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Over the holidays, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to blast California for its homelessness problem. It’s not news to anyone that there’s a big crisis here and these tweets – coupled with a threat to somehow intervene if our state doesn’t get moving – have actually been a pretty regular overture from the leader...
San Jose: More than 100 supporters rally for housing tax measure
A crowd of 175 people filled a block outside Second Street Studios in downtown San Jose on Saturday to rally for a ballot measure expected to bring $70 million each year for affordable housing if it passes in the March election. “We are going to bring San Jose in,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo at the...
Supreme Court action on homelessness case unlikely to affect San Jose
It seems San Jose will be largely unaffected by a recent federal court ruling prohibiting cities from criminalizing homelessness when the municipality doesn’t have adequate shelter space available to meet the needs of its homeless population. At the end of its term in December, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal to Martin...
Roberts: Design out of reach: Architecture created to shoo homeless people away
When I studied architecture years ago, the assigned design projects typically involved creating spaces or structures that benefited people. In our intensive workshops, we designed imaginary public spaces, furniture made out of recycled goods and housing for the poor built from local materials. During our presentations we had to defend our designs by how the...
Santa Clara: First supportive housing project breaks ground
The first supportive housing complex in the city of Santa Clara broke ground Monday morning, the latest in a line of projects funded by a massive county tax for affordable housing. Calabazas Community Apartments – a 5-story, 145-unit building at 2904 Corvin Dr. – will reserve 80 of its studio apartments for homeless individuals, offering on-site...
Bramson: There’s no place like home for the holidays
As the giving season approaches, I find myself thinking about the curious custom of gift wrapping. Going way back to ancient China where paper was first invented, putting presents in packages for others has been going on for centuries. There’s both a psychological and tangible effect about containing an object and creating a sense of...
Hundreds gather in downtown San Jose for warm Thanksgiving meal
More than a hundred volunteers and people in need packed the African American Community Service Agency (AACSA) in downtown San Jose Wednesday to enjoy an early Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pie. The residents were warmly greeted by an army of nonprofit service providers and volunteers, including Mayor Sam Liccardo, as they...
Roberts: Veteran homelessness affects the whole family
Twenty-three years ago, I started as the leader of a small homeless agency in West Los Angeles. Back then we used to be a 90-days program – within that small span of time, we would help someone who was homeless get a job, save money, move into an apartment and get back on their feet....
Look inside: Villas on the Park for formerly homeless San Jose residents opens
Jimmy Hendrix, who’s been homeless on-and-off for the last 40 years, was recently diagnosed with emphysema and COPD and had nearly given up on finding a safe place to lay his head. But on Friday, Hendrix became the first resident to move into Villas on the Park, one of San Jose’s first permanent supportive housing...
Bramson: An open door for those who have served
My stepfather joined the Navy around the time of the Korean War. He enlisted the summer after graduating from high school, serving aboard a minesweeper as a radioman. After four years on the sea, he was honorably discharged and came back to sunny California. He went to Long Beach State on the GI Bill, earned...