City staff presented Sunnyvale’s first unified five‑year strategic plan to address homelessness on Dec. 2, describing a framework that prioritizes coordination, shelter capacity and sustaining existing programs rather than creating many new initiatives.

The plan, presented by housing officer Amanda Stultz and introduced by City Manager Tim Kirby, lays out five goals: strengthen regional collaboration, expand shelter and supportive housing, prevent homelessness, improve quality of life for people experiencing homelessness, and promote equity by using disaggregated data and incorporating people with lived experience. Staff said the plan relies on recent community engagement, the HUD consolidated plan and the city’s housing element.

Why it matters: Staff told the joint meeting of the City Council and the Housing & Human Services Commission that federal, state and county funding is unstable, so the plan emphasizes sustainability and systems improvements. The presentation included staffing and program details, found a sharp rise in vehicular unsheltered homelessness in local PIT (point‑in‑time) data (staff reported 75 percent of the unsheltered were living in vehicles in the count) and estimated an annual implementation cost of roughly $2.7 million.

Key details: The draft proposes modest expansions to existing work: increasing the city’s non‑congregate shelter from five to seven rooms plus an on‑site staff room and 24/7 staffing; continuing tenant‑based rental assistance (TBRA) that provides up to two years of rental subsidies and case management; maintaining street outreach and mobile hygiene services; and a safe parking capital grant program (staff noted grants up to $50,000 or a program design that could use up to $100,000 in general funds). Staff estimated goal‑level costs in the presentation: about $720,000 for shelter and supportive services expansions (goal 2), roughly $1,350,000 for prevention measures including TBRA (goal 3), and approximately $635,000 for quality‑of‑life efforts (goal 4). Stultz said the shelter expansion would be funded through Sunnyvale’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA).

Public feedback and concerns: Dozens of public commenters raised similar themes: requests for faster action, clearer timelines, more funding, safe parking site updates and stronger services for people living in vehicles and encampments. Several speakers said they had lost people to exposure or addiction and urged more urgent action. Community nonprofit Sunnyvale Community Services told council it served 800 unduplicated unhoused individuals last year and offered data and partnership support.

Commission and council response: The Housing & Human Services Commission voted 5‑2 to forward the draft with a package of substantive additions and clarifications — including disaggregated veteran data, plans to coordinate with the Veterans Administration, inclusion of innovative approaches from other jurisdictions, a recommendation to explore a downtown‑streets‑style outreach program, stronger metrics and an express sense of urgency. Commissioners Davis and Duncan voted no.

Council action and next steps: After hearing public input and the commission’s motion, Council Member Mellinger moved and Council Member Srinivasan seconded a motion directing staff to return with an updated, agendized draft early next year after community engagement and review of the commission’s proposed modifications. The council vote was unanimous, 7‑0. Staff said they will prepare a high‑level implementation plan and an annual reporting framework and will continue outreach; detailed program designs and budget requests will be brought back for future budget and grant consideration.

What remains unresolved: The council’s direction preserved policy alignment but did not approve specific new funding allocations beyond the plan’s estimates. Staff noted that some implementation will depend on future funding streams and county coordination; the plan does not commit new multi‑year operating funding beyond existing resources. Community members pressed for more detail on safe parking site searches and on how the city will manage encampments and outreach, and council directed staff to return with the updated document for additional deliberation.

The commission vote and the council’s request for a revised draft together mark the next step: staff will return with an implementation plan and refined metrics early next year, ahead of any formal budget actions.