Karen Tanveer is a recent high school graduate, except unlike some of her peers, she has dealt with homelessness her whole life. But a new county guaranteed income program will give local students like her financial relief. Santa Clara County is set to give 50 homeless high school students $1,200 for three months, as well as peer...
San Jose official’s stay in homeless shelter exposes reality
When San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres was challenged to sleep in a homeless shelter, he responded by staying at two different sites. Former homeless resident Sketch Oppie invited the entire city council to experience staying in a shelter to help them understand why allocating dollars to affordable housing is the better long-term solution to homelessness. While other councilmembers...
San Jose realtors say housing advocates ‘terrorized’ their office
Tensions between local housing advocates and realtors have boiled into threats and ugly confrontations. A coalition of homeless and housing advocates protested at the office of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors on June 7, six days before the San Jose City Council approved the annual budget. They yelled chants like, “Realtors you can’t hide,...
San Jose’s housing plan projected to be more costly
Quick-build temporary shelters are faster and cheaper for San Jose than investing in permanent affordable housing—that’s been Mayor Matt Mahan’s pitch during his first six months in office. But as officials prepare to approve this year’s $5.2 billion budget, the long–term costs for short–term housing don’t exactly support Mahan’s sweeping claims. It’s something he touted...
UPDATE: San Jose to house hundreds of homeless residents
More interim housing and safe parking sites are coming to San Jose to move its homeless population off the streets. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved moving forward on four projects focused on safe parking and housing. A safe parking site with more than 100 parking spots for RVs and vehicle dwellers...
San Jose leader to spend night in homeless shelter
San Jose officials are being challenged by a formerly homeless resident to stay in a shelter before voting to open more—and one is up for the offer. Sketch Oppie, who sits on the San Jose’s Housing and Community Development Commission, recently asked the city council to experience what a homeless shelter is like before diverting funds...
UPDATE: San Jose sees small drop in homelessness
Santa Clara County’s homeless population is slightly lower than last year, with the biggest drop happening in San Jose. Preliminary data from the county’s point in time count found that homelessness has decreased by 4.7% over the last year in San Jose, bringing the number to approximately 6,340 homeless residents, down by about 300 people. City...
UPDATE: San Jose officials challenge mayor’s housing plan
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s controversial plan to divert millions of dollars away from affordable housing is being challenged—this time by his own colleagues. Now, the mayor is trying to get ahead of his plan being thwarted with a new spending plan. San José Spotlight obtained an early draft of a budget document being released...
Who loses in San Jose mayor’s housing plan?
An already contentious debate on where to allocate funds for housing is growing more divisive, as San Jose leaders weigh diverting funding for hundreds of affordable homes. The San Jose City Council is considering cutting Measure E spending on affordable housing by half and reallocating those dollars to homelessness services and temporary shelters. Housing advocates said...
‘We’re tired of this life’: San Jose sweeps another homeless camp
A small army of backhoes, earthmovers, garbage trucks, pickups and police cars rolled out of Corie Court in Central San Jose Monday afternoon, after crews spent hours working to clear out a major homeless encampment along Coyote Creek. The city-led effort focused on moving out hundreds of homeless people who live near the creek bed....