RULES AGENDA:
ITEM:
Memorandum
TO: Rules Rules and Open
Government Committee
FROM: Councilmember Bien Doan
Councilmember Arjun Batra
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: 02/29/24
APPROVED:
SUBJECT: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
RECOMMENDATION
1. Direct the City Manager to issue a Manager’s Budget Addendum (MBA) subsequent to the release of the 2024-2025 Proposed Operating Budget that evaluates the cost and feasibility of implementing the specific elements of the Pilot Shelter Program described below:
a. Work with the City Attorney to assess changing San José’s municipal code to allow for amplified tow authority and encampment abatement in the pilot zone of this memorandum.
b. Work with the IGR team to prioritize championing change of the California Vehicle Code and other state laws in the next legislative session. c. Evaluate costs and a path forward to ballot measures needed, if any, to turn any pilot location sites referenced in this memo or agreed upon by staff and the councilmember of a district into viable locations. d. Coordinate with private partners identified in the memo to achieve funding for this project, including construction and ongoing services/expenses. e. Work with the District 7 Councilmember to determine a location within District 7 to construct pre-engineered congregate shelter buildings as stated in the Pilot Locations section of this memorandum.
f. Reserve all in-progress EIH housing, RV parking, tiny homes, and other projects in Districts 2, 7, and 10 for residents of the pilot program area only. g. Work with Pilot Program Councilmembers, City Attorney and other city departments to determine pilot program logistics and duration. h. Develop performance indicators to track the pilot’s effectiveness to support expanding the program if successful.
i. Identify available and needed data to generate reports and help drive informed decisions.
j. Develop systems to track services and activities to support the unsheltered population and the possibility of integrating with other agencies/organizations.
3/6/2024
C.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
k. Address quality-of-life issues in the pilot area as stated in this memorandum.
BACKGROUND
San José has been facing an unsheltered crisis for years. San José residents are generous, compassionate, and want to help our unsheltered residents by supporting them during their time of need. Santa Clara County has the responsibility for providing shelter and social services to our unsheltered community, but has failed to deliver timely shelter options, leaving thousands on the street and creating negative quality of life issues for all residents of our city.
Current programs and strategies are too slow and too expensive. These programs are financially unsustainable, and San José can address this crisis through a pilot program aimed to construct pre-engineered congregate shelter to immediately provide our unsheltered resident's basic shelter.
The impact of the unsheltered crisis is taking its toll on our City and County, however studies have shown it is more cost effective to get people off the streets. Numbers form our Police Department and Fire Department show calls for service related to our homeless population are staggering: 19,000 Police related and 11,000 Fire related. Associated annual costs are estimated to range $50M – $75M.
2023 SJPD Homeless CAD Events
Source: San José Police Department
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
FY 2021-22 and FY2022-23 SJFD Homeless Calls for Service Source: San José Fire Department
The sheer volume of calls takes a toll on the morale of our first responders and on residents citywide. Recent case decisions have limited cities’ ability to criminally enforce regulations that prohibit all sleeping, sitting, or lying in public spaces when there are more individuals that are involuntarily unhoused than shelter beds available.
The lack of available alternative shelter and necessary support services has made it challenging to adequately address widespread quality of life issues related to encampments and lived-in vehicles including public safety concerns, sanitation violations, illegal dumping, blight, tagging, and more. Businesses like Sun Run, in District 7, have left San José citing these concerns as hazardous to their staff and business operations. Other smaller businesses are impacted and are considering leaving because San José is not a clean or safe place to do business in. School children and staff are repeatedly victimized, and parents are demanding answers.
Over the last five years, our homeless population has increased by 44% according to the annual Point in Time counts, and only 30% of our homeless population is sheltered. The construction of studio apartments to fulfill the housing first Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) methodology takes five years or longer to complete, during which time our residents are suffering on the street and become victims of crime, losing parts of their humanity. Tiny homes are more cost and time effective than PSH, but are still a considerable investment and take up too much land to shelter our residents in desperate need.
Pre-engineered congregate housing should be considered a viable option as it has been in use within the United States and all over the world. Structures can be made and assembled in as little as two weeks and have been used as gymnasiums, homeless shelters, hospitals, schools,
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
dormitories, convention centers and more. In fact, the south hall of the San José Convention center is a prefabricated building that has been used for business, entertainment, and emergency needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our south hall was used as a shelter to house our homeless neighbors.
Recently, the city of Reno, NV constructed a shelter campus for over 1,000 people in just 60 days. Their model is almost the exact same as our pilot memo and they are touted as the “most affordable mass shelter on the West Coast.”
