\u201cThat is a huge constraint on the county of Santa Clara and many other counties throughout the state,\u201d Liccardo said at a news conference Monday held at The Charles<\/a>, a new 100% affordable housing development with 99 apartments at 585 Keyes St. in San Jose.<\/p>\n Continuum of Care grants are keeping 2,500 county residents stably housed, according to data provided by the county. Of the $48 million awarded in January, $44 million or about 92% goes to permanent housing programs. The 30% cap will restrict the county to house only 750 people in future permanent support housing or rapid rehousing programs, which provides rental subsidies for two years \u2014 with the understanding that recipients will become self-sufficient after the subsidies end.<\/p>\n These programs help families such as Kaytanna Alvarido, Alberto Barragan and their 1-year-old son get off the streets sooner. The family walked into their apartment Monday, overwhelmed with joy, for the first time after being homeless for two years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting and stress relieving, like a weight off our shoulders,\u201d Barragan told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n They were able to obtain rapid rehousing, only paying $218 every month for the next two years while Santa Clara County covers the remaining $1,009 until they can get back on their feet.<\/p>\n Barragan lost his job at a clinic and said it became difficult to keep up with the bills. The family lost their housing and stayed at the Casitas de Esperanza<\/a> tiny home village until they received a call about an opening at The Charles.<\/p>\n \u201c(These subsidies are) very important because our main concern when we were trying to find housing was that we wouldn\u2019t be able to afford first month\u2019s rent and deposit on our own,\u201d Alvarido told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cTo scrape that together is very difficult. I\u2019ve seen rooms that cost $1,200 to $1,500.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump promised to make everything more affordable when he ran for office, but his policies have only made it harder for middle- and low-income families, Lofgren said at the event.<\/p>\n \u201cHealth care costs have gone up, the price of food is going up for the families, the cost of housing is going up, and we\u2019ve done little to address this,\u201d she said. \u201cIn fact, we\u2019re not only not addressing it, we\u2019re going backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump signed an executive order<\/a> in July calling for an end to the \u201chousing first<\/a>\u201d model, which prioritizes funding for affordable housing with no requirements attached to obtaining housing. The model\u2019s premise is that getting housing first then enables individuals to address other problems like drug use and more.<\/p>\n Trump is pushing for a return to previous models like \u201ctreatment first,\u201d which requires sobriety or employment before obtaining permanent housing.<\/p>\n Housing projects will be graded on a point system under the federal government\u2019s new Continuum of Care guidelines<\/a>. The more points a project scores, the more likely it will receive funding. But if projects don\u2019t meet a certain threshold, they will be rejected from funding altogether. One criteria is a requirement for participants to engage in supportive services, whether it be case management, substance use treatment or employment training. \u201cCould you imagine, saying, \u2018Oh, you\u2019re going to lose your housing because you didn\u2019t get a case management session.\u2019 It\u2019s actually not legal,\u201d Wan told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cYes, we all want people to get the services they need, but doing that with the housing as the carrot and the stick doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3157-1-1024x715.jpg\")
Kaytanna Alvarido, Alberto Barragan and their 1-year-old son walked into their apartment for the first time after being homeless for two years, thanks to the rapid rehousing program. Photo by Joyce Chu.<\/p>\n![\"NewsMatch](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764034148_992_interactive-255337946814.png\")
<\/a>Vivian Wan, CEO of nonprofit Abode Services, said ending the housing first model and imposing requirements is a decision that sets back progress. Abode<\/a> serves 18,000 people in the greater Bay Area \u2014 a majority through rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs.<\/p>\n