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As 2022 comes to a close, advocates are remembering the 246 homeless people who died on Silicon Valley streets. About 70 residents gathered in McEntee Plaza at Santa Clara County Government Center in San Jose Wednesday for a memorial service featuring rows of makeshift tombstones, each with the name of a homeless person who died...
What happens to the homeless cleared from San Jose’s largest camp?
The encampment near Mineta San Jose International Airport is gone and a makeshift RV camp at Columbus Park is almost barren, but dozens of homeless residents still have no place to go as their futures remain uncertain. Dubbed by some as the “Field of Dreams,” the baseball field at the corner of Asbury and Irene...
VTA disputes San Jose’s plan for tiny homes
San Jose plans to move forward with building housing for homeless residents on VTA property, but there appears to be disagreement over the inevitability of the project. The City Council voted unanimously last week to pursue tiny home projects at the Cerone and Cottle VTA sites, located in North and South San Jose, respectively. Tiny...
San Jose leaders lobby for transparency in homeless spending
San Jose officials want to make it easier for residents to track how the city is spending money on its growing homelessness crisis. Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, Mayor-elect Matt Mahan and Councilmember David Cohen want to launch a webpage showing the city’s efforts in solving homelessness. The site would include where funding comes from, which...
San Jose gets millions for homeless motels. Where are the rooms?
San Jose has received millions from the state to add hundreds of permanent and temporary homes in an attempt to alleviate homelessness across the city. But progress is slow with only 76 units available so far. As of December, San Jose has received roughly $74 million from a state program to acquire four local motels...
San Jose warming centers open as temperatures drop
With cold temperatures and pouring rain expected to blow through the South Bay this week, local officials are urging unhoused residents to seek shelter at temporary warming centers. San Jose opened up two locations this month, restarting its annual program to help homeless people weather the cold winter. Santa Clara County is also turning a dozen...
San Jose wants $29M to expand homeless services
San Jose plans to spend millions in state funding to house and provide services to the thousands of homeless residents living on city streets. The San Jose City Council wants to fund interim housing and a service hotline for unhoused people, in addition to increasing assistance for youth experiencing homelessness. Officials unanimously approved the city’s...
UPDATE: San Jose one step closer to housing homeless at transit sites
Public transit sites may be the newest place to house San Jose’s homeless residents. On Tuesday, city councilmembers unanimously voted to create temporary housing sites at two VTA locations—Cerone and Cottle—to increase the interim housing stock, as homelessness in the city continues to climb. The Cerone yard is in North San Jose’s District 4 near...
Thanksgiving in Silicon Valley: A mission to feed the needy
Ivan Diaz spent the last couple nights in his backyard cooking 10 turkeys at a time in a large smoker. But the 63-year-old is not throwing a Thanksgiving extravaganza at his home in San Jose’s Seven Trees neighborhood. He was preparing the meat as part of a feast he and other volunteers whipped up to...
‘Almost hopeless’: San Jose homeless residents prepare for winter
While many Santa Clara County residents are gathering for Thanksgiving in warm settings, dozens of homeless people living in tents, RVs or cars in and around San Jose’s Columbus Park are facing a more somber reality. Many residents there claim the city illegally trashed or destroyed their shelters and belongings in recent sweeps, and are hoping...