Santa Clara County Expands Mental Health Services in Shelters
Santa Clara County is expanding mental health services to homeless shelters in San Jose. The policy, proposed by Supervisor Betty Duong, aims to address a critical need by bringing more services directly to the county's homeless population. This initiative will integrate mental healthcare more closely with shelter services.
- This initiative addresses a history of separate, uncoordinated approaches to homelessness by the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County; the city has historically focused on expanding temporary shelters, while the county has invested more in permanent supportive housing. - Before this policy, San Jose and Santa Clara County operated separate intake and referral systems for homeless services, meaning individuals in city-run shelters were not in the county's system for housing program placements. - A pilot program for this expansion began in early 2026 at two of San Jose's tiny home villages, Rue Ferrari and Bernal, where community health workers have already connected or referred 40 individuals to behavioral health services. The county plans to expand these services to other tiny home locations later in the year. - The plan, a collaboration between Supervisor Betty Duong and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, aims to merge the city and county's referral processes into a single coordinated entry system for treatment and shelter. - Santa Clara County is investing nearly $470 million in solutions for homelessness in the current fiscal year, which includes funding for this expansion of services. - This policy is part of a broader county goal to double the number of individuals receiving substance use treatment to approximately 20,000 annually by 2030. - The need for these services is significant, as a 2025 count identified 10,711 people experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County, with 47 percent of chronically homeless individuals reporting a serious mental illness.