Example 1: San Francisco Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center
Example 2: San José Convention Center South Hall, used as Shelter During the Pandemic
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Example 3: Family Options Provide Privacy and Increased Security
Example 4: Congregate Shelter
Example 5: Harvard University School of Business Reception Hall
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Example 6: Ottawa Hospital, Emergency Response Center
Example 7: Strong Memorial Hospital NY, Emergency Department
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Example 8: Nevada Cares Campus, 1,000 Residents, 60-day Construction
ANALYSIS
The answer to the homeless crisis will not be found through one method only, it is a multi-part program that will require the help of city, county, state, federal governments working in partnership with our nonprofit businesses.
Santa Clara County’s Community Plan to End Homelessness 2020 – 2025 states, We must take immediate actions that can improve the quality of life for the huge number of unsheltered residents in our community. We must increase shelter capacity and increase interim housing options, and we must expand services to meet their basic health and safety needs1.
1 https://housingtoolkit.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb501/files/CommunityPlan_2020.pdf
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
A pilot program is proposed to establish an area of the city where the number of beds is equal to or greater than the number of unsheltered people in it. The beds will be reserved exclusively for the unsheltered people in the pilot area, and they will be presented with the opportunity to live in a safe space and made aware that they must comply with all existing laws in the pilot area.
The first step is to provide basic shelter immediately, doing so via the implementation of preengineered structures which can be constructed and usable in just a few weeks. Each preengineered structure can accommodate the needs of 150 – 200 individuals, depending on the interior configuration of the structure which would be customized to meet the needs of the residents. There would still be the need to address property concerns of individuals and the need to store belongings for up to 90 days. This can also be accomplished through the construction of reduced cost pre-engineered structures.
This memorandum proposes a pilot program to accomplish the following:
• A three-district pilot program encompassing the entire geographical boundaries of Districts 2, 7, and 10
• Provide enough shelter beds through pre-engineered structures and existing projects to shelter the unhoused persons in the pilot area only • Reserve all in process EIH sites in D2, D7, and D10 for residents of the pilot area only
• Provide storage space for personal property for up to 90 days at the Singleton location or other suitable location
• Comply with state law to update certain municipal codes to give the City the power to move encampments and tow vehicles in the pilot area • Protect and support our homeless neighbors by providing basic shelter • Assist our unsheltered with services and support to get them back on their feet for independent living
• Enforce our existing laws in the pilot area
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
The current number of unsheltered in the pilot area is 1,618 persons and there are a total of 652 beds available. The number of pipeline projects expecting completion by the time of this pilot is equal to 530 or more. These sites include:
• Rue Ferrari EIH = 260 units
• Monterey Bernal EIH = 78 units
• RV Safe Parking = 42 spaces
• Via del Oro = 150 units
This pilot program will reserve the above sites for residents of the pilot area only, which falls in line with what the public expected when approved. This means the pilot area must construct enough shelter beds for a minimum of 436 individuals, with capacity up to 1,000 persons if needed. Since each structure can house up to 200 people, about 2 - 4 dormitory structures are needed. Two to three additional multipurpose structures are needed for cafeterias, recreation, medical treatment, occupational therapy/training, and more.
The internal layouts of these structures are customizable and can be customized to fit specific needs of our populations, single persons, families, pets, those with medical needs and more. Internal rooms can be created for families and persons with disabilities if needed. The requirement to store personal property may be met through the creation of a basic building at about a quarter of the cost of a dormitory. Onsite medical treatment, minor injury care, mental health services and other services may be provided in these structures as well, just as many hospitals throughout the United States and Canada have already done. This will save the costs and excess response burdens of our police and fire departments, and improve our strained relationship with County EMS.
Unlike existing shelters, these beds would be assigned to an individual and would be accessible around the clock, with limited restrictions. It would not be fair to allow for people to enter the
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
site while others are sleeping, so accommodations would be made based on work schedules and other time commitments to group residents according to a time schedule which works for them. Animal kennels for vaccinated animals exhibiting good behavior may also be available on-site.
