News Release: Officials Break Ground on Homekey Palo Alto

Published on October 31, 2023

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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

October 31, 2023

Officials Break Ground on Homekey Palo Alto

$37.2 Million Interim Housing Project to Support Up to 200 Individuals Annually

PALO ALTO - The City of Palo Alto and partners just broke ground on Homekey Palo Alto, an interim shelter to serve up to 200 unhoused residents annually that is scheduled for completion by early 2025. It is the latest project funded by the State’s Homekey program which is designed to rapidly expand housing throughout California.

“Homekey Palo Alto is the first of its kind in our community, offering families and individuals an interim home within a safe community—and there is so much more that it offers, including hope, support, and solutions,” said Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou. “Thank you to so many partners for making this interim shelter a reality.”

The $37.2 million Homekey Palo Alto project is being co-developed by the City of Palo Alto and LifeMoves, a non-profit dedicated to finding solutions to homelessness in Silicon Valley. When complete, the new interim housing will include on-site services to 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 exists to end homelessness and we can’t do that alone. It takes public, private, and service system partnerships to catalyze innovative projects like these. Thank you, State of California’s Project Homekey, County of Santa Clara, City of Palo Alto, and impact investors like John Sobrato,” said Aubrey Merriam, LifeMoves CEO. “There’s no better time, and no better place, in the great city of Palo Alto for everyone in this community to unite to build critical and dignified interim supportive housing for our unhoused neighbors.”

Homekey Palo Alto is made possible through a combination of State funding combined with local funding from the City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County and local support from John Sobrato, the Palo Alto Community Fund and other local donors. The City of Palo Alto has also partnered with the County Office of Supportive Housing to help provide services to residents of the interim housing, and the Santa Clara County Housing Authority is providing expert housing construction management.

“Two years ago, Supervisor Lee and I stood at the LifeMoves Mountain View site – an innovative housing solution built during the pandemic. Shortly thereafter, we announced a proposal to provide County funding to support the development of a much-needed shelter for our homeless community members.” said Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County Supervisor. “A year ago, Homekey Palo Alto was awarded $4 million from that ‘challenge grant.’ While I’m pleased to see Homekey Palo Alto break ground today, we need to address these challenges with a greater sense of urgency. We need to do more, and we need to do it faster.”

The interim housing is situated on a one-acre lot located at 1237 San Antonio Road near the Palo Alto Baylands and will feature 88 rooms with ensuite showers and restrooms, a state-of-the-art shelter and modular village with on-site laundry, kitchen, and outdoor spaces including a playground, a dog run, community garden, and picnic spaces. There will also be space for on-site counseling, vocational training, and other supportive services for the anticipated 200 families and individuals served by Homekey Palo Alto each year.

This project in Palo Alto marks roughly three years since the first Homekey project was awarded in Santa Clara County. During this time, Homekey projects in the area have averaged a 93% retention rate and helped more than 1,000 people into temporary and permanent housing.

Homekey Palo Alto is one of many efforts underway furthering the City Council’s affordable housing priorities. Palo Alto has long been a leader in the production of affordable housing and currently has the second highest inventory of affordable housing for incorporated jurisdictions within Santa Clara County (as a percentage of total housing stock). Since 2017, the City has contributed or pledged $52 million towards affordable housing.

For more about the City of Palo Alto, go to www.cityofpaloalto.org

For more about LifeMoves, go to www.Lifemoves.org

For more Homekey Palo Alto, go to www.cityofpaloalto.org/homekey

Officials break ground on Homekey Palo Alto

From Left to Right:

  • Ed Shikada, Palo Alto City Manager
  • Vicki Veenker, Palo Alto City Council
  • Pat Burt, Palo Alto City Council  
  • Josh Becker, CA State Senator
  • Aubrey Merriman, LifeMoves CEO
  • Lydia Kou, Palo Alto Mayor  
  • Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County Supervisor  
  • John Sobrato, Sobrato Philanthropies 
  • Marc Berman, State Assemblymember  
  • Hafsa Kaka, Senior Advisor on Homelessness, Office of Governor Newsom
  • Ed Lauing, Palo Alto City Council
  • Julie Lythcott-Haims, Palo Alto City Council
  • Pat Showalter, Mountain View City Council Vice Mayor
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