Two Silicon Valley officials are teaming up in an effort to help homeless and drug addicted residents who they said are scaring and attacking people living in downtown San Jose. At a town hall meeting Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong, who’s district encompasses the downtown,...
Silicon Valley lawmakers want to decriminalize homelessness
As cities across California ban homeless encampments and Gov. Gavin Newsom encourages more sweeps, San Jose lawmakers are standing up against criminalizing homelessness. State Sen. Sasha Perez along with Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, Alex Lee and Matt Haney have co-authored a bill that would make it illegal for cities to prohibit organizations or people from helping...
San Jose homeless housing won’t be ready ahead of big sweep
As San Jose gears up to dismantle its largest homeless encampment, inadequate housing has left hundreds of people with no place to go. Homeless residents living in Columbus Park said outreach workers from the city and nonprofit HomeFirst promised housing would be available when the sweep starts Aug. 18. But some of the hotels being...
West Valley homeless study to guide future solutions
The West Valley is trying to get a handle on its homeless population — and new data illuminates many are families and children. An independent analysis conducted by Good City Company and Campbell shows at least 524 people across 322 West Valley households experienced homelessness in 2024. The analysis also reveals about 38% of the...
San Jose lags on state homeless audit recommendations
It’s been over a year since the state ordered San Jose to improve the way it collects and displays data on its homeless services, but the city still has work to do. A 2024 state audit released last April gave the city seven recommendations to improve how it tracks expenses and measures effectiveness for its...
Residents claim San Jose homeless housing site unsafe, unhealthy
When San Jose’s first multi-story, modular housing site opened in February, it was hailed as an inexpensive, cutting-edge solution to end homelessness. But within months, cracks in the infrastructure at 1 Branham Lane began to show. Shower benches had fallen out, leading to injury, water from some apartments emitted a sewage smell, walls had water...
San Jose mayor and Trump aligned in homeless response
When it comes to homelessness, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and President Donald Trump see eye to eye: get homeless people off the streets and into treatment centers. Trump signed an executive order last Thursday calling to prioritize funding for cities and states that prohibit homeless encampments and drug use in public, and directing more...
Santa Clara County has 1 shelter bed for every 3 homeless people
The math says it all. Santa Clara County can’t build temporary or permanent housing fast enough to address its growing homeless population. There are 10,711 homeless people in Santa Clara County, according to a point-in-time count conducted in January. But there are only 3,454 beds across 38 temporary shelters and programs countywide to help homeless...
San Jose safe sleeping site slated to open next month
San Jose’s first sanctioned homeless encampment is opening next month following site construction delays. The vacant lot at 1157 E. Taylor St. is scheduled to open in August and will allow up to 56 people to sleep in tents without fear of being swept. Mayor Matt Mahan said last year the safe sleeping site would...
San Jose to cite and tow vehicles with expired tags
San Jose plans to clamp down on vehicles with expired tags, which will affect thousands of homeless residents across the city. Starting Aug. 17, vehicles with a registration more than six months out of date may be immediately towed without warning. This crackdown on expired registration will hit homeless people living in their vehicles. The...