San Jose Plans Dynamic Initiative To House And Employ Homeless

By Lloyd Alaban, San Jose Spotlight

September 28, 2021

San Jose is boosting housing and employment options for unhoused residents as part of a plan to address a growing homeless crisis.

City leaders will discuss a bold housing plan and efforts to employ homeless residents to clean up the city at Wednesday’s Rules and Open Government Committee meeting. If approved, the plan will go before the City Council at a later date.

The plan, announced by Mayor Sam Liccardo last week, proposes using prefabricated homes as a cost-effective way to shelter those sleeping on the streets.

City officials want to house 20,000 people in the next five years through supportive housing and by doubling shelter capacity countywide. By the end of 2022, San Jose aims to shelter 1,500 unhoused residents and build 2,300 permanent and transitional homes.

The number of unhoused residents in San Jose has grown exponentially and was close to 7,000 people in 2019. A more recent count was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but homeless advocates say there are more people living outdoors than ever before.

As part of efforts to shelter unhoused residents, Councilmember Sergio Jimenez wants to create a safe parking site in his district for RV dwellers, and is looking to expand this plan to other sites as well. A safe parking site on city property in North San Jose hasn’t been well-received by homeowners in the area since it opened Sept. 7.

“We have a housing crisis, and we need to do everything we can to alleviate that issue,” Jimenez told San José Spotlight. “Far too many people are still living on the streets and it’s incumbent upon us to get some of this housing moving.”

Jennifer Loving, CEO of Destination: Home, said there is no one solution to solving homelessness and expanding interim housing options is a crucial investment. The group’s five-year plan to end homelessness includes temporary and permanent housing goals, along with prevention strategies, she said.

“In fact, our system has added roughly 500 temporary housing options in the last year-and-a-half, bringing our countywide capacity to more than 2,300 units, getting us much closer to our goal of doubling shelter capacity by 2025,” Loving told San José Spotlight.

The city is also looking to expand employment opportunities for the unhoused while beautifying the city through the San Jose Bridge program, which offers job training. In his 2020-21 budget, Liccardo expanded the program to 100 positions with $1,600,000 in American Rescue Plan and local funds.

The expanding program is focused on litter clean-up and beautification projects at 140 sites. Participants will be paid $23.31 per hour if health benefits are offered, or $24.56 per hour if health benefits are not offered.

Homeless advocate Shauun Cartwright said these solutions should have been implemented some time ago. She sees it as ironic that solutions are being suggested while sweeps are taking place at Spring Street encampments in San Jose across from Columbus Park. Cartwright said tiny homes without private restrooms don’t work well for seniors, the disabled and LBGTQ individuals.

She also urges better representation.

“Everyone seems to have great ideas about the unhoused people,” she said. “(But) how many unhoused people have a seat at the planning tables?”

Last week, Councilmember Pam Foley toured an interim housing facility in South San Jose, where 120 residents receive mental health services, workforce training and stable housing.

Foley said interim housing can provide an “economic ladder of hope” for the unhoused.

“These facilities can be a real lifeline for folks,” Foley told San José Spotlight. “They are critical to ending homelessness in our city.”

This story will be updated.

Contact Lorraine Gabbertat lorrainegabbertsanjosespotlight@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Loving serves on San José Spotlight’s board of directors.

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