Mountain View Cold Weather Shelter open through mid-April
SAN JOSE – Santa Clara County’s Cold Weather Shelter Program in Mountain View is now open through April 15, 2025. The program provides up to 30 beds (with some flexibility during inclement weather activations) and a warm place to stay nightly from 3 p.m. to 9 a.m. for women and families from November 1 through April 15. In prior years, the program operated from the Monday after Thanksgiving through the end of March; however, given the continued need for shelter year-round the program has been extended.
“People need a place to go, particularly when it’s cold and wet outside. It’s as simple as that,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who first proposed the shelter in 2017. “It’s critical that our residents are safe and sheltered once the weather gets even worse.”
The Mountain View Cold Weather Shelter program is housed at the Los Altos United Methodist Church’s Mountain View campus, on the corner of Hope and Mercy Streets, and is operated under the County’s contract with HomeFirst. It has been in operation every cold weather season since 2017. The shelter provides sleeping accommodations, dinner and breakfast, access to showers and restrooms, laundry, and case management.
“This partnership is right at the center of our work in Mountain View, which is all about the sacred act of neighboring,” said Dave Samelson, Senior Pastor at Los Altos United Methodist Church. “By connecting our outreach programs with the city, county, and local nonprofits serving our neighbors in need, we’re working to create a community where everyone can flourish.”
In addition to hosting the Cold Weather Shelter, the site also pulls together multiple community programs serving vulnerable neighbors and families, including Hope’s Corner, which provides nutritious meals and warm showers and laundry for those in need, as well as the United Effort Organization, which provides case management and outreach services to help unhoused community members move towards self-sufficiency and a safe home.
“On behalf of the City Council, I appreciate the work HomeFirst, Los Altos United Methodist Church, Hope’s Corner, and the United Effort Organization are doing as they provide shelter and services for local women and families,” said Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter. “I would also recognize County Supervisor Simitian’s ongoing support to help extend the program’s operations for six additional weeks as we strive to help Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents this season.”
Simitian said, “I am so gratified by the partnerships that have made all this possible; the County, the City, HomeFirst, the church, and local nonprofits like Hope’s Corner that have all stepped up. And kudos to the community for welcoming these services into the neighborhood.”
Residents seeking shelter in Mountain View or at other shelter locations can contact the County's Here4You Hotline (408-385-2400), which matches people to emergency shelters and provides referrals to other community resources. The hotline call center operates seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.