San Jose is sweeping dozens of RVs and tents off the Alviso-Milpitas Road parallel to Highway 237, leaving the homeless people with no place to go. Some of the unhoused individuals left once they learned a sweep was eminent, but more than a dozen people with no options remained Monday afternoon. Those with inoperable vehicles...
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San Jose mayor pushes housing vouchers for homeless shelters
As San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan continues to prioritize funding for temporary solutions over permanent housing, he wants the city to explore a new proposal — using monies from Section 8 housing vouchers for homeless shelters. Santa Clara County Housing Authority leaders announced the plan during the April 15 joint meeting with the City Council....
West Valley cities team up to consider homeless shelter
The West Valley has scarce resources for the hundreds of homeless residents living on its streets. That may change as elected leaders consider adding its first shelter. All five West Valley municipalities — Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Campbell and Los Gatos — recently approved a homeless shelter feasibility study conducted by Good City Company. The...
Santa Clara County emergency housing vouchers in jeopardy
Santa Clara County officials are bracing for more cuts to their housing voucher programs, which subsidizes rent for low-income individuals. Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) informed the county that Emergency Housing Vouchers were expiring. This pandemic-era program, which began in 2021 through a $5 billion lump sum approved by...
Grant aims to repair Santa Clara County independent living homes
Homes for people struggling with mental illness or recovering from substance use have long flown under Santa Clara County’s radar with substandard conditions and little to no accountability. The county is attempting to right some of those wrongs, starting with a grant to help landlords make much needed repairs to improve residents’ living conditions. Last...
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UPDATE: San Jose officials approve park revitalization plans
San Jose has plans to transform a dilapidated park into a family-friendly area for sports, but will first clear the area of homeless residents. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to revitalize Columbus Park, located at Asbury and Irene streets. Once a place where youth gathered in an under-resourced area, the new 9.4-acre...
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San Jose starts work on safe sleeping site
San Jose is breaking ground on its first sanctioned homeless encampment, which will allow 56 people to sleep in tents without fear of being swept this summer. The vacant lot at 1157 E. Taylor St. will serve as a navigation center, where participants will be given three daily meals and have access to showers, laundry facilities...
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San Jose safe parking site full one month after opening
A San Jose safe parking site for homeless people living in their vehicles is at capacity one month after opening — and two people have already moved into permanent housing. The safe parking site at 1300 Berryessa Road offers 86 spaces for individuals and families to live without fear of getting swept or towed. It’s the city’s...
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San Jose homeless people say police citations are harassment
San Jose police continue to issue handwritten tickets to homeless people even after the department switched to electronic citations — a practice that is raising questions. Four homeless residents encamped near Cherry Avenue along the Guadalupe River said police regularly patrol the area and give out tickets for trespassing and littering. The behavior has those...
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San Jose homeless people struggle with clean water sources
Dozens of homeless residents living at Columbus Park in San Jose have struggled to get drinking water, as local sources in the park have been off and on for weeks. Residents encamped in RVs and vehicles said they used to get their drinking water from fountains in the park, but the city shut the water...