San Jose homeless housing planned for Sobrato land
A homeless housing project is coming to South San Jose, and city officials want to clear the area of unsheltered encampments before it’s built. The San Jose City Council this month unanimously approved a 10-year lease for $1 annually from prolific philanthropist John A. Sobrato to construct Via del Oro, a 150-bed temporary housing development....
Bramson: Some basic, universal truths about income
In February, Arizona Republicans supported a measure to ban guaranteed income programs throughout the state. Far from actually considering the terrifying economic currents in the United States that are making it impossible for half of all Americans to pay their rent, these legislators thought it best to take a page from the book of a...
Bramson: Sounding the alarm before housing disappears
Heading into what will surely be a challenging budgeting season for governments large and small, it’s important to remember that the choices we make will have significant ramifications. Last year, a coalition of San Jose leaders decided that affordable housing mattered most by continuing to allocate the majority of Measure E funds — a real...
Santa Clara County can’t keep up with housing its homeless residents
For every one Santa Clara County household that was housed in 2023, nearly two households became homeless, a recent report reveals. Approximately 4,297 new households experienced homelessness for the first time last year, according to the county’s year-end analysis of its 2020-25 Community Plan to End Homelessness. That’s a 24% jump from the 3,473 households...
Bramson: How to place your next wagers now that the Super Bowl is over
In the past week, bettors placed an estimated $23 billion on the Super Bowl. It’s a staggering amount of money by any estimation, and with 68 million Americans participating in wagers ranging from the outcome of the game to the coin flip and the time it takes to sing the national anthem, there’s no question...
Sunnyvale homeless resource fair draws a crowd
Sirina Paras was temporarily evicted from her home last year, and a Sunnyvale nonprofit put her up in a motel room and helped her navigate the eviction. Paras said she is grateful for the help of Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS). The 73-year-old Sunnyvale resident said she was initially evicted because a neighbor claimed she had...
Downtown San Jose apartments welcome formerly homeless seniors
Steven Lynch used to ride his bike past PATH Villas at 4th Street in San Jose every week, checking on the development’s progress. He hoped luck would roll his way and he’d secure a spot in one of the studio apartments, after five years of rotating between homeless shelters and his car. Lynch, 64, along...
Bramson: Words matter when talking about homelessness
The power of an adjective on a noun really can’t be understated when it comes to talking about socio-economic issues. For example, the “poor” is a large, undefined class of people who some way or another can’t make ends meet. The “working poor,” however, emerge as a resilient group of people fighting for survival but...
Bramson: Putting the year behind us without closing the door
As we come to the end of 2023, I find myself thinking about Auld Lang Syne. While for many that old dirge — first penned by the Scottish poet Robert Byrnes in the 18th century — has become the anthem of our collective transition into the new year, for me it has always been tinged...