Santa Clara County Plans to Expand Mountain View Homeless Shelter Program
For years, Mountain View’s cold weather homeless shelter has provided a safe, warm place to sleep during the winter months. Now, city and county officials are working to extend the shelter’s operations to six months each year, offering expanded services to the unhoused population.
Since 2017, Trinity United Methodist Church in Mountain View has partnered with Santa Clara County and the nonprofit agency HomeFirst to offer shelter and services to unhoused women and families. However, the shelter has only operated for a few months annually, typically from mid-November through March.
Santa Clara County is now aiming to extend the shelter program to run from mid-October to mid-April, but they need assistance from Mountain View to make this expansion possible.
On Tuesday, October 8, the Mountain View City Council is expected to approve a three-year agreement that would allow temporary use of 15 parking spaces at Lot 7 on Hope Street for shelter participants and staff. The agreement would extend the shelter’s use of the parking lot, providing reserved spaces from 3 p.m. to 9 a.m. starting November 1 and running through April 15. In future years, the parking spots would be reserved from October 15 through April 15.
According to the council report, setting aside the 15 parking spaces is not expected to negatively impact daytime parking availability. The lot contains 94 spaces, and during peak business hours, around 75% are typically occupied.
The shelter, which can accommodate up to 50 individuals or about 10 families, requires eight parking spaces for families with vehicles. This estimate is based on a similar shelter program in Sunnyvale. No parking spaces are requested for single women, as they tend to rely on public transportation. The remaining seven spaces would be used by staff, partners, and volunteers.
In addition to parking accommodations, the shelter needs a provisional use permit for its extended operations. A public hearing for the permit is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9.
