There are nearly 80 acres of county-owned land sitting vacant – near hospitals and public transit – and now county lawmakers will look at turning it into apartments for homeless residents. Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez presented a proposal at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to look into building extremely low-income housing on that...
San Jose: Homelessness forum highlighted statistics and solutions
A panel discussion on homelessness brought dozens out to San Jose Thursday to talk solutions to a problem affecting thousands within Santa Clara County. Leading voices from the city, county and local nonprofits met with the San Francisco Chronicle at the Cisco campus to detail what’s been done, what’s happening now and what could be...
San Jose to consider prohibiting landlords from snubbing Section 8 renters
For years, landlords have shut the door on prospective tenants who receive housing subsidies to help pay rent. But now, voucher holders in San Jose may be getting their fair shot at securing housing in the private rental market. Next week, the San Jose City Council will vote on adopting an ordinance aimed at reducing...
San Jose begins crafting its anti-displacement policy
As Silicon Valley’s economic growth persists, residents are plagued with a turbulent housing crisis that continues to raise rents and increase displacement among communities of color. In the hub of the valley, San Jose now exemplifies the region’s widening inequality, leaving local leaders chasing solutions that aim to close that gap. Among these solutions is an anti-displacement policy,...
San Jose affordable housing project draws concern over limited parking
Homeless advocates and city officials agree that San Jose is in dire need of some housing solutions, but a new project planned for downtown drew the ire of residents who worried about a lack of parking. Nonprofit housing developer, The Kelsey, unveiled a proposal that could chip away at the housing shortage, but critics are...
Is banning single-family zoning possible in San Jose?
As more cities across the country are scrapping single-family zoning laws to address a nationwide affordable housing crunch, San Jose says it’s not ready to take the plunge. Owning a home — the legacy that defined American postwar democracy — is an ideal that is being challenged today as many cities opt for alternative solutions...
Google’s housing promise: What we know and what we want to know
When Google last month unveiled its $1 billion commitment to build at least 20,000 new homes in the Bay Area, the news was paired with unanimous fanfare by regional leaders — and a lot of unanswered questions. Google announced on June 18 it would take a three-prong approach to help create 20,000 new residential units....
San Jose is flooded with housing proposals, but where are the shovels?
San Jose is in the midst of a growth spurt that will reinvent the city’s character and reshape its skyline, having grabbed the attention and imagination of major developers and investors zeroing in on the Bay Area’s largest city with visions of big new office buildings. But that attention comes with its own challenges in a...
Community leaders question accuracy of LGBTQ homeless count
The number of people estimated in the latest countywide homeless census to be LGBTQ+ dropped dramatically — from 2,144 in the last survey in 2017 — to 1,262 in January of this year. What should be good news is instead a baffling statistic for people in the community who know they experience homelessness at a...
Amid housing crisis, Silicon Valley landlords say they’re struggling too
In a city that makes daily headlines for its out-of-control housing market and astronomical rents, one group often emerges as the villain — landlords. But landlords and property owners in San Jose say they’re just as much a victim of the extraordinary housing crisis. “Being a first-time investor is on-the-job training and akin to drinking...