Faced with an uptick in homeless deaths amid the pandemic, city leaders expanded shelter services for San Jose’s unhoused residents. The San Jose City Council on Jan. 12 unanimously adopted a $11.3 million expenditure plan for its Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program, which provides homeless outreach and shelter services citywide. The budget approval allows the city...
Death of San Jose man spurs questions about homeless shelter capacity
On a cold and rain-soaked December night, Ruben Eldridge Hill slept beneath the entrance of an empty office building in downtown San Jose. And by 11:40 a.m. the next morning, the 55-year-old man, who’d lived on the streets for years, was dead. No one knows yet what caused Hill’s death. But many agree that his...
Food trucks rescue Christmas dinner for San Jose homeless
A sea of RVs lined the road to CityTeam’s men’s shelter in San Jose, where the nonprofit distributed its annual Christmas Day dinner. Among them were two food trucks. Having to change plans after a case of COVID-19 was identified at the shelter and kitchen, the organization had 48 hours to find a way to...
How San Jose homeless shelters are adapting to the COVID-19 surge
COVID-19 has been tearing through sheltered living spaces in San Jose, but at least one operator of such facilities has managed to keep all of its women residents safe during the pandemic. CityTeam, which offers temporary housing to people in need, has so far kept its four women’s shelters in San Jose COVID-free, although it has had...
COVID-19 tries to cancel Christmas dinner for San Jose homeless — but fails
With a COVID-19 positive case forcing a quarantine and temporary closure of CityTeam’s kitchen, the San Jose nonprofit is scrambling to make sure its annual Christmas Day feast doesn’t sour. “We normally feed the homeless every day,” said CityTeam spokesperson Darlene Tenes. “But Christmas Day is a particularly special day because we invite them all...
Plenty of trash but little cash in San Jose program to pay homeless to pick up garbage
Weeks after San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a program to pay homeless people cash to pick up garbage around the city, people in the program say trash was left piling up and they weren’t paid for weeks — until San José Spotlight asked about it. On Dec. 19, a day after an inquiry from...
Tombstones honor 196 homeless people who died in Silicon Valley
Row after row of makeshift tombstones filled a plaza outside a county building in San Jose, each with the name of a homeless person who died on the streets of Silicon Valley this past year. “If we don’t do this, then people just don’t recognize the enormity of the problem and how many people are...
San Jose clears homeless camp despite concerns over COVID-19
San Jose started dismantling a homeless encampment this week to make way for an upcoming trail renovation, flouting health recommendations and stoking fears the action will lead to the spread of COVID-19. While placing people in housing is the best option, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends allowing people in encampments to stay...
Housing program for South Bay veterans marks milestone
During the past five years, Destination: Home and its partners have housed 1,940 homeless veterans, making strides towards eliminating veteran homelessness in Santa Clara County. By partnering with San Jose, Santa Clara County and nonprofit organizations, Destination: Home said it reached a milestone this year: for the first time, it housed more veterans — 341...
Santa Clara County permanent supportive housing project sees success
Santa Clara County may have just gotten one step closer to solving chronic homelessness. According to a recent study by the UCSF Benioff Housing and Homeless Initiative, permanent supportive housing has been successful in housing the county’s most impaired and desperate homeless individuals, including frequent users of emergency medical and psychiatric services and jails. Researchers...