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San Jose officials are considering banning homeless encampments and RVs around schools even as homeless advocates decry the move, saying it further criminalizes an already marginalized group of people. A proposal to prohibit homeless people and their vehicle dwellings within 150 feet of most city preschools, day cares and K-12 schools will go before the San Jose City Council in coming weeks after it...
San Jose mayor targets homeless living near schools
San Jose may soon enforce banning homeless dwelling near schools if a proposed ordinance is passed. The issue was in plain sight with roughly a dozen RVs and vehicles lined on Educational Park Drive in East San Jose where Mayor Matt Mahan, Councilmember Peter Ortiz and two students spoke today about their plans to ban...
San Jose opens safe parking site for homeless RV dwellers
After months of delay, a safe parking site for homeless residents has opened at the Santa Teresa VTA light rail station in San Jose. The parking lot opened Monday and provides 42 spaces for homeless people living in their vehicles, a slight decrease from the originally planned 45 spaces to allow for commuter cars. Four...
San Jose homeless hotel tenants protest deplorable conditions
Christina Correa was homeless for 11 years before finding temporary housing. She moved into SureStay Hotel in North San Jose one year ago, an environment she said is cockroach infested, peppered with mold and has faucets that spew dirty tap water. She never imagined getting off the streets would put her health at risk. The...
Santa Clara County homeless students to get guaranteed income
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...