In Santa Clara County, homelessness is growing faster than housing can answer it. Every claim on this page names its source and the result that would prove it wrong.
A stable home and lasting relationships with people who have walked the road, both true at once.
Measured by exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness 6, 12, and 24 months after exit, from the County’s Homeless Management Information System.
Proven wrong if young people in Razing the Bar housing return to homelessness at a rate no lower than the County benchmark.
What the data does not yet show
The gaps we name.
A local young-adult count.
The County’s full report counts unaccompanied young adults. We point to it rather than restate it.
A youth-only ratio.
The 1.8 to 1 ratio covers all households. No young-adult ratio for the county is published.
Couches and cars.
A Point-in-Time count measures one night. Young people couch surfing or doubled up are often missed.
THE PROBLEM
More people lose
a home than find one.
In Santa Clara County, homelessness is growing faster than housing can answer it. Every claim on this page names its source and the result that would prove it wrong.
Three numbers.
Each one testable.
People experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County in 2025, up 8.2% from 9,903 in 2023.
County of Santa Clara, 2025Proven wrong if the next count finds 9,903 or fewer.
Households becoming homeless for every household connected to stable housing. In 2019, it was 2.5 to 1.
Destination: Home, n.d.Proven wrong if the ratio falls to 1 to 1.
People homeless for a year or longer with a disabling condition in 2025, up 21% from 3,833 in 2023.
Local News Matters, 2025Proven wrong if the next count finds fewer than 3,833.
A young person can be housed and still be one missing document, one lost job, or one empty phone list away from the street.
A home is one condition.
There are six.
Housed and unemployed. Housed and uninsured. Housed without ID. Housed and alone. One condition met, five left in place.
Neighborhood and built environment
A home Razing the Bar holds the lease on, plus food and transportation.
Social and community context
A Community Mentor and community gatherings.
Economic stability
Income, benefits, a bank account, and paid work experience.
Education access and quality
Enrollment, financial aid, and credentials.
Health care access and quality
Medi-Cal and a connection to care, when the young person wants it.
Legal and documentation
Identification and records. Our addition to the federal framework: without it, a lease, a job, and benefits all stop.
Domains 1 through 5: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2030.
Two conditions.
At the same time.
A stable home and lasting relationships with people who have walked the road, both true at once.
Measured by exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness 6, 12, and 24 months after exit, from the County’s Homeless Management Information System.
Proven wrong if young people in Razing the Bar housing return to homelessness at a rate no lower than the County benchmark.
The gaps we name.
A local young-adult count.
The County’s full report counts unaccompanied young adults. We point to it rather than restate it.
A youth-only ratio.
The 1.8 to 1 ratio covers all households. No young-adult ratio for the county is published.
Couches and cars.
A Point-in-Time count measures one night. Young people couch surfing or doubled up are often missed.
The problem is measurable.
So is the response.
Your gift opens a door, and keeps someone beside it.
County of Santa Clara. (2025). County of Santa Clara releases preliminary results of 2025 Point-in-Time homeless count. https://news.santaclaracounty.gov/county-santa-clara-releases-preliminary-results-2025-point-time-homeless-count
Destination: Home. (n.d.). Homelessness by the numbers. https://destinationhomesv.org/understanding-homelessness/numbers/
Local News Matters. (2025, October 9). Santa Clara County’s chronic homelessness crisis worsens, data reveal troubling trends. https://localnewsmatters.org/2025/10/09/santa-clara-countys-chronic-homelessness-crisis-worsens-data-reveal-troubling-trends/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Social determinants of health. Healthy People 2030. https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health