SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County officials are considering a proposal to build more housing for the homeless on unused county land.
The idea comes from County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who wants to develop new permanent supportive housing on 80 acres of land, mostly near hospitals and clinics. The funding would come from Measure A, a $950 million affordable housing bond that voters approved in 2016.
The proposal comes as the homeless population in the county continues to soar. A recent census found 9,700 homeless residents, a 31% increase from two years ago.
Homeless advocates say the county’s current strategy of clearing out encampments serves only to punish the homeless.
“I’ve been there witnessing when they’ve taken a backpack off of a person’s back and thrown it into a trash compactor because that person that was running the cleanup crew did not like what somebody said,” said Robert Aguirre, a formerly unhoused resident of the notorious “Jungle” encampment along Coyote Creek in San Jose. “Perhaps we can work together as opposed to working against one another.”
James Im is a homeless resident of San Jose who said people need stability in order to have a chance to get back on their feet.
“If you are forced to move, what are you to do? Put everything you own in two shopping carts? And then guard it for six weeks? It’s virtually impossible," he said.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported Chavez's proposal, which is being passed on to city staff for further discussion.