A homeless housing project is coming to South San Jose, and city officials want to clear the area of unsheltered encampments before it’s built. The San Jose City Council this month unanimously approved a 10-year lease for $1 annually from prolific philanthropist John A. Sobrato to construct Via del Oro, a 150-bed temporary housing development....
State finds San Jose lacks accountability with homeless spending
San Jose has until September to formulate a succinct plan on how it will address homelessness and begin publicly reporting spending data, according to an audit requested by a local legislator. The California State Auditor has published its findings and recommendations after an audit of the city’s spending and coordination of its homeless support services. Auditors...
UPDATE: San Jose sets tougher RV restrictions near schools
San Jose leaders hope a slew of new policies make schools safer by pushing homeless people out of nearby encampments and limiting where they can park. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved three different policies to limit where large vehicles can park, where people living in their RVs can sleep overnight and...
San Jose officials say large homeless shelters are obsolete
Two San Jose councilmembers have an ambitious plan to house thousands of the city’s homeless residents — but some of their colleagues say it will move the city backwards. Councilmembers Bien Doan and Arjun Batra have proposed a pilot program to build massive assembly room-style homeless shelters, with the option for private rooms. While their...
Homeless nonprofit to stop running Sunnyvale shelter
One of Santa Clara County’s largest homeless service providers is stepping back from operating a 145-bed shelter in North County. HomeFirst will stop operating the North County Shelter in Sunnyvale by the end of June, passing shelter operations to another provider which the county has yet to identify. Over the past few months, HomeFirst has...
Santa Clara County may fund safe parking for homeless residents
Santa Clara County officials may help finance San Jose’s multimillion-dollar safe parking efforts and set up more sites on unused public property for the region’s homeless residents. The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to look into both possibilities and requested more information by May. Debate ensued over whether the funding could be justified...
San Jose mayor touts plan to end homelessness
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has a plan for the city’s homeless residents, ranging from temporary housing to encampment clearings, but the budget may not be able to support it. Mahan plans to push for more temporary housing, camp sweeps and a program that reconnects homeless people to their families as part of budget discussions for...
San Jose suits up to fight mold at future homeless housing site
A development site for homeless residents in South San Jose is blanketed in blue tarps to get rid of mold from months of neglect. Three days after San José Spotlight broke the story about pre-built homes arriving in poor condition, the site is peppered in mold remediation signs over tarped buildings and employees working in...
Housing for San Jose homeless residents is a ‘big mess’
A multimillion-dollar effort to put homeless people in pre-built housing — that San Jose officials championed as cheap and revolutionary — is delayed due to homes arriving unfinished. The $70-million three-story modular housing project that San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and his predecessor Sam Liccardo heralded at 1 Branham Lane also has mold, plumbing and...
San Jose cuts cost of safe parking site in half
San Jose officials say they’ve found a way to cut the cost of a $16 million safe parking site for homeless residents in half, just months before it opens. City leaders announced Thursday a redesigned safe parking site planned for 1300 Berryessa Road that will offer sanctuary and services to homeless residents living in their RVs...