Despite pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into ending homelessness in Silicon Valley, the problem is getting worse — and the 2019 homeless count numbers prove it. According to details released Thursday, the county’s homeless count in 2019 has jumped to 9,706 people countywide. That’s up 31 percent from 7,394 individuals two years ago. And...
Despite opposition from city planners, San Jose council supports SCU teacher housing
A Santa Clara University project that would house hundreds of teachers and staff from local Jesuit schools is one step closer to breaking ground after Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting. Councilors voted 9-1-1 for city officials to bring back amendments to the general plan, which helps guide future development in the city, to allow...
Silicon Valley leaders discuss challenges of preventing homelessness
On the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom called the homeless crisis a “stain on the state of California,” San José Spotlight hosted a homeless prevention panel discussion at Forager in downtown San Jose, with prominent local public policy officials and homeless housing advocates featured as panelists. Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, Erin Stanton, director of...
Too many empty homes in San Jose? There could be a penalty tax for that
As California’s housing crisis rages on, two San Jose housing commissioners are looking for ways to put residents back into the thousands of vacant homes sitting in the city’s housing stock. Commissioners Alex Shoor and Huy Tran on Thursday will propose that city officials consider a tax on vacant properties to penalize homeowners for keeping...
Poll: Bay Area voters support tax measures for affordable housing
A new poll found that Bay Area voters are receptive to taxing themselves — again — to make a dent in the region’s affordable housing crisis. A survey conducted by EMC Research found that most Bay Area voters support regional tax measures to invest in affordable housing, particularly in general obligation bonds or sales tax...
UC Berkeley scholar talks Silicon Valley homeless solutions
UC Berkeley scholar Christopher Herring spent more than a year living on the cold streets of San Francisco and Fresno, but on Thursday he huddled into a packed room at the Tully Library in San Jose to share his findings with Silicon Valley advocates eager for alternative solutions to the homelessness crisis. Herring, a doctoral...
‘Livid’ downtown San Jose residents slam proposed homeless housing project
Downtown resident Petra Pino describes her reaction to building homeless housing on a shuttered supermarket site near her home with one word. “I’m livid,” Pino said. “I’m not being asked if this disturbs me or not. I’m being told that this is going in my neighborhood. Why us? Why not District 10? Why not District...
Study: Silicon Valley residents are sacrificing health to pay rent
Among the millions of Americans to suffer through the 2008 financial crisis was an immigrant Vietnamese family living in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhood, paying nearly $6,000 a month in mortgage to support two children. The small business owners stashed away as much money as they could to afford the housing expenses at the beginning of...
Silicon Valley leaders tackle new solutions for homelessness crisis
Creating sanctioned encampments, treating mentally ill and addicted homeless populations and creating an equitable strategy for housing the poor were some of the ideas raised at Monday’s joint meeting on homelessness between the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. In a rare occurrence, the two bodies joined forces to...
San Jose Housing Crisis: Councilmember Raul Peralez evicted from his home
As a renter in the Silicon Valley, no one is completely safe from eviction — not even elected leaders. Three weeks ago San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez and his family were evicted from their rental home of nine years after their landlord decided to sell the property and retire. The family, including Peralez’s six-month-old son,...
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