Emotions ran high at a homeless encampment near a San Jose park as the city began sweeping the streets that unhoused residents called home.
Two years ago, the city cleared the sprawling homeless encampment near Columbus Park that sits under the flight path of Mineta San Jose International Airport, after the Federal Aviation Administration threatened to withhold millions in federal funding. But dozens of homeless residents have returned with RVs and trailers lined along Asbury, Irene and Spring streets. A tractor with a jaw crusher was being used onsite to sweep up debris and smash trailers.
As sweeps begin again, many residents with inoperable vehicles are worried their makeshift homes and personal belongings will be towed or destroyed, leaving them with nowhere to go. A young girl walks around the encampment in tears, hoping someone could help move her trailer before it gets crushed.
“Not everyone has the financial means to move. For all those that don’t have the means, then what, we’re out of luck?” Hector Zavala, 32, told San José Spotlight.
Zavala refers to the young girl as his little sister. Though not related by blood, they’ve been bonded through shared struggles. He’s saved her three times from overdosing when depression threatened to drown her. She has also saved him twice when he tried to end his life.
“Because of s**t like this,” Zavala said. “It’s not fair at all, and they could care less.”
@sanjosespotlight San Jose sweeps an encampment near Columbus Park where dozens of RVs and trailers have returned. Two years ago, the city cleared the sprawling homeless encampment that sits under the flight path of Mineta San Jose International Airport, after the Federal Aviation Administration threatened to withhold millions in federal funding. Homeless advocates argue that sweeps disrupt the lives of those who are homeless and waste taxpayer dollars. ✍️ / 🎥: Joyce Chu Learn more at SanJoseSpotlight.com #homeless #encampment #sanjose #bayarea #siliconvalley
Zavala holds the young girl as she sobs on his shoulder. Encampment sweeps have pushed people off the edge, causing them to spiral into a more fragile mental and physical state, like Shuan Benak.
“It’s tough for anyone to have to move,” Benak, 51, told San Jose Spotlight.
Benak’s clothes and face are drenched in sweat as he pulls his belongings in a cart from Irene Street to Asbury Street. For the time being, his belongings will be safe until the city sweeps Asbury later this week.
Benak, who became homeless in 2017, is a painter who holds a master’s degree in fine arts from San Jose State University. His belongings have been destroyed in at least nine sweeps. Everytime the city does a sweep, it has forced him to start all over again. He’s lost things he holds dear — including his paintings and an upright piano. Others have lost laptops, food, tools and IDs in previous sweeps.
“There hasn’t been a moment of sheer comfort at all in these past seven years,” Benak said.
The city isn’t sweeping all of Columbus Park, just along Irene and Asbury streets, which were purchased by the city using federal dollars, a spokesperson from the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department said. Amanda Rodriguez told San José Spotlight the city will clear the area in sections, and they plan to have the two streets completely cleared by the end of September. More than 30 RVs and trailers are parked on those streets.
“If we don’t keep FAA-restricted land clear of encampments, we jeopardize future federal funding for airport projects,” Rodriguez said.
To keep people from re-encamping in the area, Rodriguez said they will put up stronger barriers like K-rails — concrete, steel-enforced barriers.
“There are certain cases where an encampment is so unsafe and violating so many laws that we can’t wait for our solutions to scale,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan told San José Spotlight. “The FAA requires us to keep certain areas around Columbus Park clear because it is in the airport’s flight path. This is exactly why we’re working with urgency to expand safe sleeping, safe parking and tiny homes so that we have adequate capacity to serve the people living in unsheltered, unsafe conditions along our streets and creeks. We simply don’t have enough capacity today for the more than 4,500 people living outdoors.”
There’s not enough beds for the 4,400 people living on the city’s streets, in tents and near waterways. Homeless advocate Scott Largent told San José Spotlight the shelters in the city are often jam packed.
There were 900 emergency shelter beds in the city in 2019, according to a Department of Housing and Urban Development study. The city has six tiny home sites with nearly 500 beds, and two more sites are coming online this year. Delays have pushed back the timeline of sites opening.
Sebastian Morales, whose RV is parked on Spring Street just outside of the zone of sweeps, pushed two carts around the encampment to help people move their belongings.
“The individuals here lack the proper connections to tow their property or clean up because we’re not provided that,” Morales told San Jose Spotlight. “Cops, the city come in and just tear up and take everyone’s stuff. They deprive the people here of their property, things they use to survive… they don’t care what happens to individuals afterward.”
Rodriguez said that residents were notified on Aug. 22 of the sweeps happening this week, more than the 72-hour notice. She said HomeFirst outreach workers visited the area several times leading up to the sweep date and were onsite Tuesday morning.
However, advocates said they did not see any HomeFirst workers that morning, nor do they typically see them during any sweep.
“They don’t show up when the sweeps start,” Largent said. “Wouldn’t you think that would be ridiculous (to not) have them right there to interact with people?”
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or follow @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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