Millions of dollars will turn a mostly vacant East San Jose building into a cultural gem. Local advocates describe it as a vital investment to support neighborhoods where some of the city’s most vulnerable residents live. The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza recently received $6 million from the Knight Foundation, a historic...
Silicon Valley officials target mental health efforts at homeless shelters
Two local elected leaders are teaming up on a plan to bring behavioral health workers directly to homeless residents living in shelters. District 2 Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong unveiled her proposal alongside San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Friday. The plan calls for adding another team of workers from the county Valley Homeless...
More Santa Clara County residents report first-time homelessness
More Santa Clara County residents are falling into homelessness for the first time as the cost of living rises. There are a record 10,711 homeless people living in the county this year, according to a count conducted in January. The county surveyed 1,534 homeless people during that time and 58% reported being newly homeless, according...
Silicon Valley community college district buys workforce housing
Dozens of Santa Clara County professors and administrative staff will be some of the first to move into affordable apartments reserved for community college employees, thanks to one school district’s unique housing approach. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District board unanimously approved a roughly $54.5 million purchase of 50 affordable apartments for staff earlier this month. The...
San Jose river trail use up after homeless sweeps
More San Jose residents are utilizing a local recreational trail following a city ban on homeless camps in the area. That’s according to city data and environmental advocates, who also say more wildlife is returning since no encampment zones took effect last year. San Jose has worked to clear homeless people living near rivers and...
San Jose Chick-fil-A moves forward after planning mistake
A contentious Chick-fil-A project is moving forward after hitting a road bump. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved removing a condition Tuesday that would have required a recently approved Chick-fil-A to construct the development without demolishing existing commercial buildings at 1301 W. San Carlos Street. Property owner Zotta Family Trust and applicant 4G Development...
Santa Clara County rolls out more affordable housing
More than 200 households have been given stability with the opening of two affordable housing developments near Diridon Station in San Jose. City and county officials on Wednesday celebrated the opening of Bellarmino Place and adjacent Alvarado Park, which will provide housing for older adults and people at risk of homelessness. The Santa Clara County...
San Jose safe sleeping site temporarily closes
San Jose’s first safe sleeping site for homeless residents has temporarily shut down due to electrical issues just days after opening. A housing department spokesperson said the city closed the Taylor Street tent village on Friday and moved nearly a dozen homeless people living there to other temporary housing sites. The electrical issues stem from...
East San Jose school district waits for burned youth center assessment
As an East San Jose school district gets quotes to potentially demolish a former vacant youth center that caught fire last month, advocates are still attempting to save it. The Alum Rock Union School District is still weighing what needs to be done with the former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building, which burned...
San Jose grapples with preserving its past
With a Japantown family-run business on the brink, a debate over historic preservation has San Jose in a headlock — preserve the past at a cost, or chase the future at a loss. A series of debt-accruing business choices threaten Japantown’s well-known Trigg family with the prospect of losing their home and businesses. They own Jtown...