Santa Clara County’s largest water district is weighing how to address the hundreds of homeless people living along local waterways — including potential penalties for those camped on district land. Valley Water officials on Friday hosted the Unhoused People and Environment Summit featuring district staff, housing nonprofits and county officials to discuss challenges and how...
San Jose could house more homeless veterans with state funds
Santa Clara County and its cities will have a new revenue stream next month to help people at risk of becoming homeless. Gov. Gavin Newsom in September launched Project Homekey+, which sets aside $2.2 billion to house homeless veterans and people with behavioral health or substance use issues. The money comes from Proposition 1, passed by voters in...
Santa Clara County homeless deaths dip slightly
Homeless deaths in Santa Clara County are down so far this year despite an opioid crisis and thousands of people living on the streets. There have been 159 deaths as of Oct. 6, compared to 169 deaths during the same period last year, according to data from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner. One of the...
State gives San Jose millions to clear homeless camps
The state plans to give San Jose $4.8 million to help clear encampments and provide support to unhoused residents. But it’s a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the city needs to tackle homelessness. Gov. Gavin Newsom doled out $130.7 million last week to assist in reducing the number of homeless people statewide....
San Jose tiny home site to double beds for homeless
After months of delay, a tiny home project in South San Jose is expanding to help more people off the streets. By this time next year, 107 units will be added to the tiny home site at 5898 Rue Ferrari, with the capacity to house up to 146 homeless people — more than doubling its current...
San Jose veterans home operator dumped over poor conditions
Formerly homeless veterans living in poor conditions at a San Jose complex hope things get better with the change in nonprofit service providers. The property at 10. Kirk Ave. is home to dozens of veterans that have lived with black mildew, fire hazards and unsafe electrical systems, among other problems — issues that have been...
San Jose landmark status saves church from demolition
An 83-year-old church in downtown San Jose has been granted historic landmark status after years of fighting invasive development proposals that could have demolished the house of worship. Grace Baptist Church at 484 E. San Fernando St. has been designated a historic landmark for its architectural and cultural value. The San Jose City Council’s decision...
UPDATE: West San Jose Costco close to final approval
Plans for a potential West San Jose Costco are up for final approval next month despite dozens of residents speaking against it because of fears the warehouse will negatively impact traffic safety and increase noise pollution. The San Jose Planning Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously, with Commissioners Chuck Cantrell and Michael Young absent, to certify...
Santa Clara County candidates share plans to tackle homelessness
Candidates vying for two open seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors are sharing their plans for the region’s top issues: homelessness and housing. Nonprofits PATH and Destination: Home hosted a candidate forum Wednesday moderated by those with lived experience. The candidates in Districts 2 and 5 discussed a number of topics including...
South San Jose utility project could threaten wildlife
A proposal to strengthen Santa Clara County’s electrical grid could become an environmental hazard and threaten efforts to protect Coyote Valley wildlife from being killed along busy roads south of San Jose. That’s the warning from local environmental advocates, who spoke out at a Wednesday community meeting held by the California Public Utilities Commission to...