San Jose leaders broke ground Monday on a so-called safe sleeping site for the unhoused. Marianne Favro reports.
San Jose leaders broke ground Monday on a so-called safe sleeping site for the unhoused.
The city's first safe sleeping site is being built on East Taylor Street, next to Watson Park. Anyone who moves in will stay in tents and receive services.
"Taylor Street serves as a navigation center," Mayor Matt Mahan said. "It is the first stop on the journey to a better life, and it will be a short stay. Our goal is to stabilize and assess the needs of folks so we can move them into a longer term setting within 30 days."
The site will offer three meals a day, case managers and sanitation. It will also be fenced in and include 24/7 security.
"What we are looking for is safety," said Jeff Hare, a neighbor who welcomes the site. "Not just for the unhoused living here, but also for the nearby residents because we have seen the park taken."
Hare also hopes it will encourage the unhoused to stop sleeping near the creek, which many believe is leading to environmental damage.
But Shaunn Cartwright with the Unhoused Response Group is skeptical the site will actually help those who are struggling to get off the streets.
"Telling people you need to move out of your tent into their tent is ridiculous," Cartwright said. "People don't want to live in tents."
The safe sleeping site is modeled after a larger site in San Diego.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The San Jose project is expected to be completed in June. It will cost $1.3 million to build and $2 million a year to operate.
