Last year, a renovated San Jose hotel on The Alameda reopened with much fanfare to house homeless residents. But problems have cropped up from the start, according to people who live there.
The city tapped nonprofit HomeFirst to provide supportive services and supervision of residents at the Arena Hotel, which was repurposed as a low-barrier shelter that doesn’t require sobriety. The building reopened last September, and since then residents have been dealing with a number of issues that include a broken elevator, lack of staffing and food poisoning.
The inoperable elevator has made life more difficult for people like Tyric Perkins, who uses a walker and lives on the top floor, but he refuses to stay cooped in his room.
Perkins’ life hasn’t been the same since he got into a bike accident a few years ago. His bent legs shake as he hobbles over his walker and slowly makes his way across the hall. Sometimes, he tries taking the elevator down, risking the possibility of getting stuck. Other times, his fiance helps him up and down the stairs. His legs are getting worse, and recently he’s been in so much pain there are times he can’t get out of bed.
“I just got to suck it up sometimes. I can’t stay inside all day,” Perkins told San José Spotlight.
When Perkins complained about the elevators to one of the managers, he said she told him, “‘This place is not a nursing home.'”
The elevator has been down for about three weeks, according to a HomeFirst worker at the site. Rene Ramirez, interim chief executive officer at HomeFirst, did not answer questions about why the elevator repairs have been delayed and directed questions to the property management company, Hyder Property Management Professionals.
“We are working diligently with our vendors on the repairs,” Kyle Beach, a spokesperson for the company, told San José Spotlight.
The broken elevator is only one of many issues residents at the hotel have faced.
When the 90-room building opened last fall, residents said there were no HomeFirst staff on the premises on Saturdays and Sundays for several months, causing some individuals who forgot their room keys to be locked out for the entire weekend.
“The original personnel plan did not include a budget for 24/7 operation,” Ramirez told San José Spotlight.
Others problems arose as well for residents.
On May 1, James Johnson noticed a pungent odor that smelled like rotten eggs. His eyes started burning and he was having difficulty breathing. He went outside and dialed 911 after HomeFirst workers refused to call, he said. When the fire department came, a firefighter offered him an oxygen mask.
“We understand there was a plumbing issue with the sewage line outside,” Ramirez said.
Neither Ramirez or Beach answered why residents weren’t properly notified of potential health risks.
Difficult environment
The Arena Hotel, about two miles from Santa Clara University, is one of five Project Homekey sites designed to provide interim housing for homeless people. Most rooms are for single adults, with 10 rooms for double occupancy. The long-term plan calls for knocking down the building to construct up to 200 permanent affordable apartments.
The Arena was a $46-million project funded through Measure E and California’s Project Homekey. The city received $125.5 million in total for Homekey sites from the state.
Residents said HomeFirst staff told them when they first moved in that they could receive a $1,500 allowance for things like laptops, work clothes and shoes and electrical bikes to help them achieve their housing goals. The allowance is included in the Arena’s budget, which is provided by the city. But several residents including Johnson have yet to see any requests approved.
“There’s no money for nothing it seems like,” Johnson told San José Spotlight. “They only give us the minimum of everything.”
Johnson said he’s been denied multiple requests for things such as shoes for construction work and a car insurance payment. HomeFirst workers haven’t given him any documentation as to why his requests have been denied.
“With the financial assistance budget line being so small, it is critical that all approved expenses directly support the housing plan. Requests that align with this goal are prioritized for approval,” Ramirez said.
In addition, of the five residents San José Spotlight interviewed, four said they have gotten severe food poisoning from the meals served. Perkins said he and his fiance suffered with vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain for nearly a month after they ate a burrito, while Johnson said he checked himself into a hospital.
“Based on client reports, we are aware of one complaint regarding possible food poisoning. However, the participant did not seek medical attention, so the food poisoning could not be confirmed,” Ramirez said.
Meals for Arena participants are prepared in the kitchen at one of HomeFirst’s shelters, the Boccardo Reception Center — also known as Little Orchard. Rooms at the Arena lack kitchens.
“No other location (managed by HomeFirst) is having the same problem,” Chris Wess, another Arena resident who said he got food poisoning, told San José Spotlight. “It’s just so difficult here.”
Residents say they have no other option but to continue eating the food, but are more careful. They microwave the food until it’s piping hot and avoid eating some of the meat. They are served two meals a day.
“I think our housing department needs to take this seriously. They’ve known about the problems at the Arena since day one,” Gail Osmer, who has been advocating on behalf of the residents, told San José Spotlight.
Residents at another hotel-turned-shelter said they have also suffered from ill treatment by staff and live in conditions that include mold and roaches.
“The city needs to step in and hold (HomeFirst) accountable, and the city needs to talk to the residents,” Osmer said.
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or follow @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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