our community."
"The evidence is clear: Housed individuals are far less likely to cycle through our jails and emergency rooms. Permanent supportive housing reduces crime like substance use, decreases emergency service calls and allows our public safety personnel to focus on critical incidents rather than managing predictable crises that come directly from an unstable condition of living on the streets. When someone has a stable address, they can maintain medical appointments, comply with court requirements and access lifesaving treatment."
Proposed federal cuts would reduce Continuum of Care funding by roughly two-thirds and risk returning about 1,800 stably housed vulnerable residents to homelessness. Such displacement would create a public safety emergency in Santa Clara County and overwhelm law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and hospitals already stretched thin. Permanent supportive housing lowers crime, reduces substance use, decreases emergency service calls, and frees public safety staff to focus on critical incidents. Stable housing enables people to attend medical appointments, meet court obligations and access lifesaving treatment. Funding permanent supportive housing saves public dollars over time; a Los Angeles study found about a 60% decline in public service costs.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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