A longstanding battle between Caltrans and San Jose has had Mayor Sam Liccardo wrought up, as he continues to fight for tiny homes on the state agency’s vacant property. Nearly a year after the City Council approved the tiny homes for homeless residents on the agency’s land, challenges with lease negotiations and legal disputes stalled the construction of the 40 tiny...
Housing Trust marks year of milestones after creating landmark housing fund model
The Housing Trust Silicon Valley in recent years has become a model for other organizations trying to tackle the affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area and beyond, and 2019 was a record year for the San Jose nonprofit. During its 2019 fiscal year, which ended June 30, the Housing Trust loaned more than $73.4...
San Jose nonprofit for homeless youth is now homeless
When homeless and at-risk youth needed a place to shower, find a meal or get support in San Jose, they headed to StandUp For Kids for the past five years. But the program’s outreach center, The Village, will soon lose its home in downtown San Jose. Leaders of the nonprofit, currently housed at 25 E....
San Jose State students demand more resources for homeless students
An impassioned crowd gathered around the Tommie Smith and John Carlos statues at San Jose State University on Wednesday morning to bring awareness to student homelessness, a week after a San José Spotlight report revealed the university housed just six students last year. “Today we are here to stand in solidarity,” said Elsa Salgado, president...
San Jose State activists amplify the call to house homeless students
Fired up by revelations revealed in a San José Spotlight report that San Jose State University housed only six homeless students in the last year, a group of student activists are calling attention to the growing trend of student homelessness and say they have plans to host a statewide conference later in the fall. “This definitely...
San Jose State University housed just six homeless students last year
San Jose State University student Noemi Vasquez was cruising through her freshman year when her father — who was providing financial support — got into an accident and was no longer able to pay his daughter’s rent after facing expensive medical bills. Vasquez, who was born and raised in San Jose, says the incident occurred...
Look inside: Housing startup eyes San Jose to launch its first “backyard homes”
Housing startup Abodu’s headquarters sit along a winding road on the edge of Redwood City and ritzy Woodside, but instead of an office, it’s home to a small, single-story, modern-looking house in the middle of a dusty, mostly empty lot. The 495-square-foot “backyard home” is the first — a showcase — of what Abodu’s...
Santa Clara County has no count for homeless suicides in last two years
In 2016, a total of 132 unhoused people were reported dead in Santa Clara County, eight of which were ruled a suicide, according to a study by the Santa Clara County Medical-Examiner Coroner office. But county officials do not have an estimated count for suicide deaths among homeless residents for the last two years and...
San Jose community colleges oppose bill to provide safe parking for homeless students
Whether they are couch surfing, living in their car or out on the streets, nearly one in five community college students in California reported experiencing some form of homelessness over the course of a recent 12-month period. That data — published by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Hope Center for College, Community,...
San Jose: Affordable housing project for seniors raises concerns
An ambitious, urban village project is underway and coming to Blossom Valley, but within it, a proposed affordable housing complex for seniors has some residents shaking their heads. On Monday, city planning officials rolled out a plan to build a 147-unit affordable housing project for seniors at a community meeting at the Hayes Mansion. Hundreds of...