A potential sanctioned encampment for homeless individuals near San Jose’s Watson Park has some neighbors upset with what they perceive as a lack of outreach. City officials have zeroed in on the first potential safe sleeping site at 1157 E. Taylor St., which could open as early as the beginning of next year with other sites to follow....
Santa Clara County sees 24% spike in new homeless residents
A year ago, the emergency homeless shelter in San Jose run by Family Supportive Housing received about 25 calls a day from desperate families needing a roof over their heads. The amount of calls have skyrocketed this year, with at least 50 calls a day as the phones ring nonstop. The number of new households...
San Jose expands cleanup crew that employs homeless residents
Neighborhoods stretching outside of immediate downtown San Jose will see cleaner streets and more job opportunities for homeless people in that area. Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit that beautifies the city and offers a stepping stone for unhoused residents to reenter the workforce, is expanding its services into Luna Park, Alum Rock, Calle Willow and...
San Jose selects first homeless sleeping site
San Jose officials have zeroed in on the city’s first location for a sanctioned encampment, where homeless people will be allowed to stay inside tents without fear of being swept. The lot at 1157 E. Taylor St. could open early next year, with more safe sleeping sites opening by next June. The locations will house between...
San Jose sweeps Columbus Park after homeless return
Emotions ran high at a homeless encampment near a San Jose park as the city began sweeping the streets that unhoused residents called home. Two years ago, the city cleared the sprawling homeless encampment near Columbus Park that sits under the flight path of Mineta San Jose International Airport, after the Federal Aviation Administration threatened...
San Jose hotel for homeless residents fails to meet needs
Last year, a renovated San Jose hotel on The Alameda reopened with much fanfare to house homeless residents. But problems have cropped up from the start, according to people who live there. The city tapped nonprofit HomeFirst to provide supportive services and supervision of residents at the Arena Hotel, which was repurposed as a low-barrier...
San Jose tiny homes construction faces ongoing delays
Over the next 18 months, San Jose may see four tiny home sites built, offering hundreds of beds to help people living on the streets transition to permanent housing. But getting there remains a challenge. Mayor Matt Mahan wants to add 784 beds between the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 to tackle the...
Sunnyvale replaces homeless outreach provider
Sunnyvale will have a new outreach team assisting its homeless residents after scrutinizing the city’s previous provider. The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved a more than $900,000 one year contract with homeless service provider WeHOPE earlier this month. The contract begins Sept. 1 and includes a five person outreach team and the organization’s Dignity on...
San Jose sees safe sleeping sites as option for homeless residents
As San Jose develops plans for sanctioned homeless encampments, Mayor Matt Mahan traveled to San Diego to see what he could glean. San Diego, at the forefront of safe sleeping sites for unhoused people in California, has two sanctioned locations that support a total of 533 insulated tents. The locations provide on-site case management and resource referrals, restrooms,...
San Jose homeless advocates protest Newsom’s state order
As Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes for local governments to take swift action to clear homeless camps, local housing advocates are standing together against policies they say criminalize being unhoused. Members of Helping Hands Silicon Valley, Unhoused Response Group, CHAM Deliverance Ministry and NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley gathered Friday at a former encampment, once known as...