Construction Costs
Current EIH and PSH beds are expensive, as demonstrated with the Rue Ferrari expansion at $31 Million to construct 134 beds, or an average of $232,000 per bed. Permanent Supportive Housing costs are estimated at $1.2 Million to $1.4 Million per bed. Construction costs of the pilot program for 800 shelter beds are estimated at $15 Million total, or roughly $16,000 per bed, a potential savings of 93.1% over EIH and a potential savings of 98.9% over PSH, broken down per the following estimate:
• Dormitory Structure:
o Average Material costs for a large structure = $400K
o Average delivery and technical consultation = $25K
o Average labor costs vary, estimated at 7 FTE x 30 days with prevailing wage
Estimate: $100/hr x 7 x 8 x 30 = $168K + safety factor = $200K o Interior layouts, furnishings, site prep, HVAC, electrical, foundation, permitting
Average = $215/sqft = $1M
o Misc and Unforseen: $500K
o Total = $2.2M
o $11,000.00 per person
• Multi-Purpose (Cafeteria) Structures:
o Average Material costs for a large structure = $400K
o Average delivery and technical consultation = $25K
o Average labor costs vary, estimated at 7 FTE x 30 days with prevailing wage
Estimate: $100/hr x 7 x 8 x 30 = $168K + safety factor = $200K o Interior layouts, furnishings, site prep, HVAC, electrical, foundation, permitting
Average = $215/sqft = $1M
o Misc and Unforseen: $500K
o Total = $2.2M
o $2,750 per person
• Medical Structure
o Average Material costs for a large structure = $400K
o Average delivery and technical consultation = $25K
o Average labor costs vary, estimated at 7 FTE x 30 days with prevailing wage
Estimate: $100/hr x 7 x 8 x 30 = $168K + safety factor = $200K o Interior layouts, furnishings, site prep, HVAC, electrical, foundation, permitting
Average = $215/sqft = $1M
All medical equipment would need to be donated by third parties and/or paid for by the county
o Misc and Unforseen: $500K
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Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
o Total = $2.2M
o $2,750 per person
• Storage Structure
o Average Material costs for a large structure = $400K
o Average delivery and technical consultation = $25K
o Average labor costs vary, estimated at 7 FTE x 30 days with prevailing wage
Estimate: $100/hr x 7 x 8 x 30 = $168K + safety factor = $200K o Interior layouts, furnishings, site prep, HVAC, electrical, foundation, permitting
Average = $25/sqft = $180
o Misc and Unforseen: $500K
o Total = $1.3M
o $1,631.25 per person
The safety of our residents at sites #2 and #3 below is of the utmost importance and proper site preparation must be done to ensure a safe, clean site. The site condition may dictate environmental remediation needed to make the location safe for habitation and/or storage. Even if these costs double the estimated price of the project, it will still be more economically feasible than current methods, with potential costs savings of 86.2% over EIH and 97.7% over PSH.
While the city would pay upfront for these costs, once the site is no longer needed for this purpose the land value will have increased as a result of the improvements and the city will be able to lease or sell for more than it currently can for future uses.
Construction Times
Construction times are estimated to be two weeks to four months depending largely on permits and municipal zoning requirements. The San Francisco Embarcadero Safe Navigation Center shelters 200 person using this model and provides office spaces, a medical clinic, and a dining hall. It was constructed in 120 days, the longest construction time we found for this model of shelter.
Addressing Quality of Life Issues
Existing EIH sites in San José have been built for intended populations in the immediate area and/or the district in which they are constructed. The same would apply in this pilot program, with beds reserved only for those who are in the pilot program area. This applies to in progress EIH, tiny home, RV safe parking and other sites in Districts 2 and 10. Increasing the number of available alternative shelter will mitigate against challenges to the City’s ability to enforce certain quality of life regulations.
Our unsheltered will have the choice to accept the shelter or continue living outside. Being homeless and living outside is not a crime. However, if an unsheltered individual does not accept shelter and continues to exhibit unlawful behavior, they will be asked to move, and/or be required to move out of the pilot project area and/or be addressed by law enforcement if necessary. If property is confiscated and/or impounded, this pilot has the ability to comply with the law and store for up to 90 days.
Persons living in RV’s, trailers, cars and other vehicles anywhere in the pilot area would be offered a bed at the shelter location. Their vehicle would be stored at the storage site listed
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
below and they would be given a place to stay and be offered supportive services. Anyone living in an encampment anywhere within the pilot program would be offered similar services. Their property would be stored at the storage location, and they would be offered a bed and given supportive services.
To quote Mayor Mahan, “If housing is available, homeless individuals should have the responsibility to use it. This does not criminalize anyone. It simply requires people to be accountable. San José can and should enforce its no- camping laws when safe, individual shelter is available for homeless residents.”2
Along this theme, no one in the pilot area is considered a criminal if they refuse the bed and services provided to them. The person will have the option to move out of the pilot area or be subject to enforcement of those laws.
