Progress On Housing, New Tools To Prevent Homelessness Touted By City Council In Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, CA — City Council said they’re making steady progress on housing production and homelessness at Monday's meeting, even as affordability remains one of the city’s toughest challenges.

Councilmember Diane Howard highlighted a mix of new homes, renter protections and homelessness programs now in place.

Under the state-certified Housing Element, officials said Redwood City issued building permits for 490 homes in 2025 and 1,321 homes so far in the current housing cycle. Nearly half of the homes permitted last year — 217 units — are deed‑restricted affordable housing, Howard said.

“This reflects our commitment to ensuring that new housing includes options for residents across all income levels,” she said.

The city is also focusing on keeping people in their homes. A new tenant protection ordinance, effective January 1, adds minimum lease terms.

“Just Cause” eviction rules and relocation assistance when tenants are displaced through no fault of their own.

“Housing stability helps families remain connected to their neighborhoods, schools and community networks,” Howard said.

For the unhoused population, Redwood City is leaning on what officials call a service‑first approach. In 2025, working with San Mateo County and regional partners, 126 people experiencing homelessness transitioned into interim and permanent housing in the city, Howard said. The city also saw reductions in calls for service related to homelessness, officials said.

Howard pointed to the new Hopeful Horizons ordinance, adopted in 2025.

“[It] prioritizes outreach, service connections and shelter offers before encampment cleanups occur” Howard said.

She said it expands on‑the‑ground outreach through a partnership with LifeMoves.

“A stable place to call home is foundational to opportunity and community life,” she said. “Our work continues to focus on helping more residents find, afford and keep a place to call home.”