An affordable housing development centered on homeless foster youth will break ground in San Jose next month. The San Jose City Council approved nearly $40 million in state bonds on Tuesday to construct 81 affordable apartments—with half reserved for foster youth ages 15-24—on Parkmoor Avenue near San Jose City College. The remaining apartments will be...
A win for San Jose: VTA approves homeless housing site
After a monthslong debate between local leaders, North San Jose is set to receive 200 temporary homes for homeless residents. The VTA board of directors unanimously approved building the homes at its Cerone bus yard on Thursday. The consensus by the 12-person board comes as a surprise after deep political divides and ongoing disputes threatened...
Will downtown San Jose church become historic landmark?
A downtown San Jose church is on the cusp of becoming a historic landmark, potentially ending a yearslong battle to shield the 1940s-era building from redevelopment. The San Jose City Council will vote in the next few weeks to designate Grace Baptist Church as a historic landmark—protecting it, ideally, indefinitely. Councilmember Omar Torres’ request for the...
San Jose officials pressure VTA for homeless housing
Whether a result of politics or caution, San Jose’s hopes of opening an interim housing site at a public transit lot in the northern part of the city may not happen exactly how leaders want. The VTA board of directors is voting Thursday on where to build 200 homes for homeless residents. The 12-person board...
Silicon Valley homeless nonprofit accused of racial profiling
NAACP representatives have accused HomeFirst of racially profiling employees and voiced their anger in front of the homeless service provider’s headquarters. The allegations include displaying photos of former Black employees in a handbook “like criminal mugshots,” rescheduling Black employees who needed child care and recently firing a Black employee who is now facing homelessness himself...
East San Jose store faces outcry for obtaining liquor license
An East San Jose convenience store with a controversial history has received a permit to sell alcohol, despite concerns of underage drinking and increasing crime in the area. The San Jose Planning Commission on Sept. 27 granted Fast Mart, a convenience store at 1484 S. White Road in the Mount Pleasant South neighborhood, a conditional use...
New San Jose programs approve permits in days—not months
San Jose’s Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department is streamlining its permitting process to generate faster turnaround times. The online process is two-fold. One feature—Best Prepared Designer—is aimed at design professionals and contractors who have a good track record with the city on small projects like single-family remodels and commercial projects. The program aims to...
San Jose officials declare a homelessness emergency
San Jose leaders say homelessness is a crisis, and they intend to jumpstart their stalled progress in meeting ambitious housing goals. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei and Councilmembers David Cohen and Omar Torres jointly unveiled plans today to declare a shelter crisis and homelessness emergency. They want to bypass the bureaucracy they say is...
San Jose homeless motel changes hands—again
When it comes to caring for San Jose’s most vulnerable homeless residents at a motel-turned-housing site, it seems no one can get it right. The SureStay Motel, which offers temporary housing and services to homeless seniors, is changing service providers for the third time in two years. HomeFirst will start providing food, case management and...
San Jose homeless hotel full on first day
The newly renovated Arena Hotel in San Jose has reopened to help some of the city’s most vulnerable residents, and it’s already turned on the no vacancy sign. The 90-room hotel on The Alameda about two miles from Santa Clara University is one of five Project Homekey sites designed to provide interim housing for homeless...