The City of Salinas invested $9.7 million in homeless services during fiscal year 2025-26, focused on street outreach, crisis response, emergency shelter and housing programs, drawing from federal, state, local and regional sources. Community Development Analyst Karina Vazquez presented to the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and said that “there’s no single solution” to homelessness.
The Salinas Outreach and Response Team (SORT) reported 3,500 contacts and 232 referrals to behavioral health and substance-use treatment over the last fiscal year, which ended on June 30. Vazquez said the SORT team works with people in encampments, connects them with services and coordinates with city departments on cleanups. The city also reported 1,473 mobile crisis calls through its partnership with Monterey County Behavioral Health; 629 were stabilized or supported, Vazquez reported.
Housing efforts included the Fairview Homekey project, which opened with 44 units of permanent supportive housing, where all units were occupied within a month, and 23 households received financial assistance from SORT. At the SHARE shelter, the city contributed $1.7 million and the county $1.3 million. The shelter operated at 86-percent capacity, in part because family rooms cannot always be filled when household sizes do not match the bed configurations. ( The SHARE Center is looking to do a remodel to accommodate more families.)
Salinas' pilot rental assistance program , which provides short-term financial relief and supportive services to help low-income households stay in stable housing, exceeded its goal, helping 257 households and 517 people. The program allocated $836,280 in the last year.
Councilmembers raised concerns about encampments shifting after cleanups , and their effects on nearby residents. Assistant City Manager Lisa Murphy described the effort as a balance between serving unhoused people and keeping parks and creeks accessible, saying the SORT team “never give[s] up” on connecting people to housing.
A homeless response workshop will happen at 5-8pm on Monday, Nov. 30 at the Salinas Police Activities League, located at 100 Howard St., to gather community priorities on homelessness. Murphy said staff would prepare a report for the council, which could then direct further study of options such as a tiny-home village or sanctioned encampment.