"Let's go for it," said San Mateo County Administrator Mike Callagy after announcing that the goal is to end homelessness by the end of the year, so he asked each resident to take the right steps to be able to change the lives of residents who today suffer from homelessness.
"I ask every San Mateo County resident to take just one step toward achieving this goal. Just think of the lives we can change and all the good that will result from ending homelessness," he stressed.
These plans are part of the "2022: Our Year of Working Together to End Homelessness" initiative.
A central element of the initiative is to move away from simply housing people, as the focus is on intensive services that address the root causes of an individual's or family's housing barriers and provide a variety of temporary and permanent housing options.
The above, Callagy said, will require the combined efforts of local, state and federal officials, local employers, volunteer organizations, nonprofit groups, faith-based communities, "all of us," to generate and sustain support.
County residents are also critical stakeholders, Callagy said, because their support is needed to help ensure the creation of enough homes for the county to achieve "zero functional" homelessness.
He explained that "functional zero" means ensuring that all homeless county residents can be safely housed in an emergency shelter or in temporary or permanent housing.
In this county vision to end homelessness, county officials invite everyone to a series of discussions and events throughout the year leading up to a final summit in September and a set of action items to achieve functional zero.
The first event to end homelessness will be held on Friday, April 22 with "Why Homelessness is a Countywide Problem," where local health and education experts will discuss the impact of homelessness on both sectors.
The event will be accessible to anyone with a computer, tablet or smartphone and Internet access.
The panel will be followed by videos and a presentation on services for homeless residents of San Mateo County, including a discussion on what is effective and what needs to be improved to end homelessness. Other events planned to end homelessness will focus on moving from the streets to transitional housing, moving into permanent housing, and volunteer opportunities.
In addition, the county broke ground on April 13 on a new 240-unit temporary housing facility in Redwood City that will provide temporary housing and intensive services for individuals and couples with the goal of moving them into permanent housing.
The Center will be able to accommodate up to 260 clients each night, it will replace the Maple Street Shelter which currently provides emergency and transitional housing for up to 110 people each night.
With the help of state Homekey funds and other grants, the county has purchased five former motels/hotels to convert them into permanent or temporary housing for people who are unsheltered or at serious risk of becoming unsheltered.
These properties are:
- Shores Landing, 1000 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City: 95 units.
- The former Comfort Inn and Suites, 1818 El Camino Real, Redwood City: 51 units
- Villa de Piedra, 2175 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo: 44 units
- Coast House, 230 Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay: 51 units
- Pacific Shelter, 2610 El Camino Real, Redwood City: 74 units
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