Stop the Sanctioning of Homeless
Encampments in San Jose Neighborhoods
We are not opposed to sanctioned encampments - we are opposed to sanctioned encampments in San Jose neighborhoods. There is plenty of land in San Jose and Santa Clara County
Click Here To Sign Our Letter To The Mayor
Mayor Mahan continues to move forward with his experiment with neighborhoods. The project on Taylor street near Watson Park is the pilot, and is moving ahead despite significant opposition from the community and limited efforts to engage residents in the decision-making process. Previous commitments made by the Mayor regarding other sites have fallen short, further eroding trust among neighbors. This lack of follow-through on past promises has left neighbors skeptical about the assurances being made for this experiment with neighborhoods.
The city has not been transparent about its next steps - Here is what we know
On June 18, 2024, The mayor has approved sites for City Sanctioned Encampments despite the overwhelming majority of polled residents being against this proposal.
There will be no law enforcement onsite, no drug checks, no criminal background checks, no Megan law monitoring. This will likely not work for the homeless and will certainly not work for the neighbors.
This would be the Mayor's first experiment at the concept of sanctioned encampments in neighborhoods. Once this takes hold, it will be expanded to more areas of San Jose.
San Diego is the only other city that has tried experimenting with sanctioned encampments. However, it is now under threat after the local district attorney labeled the site a public health hazard and sued the city to close it. Source: San Jose Mercury News 06/19/24
Council members Batra and Doan proposed a remediated Singleton site at the city council meeting on June 18th. This is a 90 acres lot owned by the city at 850 Singleton Road. We support them and believe the city needs to have one site where it can concentrate the many services the homeless need to rebuild their lives and achieve stability and success.
This is how Reno is successfully addressing the issue. They are offering real solutions with wraparound services in secure locations. Why can't San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley, do the same?
Reno's Real Solutions
Click Here To Sign Our Letter To the Mayor
Why should you sign this letter in support?
Some of the proposed sites are in a flood zone
The Proposed sites that are still creek side are at high risk of contaminating the waterways, endangering the animals, and overall impacting the environment.
The city has no ability to do criminal background checks or look-ups
on Megan's Law to ensure those we are supporting in our neighborhood are not a danger to our children and families. Some of these sites are less than 0.5 miles from a school
The city has no ability to do drug enforcement and/or require sober
living in an encampment.
Unlike the San Diego experiment, where encampments are in industrial areas, these would be in neighborhoods. San Diego has not been successful in rehabilitating, reducing homelessness, or improving
conditions for the city overall.
The city could expand the concept to parks, churches and other areas within neighborhoods.