San Jose's mayor and other local leaders want to declare an official homeless shelter crisis and emergency to fast-track more housing projects.
San Jose did have a crisis declaration for homelessness during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lot of shelters and emergency housing was set up. But when the pandemic was declared over, COVID-related funding went away and so did many projects.
City leaders want that sense of urgency back.
"When we declare that it is in fact a shelter crisis, we’re going to be pairing with it the streamlining efforts around procurement, site selection and approval," Mayor Matt Mahan said Monday.
The streamlining of government red tape is a big key to the declaration.
Councilman David Cohen is trying to get a safe parking area built in his district.
"We approved the lease of that property, but it takes months and months, over a year, to actually get the site ready and open the property," he said. "That’s unacceptable."
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Elizabeth Funk, the CEO of Dignity Moves, which helps convert buildings such as old hotels into homeless housing, said some projects have tripled in cost due to unrealistic requirements.
"One of the projects we calculated 45% of the land would have to be parking spaces if we abided by the parking ratios," Funk said. "Well, does that make sense?"
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Some homeless encampment residents said they will believe it when they see it.
Jaime Navarro, who said he was homeless for nine years before getting into a city tiny home that stabilized his life, is urging the homeless community to stay hopeful.
"I believe we’re going to get more help and more tiny homes," he said. "Take advantage of it.”
Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei said she hopes neighborhoods will go along by creating community advisory groups.
"So that those in the community, especially those who want to know what’s going on, are informed and can share whatever concerns may come up," she said.
A lot of groups and agencies will have to buy into the crisis declaration and all the bureaucratic shortcuts it creates, including other city council members in districts where homeless projects are a touchy subject.
