Santa Clara County Homelessness Digest

A look at the three-story 204-unit transitional housing built on what was once a homeless encampment hotspot in San Jose's Branham Lane and Monterey Road neighborhood.

A look at the Geng Road safe parking facility in Palo Alto.

State lawmakers will debate a bill to require annual inspections, new complaint processes and harsher penalties for local governments that don’t file mandatory reports.

Read on for details about efforts underway by the City of Pal Alto to expand, and pay for, its existing safe parking facility to accommodate additional vehicles.

The Fremont city council has revised a new city camping ordinance, removing what had become a controversial clause — first reported on by CalMatters — that could have punished those  “aiding and abetting” encampments.

This appears to be the first such injunction since the U.S. Supreme Court let cities crack down on homeless encampments in California and beyond.

RED MEANS FAILURE, green means progress. Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a new tracker tool this week that shows how local agencies are using state funds to eradicate homelessness and rates their success. The concept is to pool data on grants and reporting so counties can watch other counties; the public can watch state spending; and the governor can make the argument for granting or cutting funds.

It’s been eight months since the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed how cities in California and beyond can respond to homeless encampments, allowing them to clear camps and arrest people for sleeping outside — even when there’s nowhere else to sleep.

California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, a new law that stiffened penalties for certain drug and theft charges, and pledged to provide “mass treatment” for those facing drug charges.

But since the law took effect, some counties have been scrambling to implement the measure without new funding or, according to people involved in enforcing the law, sufficient resources.

Shelters have become California’s go-to solution for homelessness. A CalMatters investigation finds the vast majority of residents stay homeless.

Outreach workers in the Bay Area city of Fremont worry the new ordinance could target them, despite assurances from the city.

The Palo Alto City Council is considering the expansion of the Geng Road "safe parking" site for folks living in RVs. Read on to learn more.

SAN JOSE OFFICIALS plan to make one neighborhood a “no return zone” for homeless people after hearing safety concerns from residents — but the mayor couldn’t confirm a date.

The unusual move is alarming activists who worry they could be in the ordinance’s crosshairs.

In their January 28 meeting, the Mountain View City Council considered a new plan to bring local homeless numbers down to "functionally zero." Read on to learn more.

Read on to learn the latest since San Jose designated towaway zones in a bid to crackdown on RVs encampments.

SAN JOSE HAS begun temporarily banning RVs in designated areas across the city this week. Under a $3.3 million pilot program, Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE), the city has chosen 30 temporary tow-away zones to clear RVs for street sweeping and cleanup throughout this year.

Jennielynn Holmes stood in the middle of a make-shift evacuation center when the scope of the crisis hit her.

Learn about the 30 locations in San Jose under consideration for towaway zones in an effort to address RV encampments in the city.

EYES WELLED WITH tears as people lit candles and spoke the names of Santa Clara County homeless residents who died this year at a memorial this past Friday — a reminder of the harsh reality of living on the streets and the urgency to get more people housed.

Homeless San Jose State University students are struggling to find housing — and worry where they’re going to sleep at night as they stress over school work and passing grades.The Student Homeless Alliance, which advocates for unhoused SJSU students, is pushing to expand the number of emergency beds available and for seven safe parking spaces in garages for those living in their vehicles.

San Jose officials are sharing more details about the city’s first safe sleeping site for homeless residents as the March opening draws near.

Read on to learn how San Jose officials are demanding better reporting and tracking of effectiveness of millions of dollars spent through nonprofit partners on homeless services.

Get the details behind why San Jose and non profit partners have initiated a count of homeless encampments along area creeks and streams.

Gov. Newsom launched an ambitious program that uses Medi-Cal to help Californians access housing, healthy food and more. Now, its fate is in the hands of President-Elect Trump.

Many California cities offer their homeless residents one-way bus tickets to other places.

The City of Milpitas has allocated $700,000 for rental assistance to support low-income and homeless residents in finding housing. Read on to learn more.

Learn about efforts by the City of Milpitas to provide essential services to local homeless and at-risk individuals.

Homeless Californians face many barriers to casting a ballot, even in elections that affect their lives. Some counties and nonprofits are trying to boost turnout.

Multiple state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on housing and homeless programs in the first five years of Gavin Newsom’s governorship, but the number of people without homes continued to grow, rising by 20% to more than 180,000 in the most recent federal count in 2023.

A Mercury News map showing the location of the sites where San Jose plans to build over 700 tiny homes for transitional housing for local homeless.

Homeless service providers are scaling back and taking out loans as they wait for late payments from the government.