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Getting dozens of homeless residents shelter and services isn’t easy, especially when it has to happen in a matter of weeks. But HomeFirst CEO Andrea Urton said it’s doable when you have the right resources. Residents last week were forced to leave a massive homeless encampment at Component Drive in North San Jose on land...
San Jose tenants allege management kept COVID hospitalization quiet
Raymond Ramsey says he never relies on his property manager to share details about other tenants—because they often don’t. But he’s baffled that he learned about a recent COVID infection in his building through the local gossip mill. Ramsey, a former unhoused resident, moved into Santa Clara County’s first supportive housing complex, Second Street Studios...
San Jose to transform park alongside homeless encampments
The city plans to transform the dilapidated flatlands at Columbus Park in North San Jose into a premier public park and plaza—complete with playgrounds, sports fields and rest areas. But the “elephant in the room” is the presence of more than 200 homeless residents. The land surrounding Columbus Park is a sanctuary for unhoused people—and a...
How did housing homeless San Jose students in Airbnbs go?
Two years after launching a landmark program to house homeless San Jose students in Airbnb rooms, nearly half the participants dropped out of the program and ended up in hotels. The program, officials say, took major blows from COVID-19 and other logistical problems. Sparky Harlan, CEO of the Bill Wilson Center that helped run the program,...
Homeless women say Apple treated them like ‘critters’
The encampment Apple swept near its property in North San Jose was home to several women — and one of them says the tech giant treated her like a “filthy little critter.” The homeless camp near Component Drive housed up to 100 people inside tents and cars for at least two years. Apple, which plans...
Homeless fentanyl deaths rising in Santa Clara County
Fentanyl continues to kill unhoused residents in Santa Clara County, and some unsuspecting users may be taking the drug in the form of counterfeit pills. Seven homeless individuals in San Jose suffered fatal overdoses from methamphetamine laced with fentanyl in the past month, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Fentanyl, a synthetic...
Santa Clara County limits water handouts for homeless residents
Some activists claim the county is no longer providing them water to take to homeless encampments—a service offered over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gail Osmer, an advocate for houseless communities, said throughout the pandemic she’s gotten multiple cases of water from the county Office of Supportive Housing to distribute. But earlier this month, she says the...
RV search highlights problems with San Jose towing practices
In December 2015, a tow truck took away the RV Scott Largent lived in. Six years later, he’s still not sure what happened to it. Largent, a longtime homeless activist in San Jose, said he started living in his RV after difficult financial times. On Dec. 29, 2015, San Jose police officers arrested Largent for allegedly...
In San Jose, homeless camp services vary by location
Dumpsters that allow homeless people to keep their camps clean make a world of a difference. But getting that and other utilities can be challenging depending on where an encampment is located. Last week, San José Spotlight reported on a South San Jose homeless encampment that lacks dumpsters, hand washing stations and port-a-potties, leaving unhoused residents without a...
Fake San Jose police notice highlights homeless camp tension
A fake police notice distributed at a homeless encampment in South San Jose has amped up tensions between unhoused individuals and nearby homeowners. Notices appeared late Saturday night and indicated the San Jose Police Department would conduct a clean-up in the area the following morning. The letters warned residents to take their things and leave....