Homekey Palo Alto

Homekey Palo Alto Rendering

Rendering of proposed Homekey Palo Alto design

Rendering of proposed Homekey Palo Alto design

Homekey Project Site

A map of the Homekey Palo Alto project site and vicinity

A map of the Homekey Project Site and Vicinity

Homekey Neighborhood

Neighborhood surrounding the Homekey Palo Alto site.

Photos of the neighborhood surrounding the Project Homekey site

Homekey Palo Alto is a new modular interim housing shelter with the capacity to serve over 200 individuals annually with on-site support services. The project is being codeveloped by the City of Palo Alto and LifeMoves. 

Located at 1237 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto near the Palo Alto Baylands, Homekey Palo Alto will provide a dignified transitional step for unhoused residents on the path to stable housing. This project is made possible through a combination of State funding combined with local contributions from the Palo Alto Community Fund, The Peery Foundation, Sobrato Philanthropies, Santa Clara County, and the City of Palo Alto for a total project cost estimated at $37.2 million. 

This is a first of its kind project for Palo Alto and will be operated by LifeMoves who will provide intensive, customized case management for clients including counseling, employment and housing search services with the goal of paving a path to self-sufficiency. LifeMoves is partnering with an award-winning team to build Homekey Palo Alto, led by Devcon Construction. As part of the funding agreement with the State of California, funds may only be used for construction and operation of interim housing and construction must be completed within 12 months. The State approved an extension to spring 2025. If you are interested in contributing financially to this first-of-its-kind project, donations are being accepted.  

Project Details:

  • 1-acre lot at 1237 San Antonio Road
  • 88 rooms with ensuite showers and restrooms
  • State-of-the-art shelter and modular village with on-site laundry, kitchen, and outdoor spaces including a dog run, community garden, and picnic space.
  • Space for on-site counseling, vocational training, and other supportive services
  • Expected to serve over 200 people each year

What's New:

Housing as a Council Priority

Palo Alto City Council adopted Housing for Social & Economic Balance as a priority for 2022 and had previously adopted this priority in 2021. This continued focus on housing showcases the City's commitment to supporting affordable housing in Palo Alto. 

Palo Alto has long had one of Santa Clara County’s stronger records in supporting affordable housing and ranks second among cities in the County for affordable housing production as a percentage of total housing. The City has maintained and renovated existing affordable housing stock to maintain approximately 8% of its total housing inventory as affordable housing. Homekey Palo Alto joins several other notable local affordable housing projects, including Wilton Court and the 231 Grant Educator Workforce Housing project.  

Project Homekey Timeline

Project-Homekey-Timeline-pic.png
  1. Project Begins: The Homekey Project officially began on September 27, 2021 when Council took a series of actions enabling staff to prepare materials with LifeMoves to submit an application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for Homekey 2.0 funds. 
  2. Resolution Amendment: On November 1, 2021 City Council amended the resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for Project Homekey to reflect updated capital and estimated operating expenses (see November 1, 2021 Council Action Minutes).
  3. Council Provides Staff Direction: Council reviewed the project on June 21, 2022, where they discussed the proposed 3-story design concept. On August 30, 2022 and August 9, 2022 the City Council discussed services for unhoused residents in Palo Alto and provided staff direction (see August 30 and August 9 Council Action Minutes).
  4. State Funding Arrives: State of California awards $26.6 Million to further City of Palo Alto and LifeMoves partnership to expand unhoused services in the community on August 24, 2022.
  5. Standard Agreement: The City signs the Standard Agreement(PDF, 404KB) with the State of California in November 2022.
  6. Project Details Finalized: The City Council will finalize the lease at the June 12, 2023 Council Meeting. Design(PDF, 94MB) of the project is finalized with LifeMoves and building permits will be issued.
  7. Construction Begins: Project construction is estimated to take approximately one and a half years and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2025.
  8. Project Completion: Homekey Palo Alto will be operated by LifeMoves who will provide intensive, customized case management for clients including counseling, employment, and housing search services with the goal of paving a dignified path to self-sufficiency. 

     

Project Updates

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  • November Update: 22 modular units have arrived in California and 5 are in transit. Activities include community center duct work and installing light fixtures, and concrete work for bike parking. Transformer testing is underway for powering the site.
  • October Update: The construction team completed paving the site, installing the roofing, exterior siding and drywalling the ceiling on the community building, installing landscaping, and installing shade sail footings, and completing siding on the elevator.
  • September Update: As of the 2nd week of September, the first modulars arrived in California from the factory in Pennsylvania, the community building underwent construction, the concrete building pads were poured and completed, and the modular elevator was installed. Additionally, 52% of construction was complete as of August 31.

 

Additional Resources

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