TO: HONORABLEMAYORAND FROM:CouncilmemberJimenezCITYCOUNCIL SUBJECT: SEEBELOW DATE: June2,2023
Approved Date:06/02/2023
SUBJECT: CityInitiativesRoadmap-RecreationalVehiclesCommunitiesSupportiveParkingandEmergencyInterimHousing.
RECOMMENDATION:
Acceptthestaff reportwiththefollowingmodification:1. Eliminateitem(d)Evaluateandpursueasaback-upoptiontheBernalRoadSouthat101OnRampand/ortheBernalRoadNorthbetween101and85sitesfortheGovernor’sStateSmallHomeInitiative.
ANALYSIS
District2hasproudlychampionedandsupportedEmergencyInterimHousingCommunities(EIHC’s),SafeParking,PermanentSupportiveHousing,andOvernightWarmingCenters.Since2020,myteamandI haveworkedtirelesslytogaincommunityacceptanceandintegrationofthreeEIHCsitesinDistrict2.TheBernalRdatMontereyRdEIHCis78units.TheRueFerrarisitecurrentlyhosts118unitsandhasbeenapprovedfora100unitexpansion.Justafewmilesaway, 204unitsarecurrentlyunderconstructionatBranhamLnandMontereyRd.Thisbringsustoatotalof500unitsofemergencyinterimhousingalreadybuilt,planned,orunderconstructioninDistrict2.
I knowthatEIHC’sareanecessarypartofourCity’seffortstodecreaseunshelteredhomelessness.I amalsofullyawarethatthesecommunitieshaveapositiveimpactonsurroundingneighborhoodsbydecreasingblight,encampments,andcrime.However, I firmlyopposeover-concentratingemergencyhousinginSouthSanJose.I believeourunhousedresidentswouldbebetterservedbyEIHC’sacrosstheCity.
TheproposedsitesatBernalRdandHighway101areontheperipheryofourCityandnotaccessibleviapublictransportation.PlacingindividualsatthefaredgeoftheCitywheretheyhavenoaccesstotheirfamilialnetworks,neededservices,oremploymentopportunitiesisadisserviceandwillmaketransitioningoutofhomelessnessmuchmoredifficult.Weknowfrom
experiencethatengagingEIHCresidentsintheprogramsandservicestheyneedisnearlyimpossibleiftheydowanttoliveatthesite.Anotherconcernisthatbecausetheselocationsareadjacenttoamajorfreeway, itisimperativethattheCityevaluatepotentialhealthhazardscausedbypoorairqualityandtrafficsmog.
EIHCoutreachoverthelastthreeyearshasfocusedonthosemostvulnerabletoCovid-19,thoseintheGuadalupeGardensencampmentabatedbytheFAAmandate,andthoseimpactedbythewinterfloods.BothRueFerrariandBernalservedasEvacueeTransitionsandFacilities(ETF’s)housingdozensofindividualsdisplacedbytheunprecedentedrainstorms.UnhousedindividualswerebroughtintoDistrict2fromallovertheCity. ItisundeniablethatwehaveledtheCityineffortstohouseourmostvulnerableresidentsduringtimesofcrisis.
I urgeCitystaff toprioritizeemergencyinterimhousinginthemanylocationsthathavebeenevaluatedoutsideofSouthSanJoseandDistrict2.TheCeronesiteinDistrict4andtheCherryAvesiteinDistrict9aremuchmoresuitablelocationsandwillhelpusachieveouroriginalgoalofequitabledistributionacrossalltenCouncilDistricts.I urgemycolleagues,staff,andagencypartnerstofocusontheselocationsbeforeplacingmoreunitsinSouthSanJose.