Homelessness

Homelessness

UPDATE: San Jose officials approve Measure E spending plan

The San Jose City Council signed off on a $65 million spending plan intended for affordable housing and homeless services. On Tuesday, Councilmembers approved allocation of funds raised through Measure E—a 2020 property transfer tax to pay for affordable housing, safe parking and programs to support the homeless. The measure is expected to produce $205...

San Jose sees homeless population grow

San Jose saw its homeless population grow 11% during the pandemic despite investments in housing and enhanced safety measures, with some advocates saying the reality on the ground is even bleaker. New data released this week shows the total number of unhoused residents in San Jose is 6,739, an 11% increase from the 2019 Santa...

South Bay land trust saves residents from displacement

For more than a year after Tafhari Siyani Benjamin Franklin moved into a fourplex on Reed Street in San Jose, the Navy veteran’s clothes were still in bins and bags. He’d watched as developments sprung up nearby and worried the property—home to formerly unhoused veterans—would be sold next. If that happened, he’d be unable to...

San Jose homeless advocates say sweeps solve nothing

San Jose says its multi-prong plan to manage homeless camps will improve the quality of life for both the unhoused population and general public. But advocates and lawyers say nothing in the plan will bring meaningful results as the city continues to displace people through sweeps. “The treatment of people living outside has always been terrible,”...

San Jose warming center closures worry homeless advocates

With the closing of San Jose’s warming centers for homeless individuals, advocates worry about the loss of services. The two centers, which opened last December, closed over the weekend and provided hot meals and shelter along with information and resources to assist homeless people with housing. San Jose Housing Department spokesperson Jeff Scott said both...

San Jose mayor rallies for more state homeless funding

A coalition of California mayors is calling on the state to continue funding a grant for homelessness services to address what they call the state’s biggest crisis. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, joined by eight other mayors from the California Big City Mayors coalition, urged Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday to expand a program that helps local...