Nearly 180 emergency shelter beds will be available for Santa Clara County’s homeless beginning Dec. 1 through the cold weather shelter program operated by San Jose-based nonprofit HomeFirst.
The program—run by HomeFirst for nearly three decades in collaboration with the county—will provide 100 nightly beds at the National Guard Armory in Gilroy, 79 beds at the Boccardo Reception Center in San Jose and all visitors receive two meals and a hot shower.
The Armory is located at 8490 Wren Avenue, and doors open at 6 p.m. Dec. 1.
But on a given night in Santa Clara County, there are more than 7,600 homeless individuals, based on the county’s 2013 census of the homeless population. Close to 75 percent of all the area’s homeless are out in the cold—either living in cars, encampments or out of sight.
“Homelessness in our community is at crisis levels,” said HomeFirst CEO Jenny Niklaus in a press release. “The region’s homeless population is among the highest in the nation and Santa Clara County has the third highest percentage of unsheltered homeless.”
The northern part of the county’s homeless—up until last year—had an additional 125 beds at the National Guard Armory in Sunnyvale. The Armory was shut down to make way for an affordable housing project designed to give permanent housing to the homeless, the press release states.
But in an effort to provide beds specifically for North County residents, HomeFirst and the county will earmark 29 beds at the Boccardo Reception Center in San Jose, the press release states.
“HomeFirst is committed to bringing our homeless neighbors in from the cold,” Niklaus said, noting that the nonprofit is expanding outreach efforts throughout the county. “Providing shelter during the cold weather months can literally save lives.”
Nighttime winter temperatures hit record lows in 2013, and claimed the lives of three homeless men who died in San Jose between Nov. 28 and Dec. 4. While overnight shelters save lives, advocates for the homeless say permanent housing is key to solving the growing problem.
“While cold weather shelters are critical in the short-term, they are not a solution,” Niklaus added. “We need to end homelessness by providing permanent housing.”
