Homelessness

Homelessness

Santa Clara residents blast homeless housing plan

Dozens of Santa Clara residents weighed in on a proposed supportive housing development for homeless people, with the majority against the idea. The proposed development, at the corner of Benton Street and Lawrence Expressway, would include between 80 to 120 interim, or transitional, homes. The county, through its nonprofit partner LifeMoves, would offer on-site support services, and each...

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San Jose reveals homelessness data

San Jose reveals homelessness data

San Jose is launching a tool to help the public better understand the city’s efforts to address growing homelessness. The Homelessness Program Dashboard lets residents browse different city-run programs and learn more about their results on the city website. The tool shows where funding comes from, which services are being prioritized and how many people are being served. “We can’t expect to solve our...

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RV dwellers in San Jose still in limbo

RV dwellers in San Jose still in limbo

San Jose promised homeless people living in RVs a safe parking site by the end of January. Now, it’s unclear when it will open. Infrastructure work is still needed, pushing back the opening of the Santa Teresa VTA light rail site until at least March 31. But even that may not happen, housing department spokesperson Jeff Scott...

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Silicon Valley youth champion retires after 40 years

Silicon Valley youth champion retires after 40 years

A Santa Clara County leader is leaving her role after 40 years of fighting for homeless youth. Sparky Harlan, CEO of the Bill Wilson Center, is retiring after joining the housing nonprofit in 1983. The center opened in 1973. Her legacy involves a yearslong commitment to supporting unhoused youth and the tenacity to back it up,...

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San Jose expands police patrol on walking trails

San Jose expands police patrol on walking trails

San Jose police officers will soon routinely patrol an area that once was the city’s largest homeless camp in an effort to help revitalize the region. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $400,000 to expand the successful police bike patrol program to cover the Guadalupe River Trail in addition to the...

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San Jose: The No. 1 U.S. city in youth homelessness

San Jose: The No. 1 U.S. city in youth homelessness

San Jose tops the list of 100 major cities with the highest number of homeless young adults per capita, highlighting a growing crisis in the region. In the heart of Silicon Valley, there are nearly 85 homeless residents who are between 18 and 24 years old for every 100,000 residents, landing San Jose in the...

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A group of people standing outside a tent

Will San Jose’s homeless count be higher than last year?

Hundreds of volunteers are searching San Jose streets to get an updated count of its homeless population. Across Santa Clara County, roughly 300 volunteers, elected officials and unhoused people ventured out in 30-degree weather Tuesday morning to scour under bridges, along creeks and outside businesses to tally up homeless people living in the region. The...