Project Homekey is a statewide effort to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Homekey provides funding opportunities to improve the housing supply in cities like Santa Clara.

Those awarded funds are directed toward private or public partnerships, but generally to a private housing developer/provider for the unhoused. Homekey covers a wide range of projects, including converting non-residential units to residential use or repairing existing residential buildings.

Benton/Lawerence Project: Santa Clara Family Community

The Santa Clara Family Community is a proposed Homekey project for an emergency interim housing site for families. The site is to be developed on the southeast corner of Lawrence Expressway and Benton Street. It will house about 120 people and will include on-site support services, meals, green space, and day care.

This project is being co-developed by LifeMoves and the County of Santa Clara in partnership with the City of Santa Clara. These are some key dates related to funding for this project:

• July 3, 2025: The California Department of Housing and Community Development awarded this project $25.7 million through Round 3 of the Homekey Program.
• May 2, 2023: The Santa Clara City Council committed up to $7 million to this project for a new interim housing development for unhoused families with minor children.

Visit the Santa Clara County’s official page for full project information.

What is Next?

With state funding in place, the City and County must agree to memorialize the terms of the City’s funding. A public hearing will be held to seek City Council approval of this agreement in early 2026. If you wish to be notified once the public hearing date has been set, please email Community Services.