Municipal Code and Other Laws
As part of this pilot program, there may be some very minor changes needed to the municipal code to give San José residents the enforcement mechanism they have been asking for to address quality of life issues in the pilot area. Most of these modifications were addressed by staff as part of their work on item 8.2 at the 1/30/2024 City Council Meeting3.
Additionally, state laws need to be modified to address the current situations we are dealing with as a city. Again, these changes were already addressed by staff at the 1/30/2024 City Council Meeting.
Once in place, the pilot area may be able to make use of specific existing codes and laws in lieu of changes. Examples include but are not limited to enforcement of California Vehicle Code (CVC) Chapter 10: Removal of Parked and Abandoned Vehicles [22650 - 22856]4, SJ Municipal Code 6.46.030, and San José Municipal Code 13.44.020.5
The purpose of this pilot program is to get people into shelter and connect them with the services they require. All clothing and food distribution would cease in our parks, watershed, and other public areas allowing nonprofits, church organizations, and the general public who wish to provide help to continue to do so at the pilot shelter location.
Coyote Creek and Environmental Healing
This pilot will allow for 11 miles of our watershed along Coyote Creek to heal and for our natural ecosystems to be restored.
2 https://mahanforsanjose.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAloavBhBOEiwAbtAJOxQH50TP6X4na650M7oe2HlYUeOZ2y_u5SYfmJYv_RLspna8Xa46RoCZfAQAvD_BwE 3 https://sanjoseca.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=14188 4 https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2022/code-veh/division-11/chapter-10/article-1/ 5 https://library.municode.com/ca/san_jose/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT13STSIPUPL
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Partners and a Path Forward
A partnership with Community Organizations, Other Government Entities, and Nonprofit Friends is needed.
The city of San José is not reimbursed for any interim housing or shelter it constructs, the running of the program, or the social services it provides. We need a commitment from County, State, Federal, and other nonprofits to run these facilities and provide the day-to-day needs our residents need.
In 2019, several local companies pledged billions of dollars to address the affordable housing crisis in Silicon Valley. Apple pledged $2.5 Billion. Google pledged $1 Billion. Facebook/Meta pledged $500 Million. Amazon has a great history of partnering with cities to open shelters and support our unsheltered population. This pilot program would call upon these companies and more to support this effort, create funding for construction costs and ongoing services, prove the concept, and hopefully expand this idea city, county, and statewide.
A successful program will triage the crisis and place people in similar circumstances near one another so medical, mental, and other health conditions may be treated efficiently. Multipurpose rooms, cafeterias, and on-site medical facilities would give this program the look and feel of university like campus and allow the compassion of our community to shine.
Coordination of outreach efforts would be needed to provide assistance and care at the pilot shelter locations.
Pilot Locations
This pilot ensures that each district shelters the residents living in it and does not request another district to shelter another districts homeless residents. Because we believe Districts 10 and 2 already have enough shelter for their unsheltered residents either currently or in the immediate pipeline, pilot locations are proposed in District 7 at this time, but are subject to change. We anticipate needing around 3-6 acres of land for the pilot at one location. The proposed pilot locations are:
1. The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
2. Singleton Field
3. Remillard Ct.
4. Other Locations in District 7 Including AB 2339
The preferred site is the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. If the fairgrounds recommendation cannot be achieved, prioritize work on the Singleton and Remillard locations. If none of these sites are viable, recommend alternative sites.
The availability, preparations, and usage of these locations needs to be thoroughly evaluated by staff. We acknowledge that some locations may have existing zoning or other use prohibitions facing them, but they are all very viable sites with plenty of land for a temporary shelter and/or storage site which may be used to get suffering people off the streets and into safe shelter.
This memo asks staff to evaluate all options available to turn these sites into viable shelter locations. If that means changing the zoning, working with the county, site remediation, or
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
creating a ballot measure to make the will of the public a reality, we must address this crisis now and act to save lives.
1. The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
Location: Intersection of Tully Rd and Monterey Highway
The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds is a venue in San José, California. The 165-acre location has been owned by the County of Santa Clara since 1940. This is the ideal site for the pilot program. It has existing sewage connections, electricity, and other utilities. Additionally, this is a county location and therefore resources would be shared between the county and the city. The location is very near existing medical service centers and the newly built County Services building, which has full medical facilities, mental health services, and more. This will not interfere with the recreational plans the county has for the fairgrounds, including the San José Earthquakes new practice facility and public use soccer fields. For years, this site has been looked at as a prime location for sheltering our homeless neighbors, and it has always been met with resistance. Staff is directed to coordinate with the County to prioritize three to six acres of the Fairgrounds site, expedite construction, share ongoing costs, and develop the network of social services needed at the pilot location. A possible ballot measure may be needed to make this site a reality.
