Renovated San Jose hotel houses formerly homeless residents

A newly renovated hotel in downtown San Jose has reopened its doors to house homeless residents.

The 72-room Pacific Motor Inn has already welcomed dozens of residents, and by next week it will be full. The hotel, operated by nonprofit People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), will provide temporary housing, meals and supportive services as individuals look to transition into a permanent home.

Located at 455 S. Second St., Pacific Motor Inn was recently acquired by PMI Partners LLC, a joint venture between PATH Ventures and Westbank.

“Today is just the first phase of a project that will save lives, get people off the streets and one day become a mixed-income community that will help invigorate this part of our downtown,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said at the hotel’s grand opening. “It’s only been open for a month, and already one of the residents here is graduating to more permanent housing.”

The Pacific Motor Inn is one of five projects in the city that received Project Homekey funding from the state. Launched at the beginning of the pandemic, the program gives localities money to build or convert commercial properties, hotels, adult residential facilities and more into permanent or temporary housing for those experiencing homelessness.The city received a total of about $121 million through Homekey, and Pacific Motor Inn received $19 million, according to numbers provided by the housing department. The city is also contributing $25 million of its own funds to support the project.

“We’re taking this former motel and adaptively reusing it to continue to support our unhoused neighbors,” PATH CEO Jennifer Dietz said. “That means people have a safe and stable place to sleep, to lock their doors, to have the supportive services they need, including nutritious meals and all the things we all sometimes take for granted.”

This is PATH’s second temporary housing site it will operate. Its first was a tiny home site on Evans Lane, which provides temporary housing for families. In addition to providing housing, PATH will also offer supportive services such as mental health care, housing navigation services and resources to help people gain financial stability.

PATH also owns two permanent supportive housing developments in San Jose, Villas at 4th Street, which has 93 apartments, and the 83-unit complex Villas on the Park, one of San Jose’s first permanent supportive housing developments. Over the past year, PATH has helped get 300 individuals off the streets.

Dave Romero, 60, said he’s thankful to live at the hotel.

“It’s a good opportunity here,” Romero told San José Spotlight. “You get three meals a day, you get free laundry, so I’m thankful for what they have done.”

Over the next five years, the site will be transformed into two high-rise residential structures that will house people of all income ranges.

One building will have 120 affordable apartments with supportive services, including 48 apartments that will be below market rate owned and operated by PATH Ventures. The other building will be mixed income with 360 apartments, owned and operated by Westbank.
“This is really about creating opportunity for everyone,” Mahan said. “I think we have a stronger, more resilient, healthier city if we maintain mixed income neighborhoods.”

Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.