Op-ed: Veteran family welcomes new neighbors to Bristol Hotel

We’ve lived in the neighborhood near the Bristol Hotel for nearly a decade, raising our children and investing in our community. Like many, we watched in sadness the recent meeting where community members shared their opposition to the planned conversion of the hotel into transitional housing for women and children.

What stood out most was the fear driving the conversation, not the facts. If we want a safe and stable neighborhood, we need to support sound public policy and smart investment.

As a mom and public health advocate, I know this is what real prevention looks like: supporting families before a crisis becomes an emergency. As a veteran, my husband knows that leaving people behind violates the very principles we serve to protect.

Here are five reasons our family supports this initiative and why we lovingly encourage our neighbors to as well:

Supportive housing saves money

Santa Clara County spends more than $500 million annually responding to homelessness through emergency services, jails and hospitals, according to a 2015 Destination: Home study. Evidence shows when people move into supportive housing, those public costs drop significantly — by as much as $42,700 per person annually.

By comparison, San Jose will lease each room in the Bristol Hotel for about $30,000 per year, using funds already allocated for hotel conversions. That’s about the cost of a three-night stay in the ICU.

This is a better use of public resources, offering long-term results rather than short-term crisis responses.

Family homelessness is driven by violence, not laziness

This project will serve mothers, children and older women — many of whom tend to be survivors of domestic violence. A 2020 report in Santa Clara County found 41% of women said their homelessness was caused by violence and 54% of those women faced more violence while homeless.

This housing model provides stability, privacy and support services. It helps prevent children from growing up in unsafe conditions and gives survivors a chance to rebuild their lives. That benefits our entire community.

The policy is already working

The hotel conversion follows California’s Homekey model, which repurposes hotels into housing. It’s faster and more affordable than new construction, and it’s already shown results.

Locally, this approach is part of a continuum of services that’s already transitioned thousands of people into long-term housing. This isn’t an experiment — it’s effective policy.

Welcoming people into our neighborhood stands in clear contrast to cruelty

The current federal administration uses a policy of cruelty to promote mass detention, profiling and indiscriminate enforcement, treating people experiencing hardship as threats to be contained.

We don’t have to mirror that approach. In San Jose, we can choose prevention over punishment and healing over fear.

Real safety comes from stability

Some residents have raised safety concerns. But research shows supportive housing reduces police calls, emergency room visits and visible homelessness — preventing crime and creating healthier neighborhoods.

This project provides on-site staff, 24/7 security and structured referrals.

A call to our neighbors:

• Seek the facts. Visit the site. Get the truth about homelessness before assuming the worst.
• Resist the fear narrative. Ask yourself where that fear comes from and who benefits when we turn against each other.
• Make your care visible. Speak up online and let Vice Mayor Pam Foley know that loud voices of opposition don’t speak for everyone.

We moved here because this community felt like a good place to raise our kids. But good neighborhoods aren’t just clean or quiet, they’re defined by how they care for every member of the community.

We hope you’ll stand with us in welcoming this project because it isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do.

Kathy Reyes is a mother, health care worker and public health advocate. Mateo Romero is a U.S. Marine veteran studying to become a therapist to support at-risk veterans. They live near the Bristol Hotel with their children.