Campbell Study Shapes West Valley Safe Parking

Campbell released the West Valley Homeless Services Feasibility Study on February 4, 2026, after using $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to launch the work in July 2024. The report was prepared by Good City Company for Campbell, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and the Town of Los Gatos, and it focuses on how the five jurisdictions could coordinate services for people experiencing homelessness. City materials say the study examined shelter options, parking programs and other responses tailored to a part of Santa Clara County where people without housing are more likely to be living in vehicles than in large encampments. Campbell City Manager Brian Loventhal said the report gives the cities “a shared understanding of the challenges we’re facing and the opportunities to work more effectively together as a region.” ### Why did Campbell pay for this study in the first place? Campbell allocated $100,000 in July 2024 to fund a West Valley homeless needs analysis and feasibility study, according to city and council documents. The city then contracted with Good City Company in December 2024, and the five West Valley jurisdictions entered into a memorandum of understanding in spring 2025 to pursue a regional approach. (campbellca.gov) The February 4, 2026 city release said the work was meant to give the cities a clearer picture of the scope and characteristics of homelessness in the West Valley and to identify “effective and scalable strategies” at a subregional level. Campbell said the study was built around shared services, coordination and regional partnerships rather than a single-city response. ### What did the study say about homelessness in the West Valley? (losgatos-ca.municodemeetings.com) The 2025 point-in-time count found 255 unhoused people across the five jurisdictions, up from 221 in 2023, a 13% increase, according to the study presentation prepared for Los Gatos officials. The same presentation said Campbell counted 108 people, Cupertino 101, Los Gatos 27, Saratoga 19 and Monte Sereno 0. (campbellca.gov) The study also said at least 524 individuals across 322 households experienced homelessness in the West Valley in 2024, based on local data that captured more people than the point-in-time count. Earlier reporting on the needs analysis said about 38% of the area’s unhoused residents were unaccompanied youth or families with children, a larger share than in other Santa Clara County cities. (losgatos-ca.municodemeetings.com) Campbell’s February release said the West Valley population includes a high proportion of people experiencing homelessness for the first time, long-term unhoused residents, and a notable number of families and youth. Cupertino’s housing page uses the same framing in summarizing the study’s findings. ### Where does safe parking fit into the plan? The January 26, 2026 feasibility study includes “shelter and parking programs” as a distinct section of the report, placing safe parking alongside other immediate shelter responses. (losgatos-ca.municodemeetings.com) City descriptions of the study say it evaluates facilities and programs that could be delivered jointly across the five jurisdictions, rather than requiring each city to build a full system on its own. (campbellca.gov) An East Bay Times report published May 17 said West Valley officials have been considering overnight parking areas for homeless residents, reflecting the region’s higher share of people living in vehicles. That report said the Campbell-funded study is shaping discussions about where sites could go and what services would be needed around them. (cupertino.gov) ### Who is involved besides Campbell? The five participating jurisdictions are Campbell, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Saratoga and Los Gatos, according to the study and city releases. The documents also list Santa Clara County’s Office of Supportive Housing, Destination: Home and West Valley Community Services among the organizations involved in or acknowledged by the process. Los Gatos staff told its council on April 7, 2026 that the study would feed into a West Valley Homeless Services Implementation Task Force. (eastbaytimes.com) Campbell had already received the feasibility study on March 24 and adopted a resolution of intent to participate, according to the same regional presentation. (campbellca.gov) ### What happens next for the safe parking discussion? March 24, April 1, April 7 and May 5 were the council dates listed for Campbell, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno to review the feasibility study in spring 2026. Those meetings were presented as the next step after publication of the study and before any later funding or program commitments. (losgatos-ca.municodemeetings.com) The next phase is an implementation task force, according to the Campbell and Los Gatos materials, with participating cities expected to use the study as a basis for further coordination and funding requests. Campbell’s public notice directs residents to the city’s housing information page for the study and related materials. (campbellca.gov) (losgatos-ca.municodemeetings.com)