"San José recently completed a rapid expansion of temporary shelter, opening nearly 2,200 shelter spots across nearly two dozen tiny home villages, converted motels and RV parking lots. But even after the ambitious buildout, many neighborhoods - including upscale West San José and Evergreen - have no shelter."
"While the expansion of shelter into new parts of the city could garner neighborhood opposition, homeless advocates fear geographic equity plans implicitly promote the idea that shelters are a "burden" on local communities. Mayors including Daniel Lurie in San Francisco and Matt Mahan in San José have warned that such ordinances slow the process of bringing people indoors."
"If you create a straitjacket through policy, you start missing opportunities. In an interview last year, Mahan said a restriction on new shelter in South San José would have prevented the city from opening Via del Oro, a tiny home development on land donated by a private developer."
San José has rapidly expanded temporary shelter capacity to nearly 2,200 spots through tiny home villages, converted motels, and RV parking lots. However, many neighborhoods including West San José and Evergreen remain without shelters, prompting city leaders to consider a geographic equity plan. While previous councils referenced equitable distribution, no formal law exists. The proposal aims to spread future interim housing sites citywide in response to resident complaints about concentration. San Francisco implemented a similar policy last year. However, homeless advocates and mayors including San José's Matt Mahan express concern that such ordinances may discourage shelter development by treating facilities as community burdens.
#homelessness-policy #shelter-distribution #geographic-equity #san-jose-housing #neighborhood-opposition
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