Blue = Dormitory, Green = Multipurpose Room, Black = Restroom
2. Singleton Field
Location: at the intersection of Coyote Creek and Capital Expressway
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
This site could function as a dual-purpose shelter site. It has ample land available for a shelter and to provide recreational space for pilot residents. If this site is not selected as a shelter site, it is the perfect location for RV storage and personal property storage.
Below are updated excerpts from the San José City Manager Memo from 2008, referenced here:
http://www3.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/agenda/20081028/20081028_0403sup.pdf
The former Singleton landfill is a 90-acre site located south of Capitol Expressway, and west of Coyote Creek, between Senter Road and U.S. Highway 101. The site is accessible directly from Singleton Road, which is a relatively narrow two-lane local street bordered by single-family residential uses, the high school, and churches between Senter Road and the landfills.
From 1964 to 1978, the site operated as two separate sanitary landfills: San José Disposal Grounds (privately owned, located north of Singleton Road) and the CSJ Dump (City-owned). In 1973, the City purchased San José Disposal, and the site collectively became Singleton Road Landfill, and operated by the City as a municipal landfill until its closure in 1978. Since its closure, the former landfill has remained a vacant unutilized parcel. The landfill has an aged collection and extraction system that is being upgraded in the near future. Staff has been investigating and monitoring the site for around 40 years (per RWQCB, LEA, CIWMB and BAAQMD requirements) and has generated extensive knowledge and data on landfill gas and local groundwater conditions. It should be noted that the collection system must be replaced prior to a decision on future uses.
Factors that need to be taken into account in any future development of the site include the need to replace the landfill gas collection and extraction system, and to continue to maintain and operate the system; the need to continue groundwater monitoring; and the need to engineer a land use development that minimizes water infiltration, landfill gas migration, accounts for differential settlement, and that can be approved by regulatory agencies; and to provide a recreational opportunity for the adjacent neighborhood. Any future development on site would also need to consider the 1OO-foot riparian setback per San José's Riparian Corridor Policy guidelines, trail development along the corridor, and vehicular access.
Previous development proposals for the site, including a golf course in the mid 1980's and a sports complex in early 2000's, have been considered. Extensive community outreach and discussion occurred with the sports complex proposal, and resulted in a neighborhood-serving park being included as an important element of the development concept. The results of this engagement will provide an important starting point for upcoming outreach and setting priorities for future development.
https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/SolidWaste/SiteInspection/Details/360393?siteID=3391
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Blue = Dormitory, Green = Multipurpose Room, Black = Restroom
3. Remillard Ct.
Location: Bounded by the 280 and Coyote Creek, off Story Road This location is a goldilocks site. It has enough land for a great program, close to existing electrical and sewage with the Walmart on Story Rd. next door. The site is a former landfill, but EPA measured methane readings at the site have been nondetectable for the past several recent inspections.
Below are updated excerpts from the San José City Manager Memo from 2008, referenced here:
http://www3.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/agenda/20081028/20081028_0403sup.pdf
The former Story Road landfill is a 49-acre site located at Remillard Court, north of Keyes/Story Road, south of 280 and west of 12th Street. The site is divided by property owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.
The properties east of the site on Remillard Court are designated as Industrial Park in the General Plan and on zoning maps. The three parcels west of the site are immediately adjacent to residential uses. Currently, there is no direct paved access to the parcels on the western portion of the site. The eastern portion of the site is accessible via Remillard Court.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
The site was used as a clay borrow pit by Remillard-Dandini Brick Company from 1891 to 1957.
Beginning in 1957 the site operated as a private landfill (aka. Remillard-Dandini Pit) until 1961.
In 1961, the City condemned the property and established and operated a municipal landfill until its closure in 1969. Since its closing, the former landfill has remained a vacant unutilized parcel with the exception of a 6 acre portion leased to a radio station for antenna towers until 2018.
Staff has been investigating and monitoring the site for around 40 years (per RWQCB, LEA, CIWMB and BAAQMD requirements) and has produced extensive knowledge and data on landfill gas and groundwater conditions. The need to maintain and operate the groundwater extraction system; to continue groundwater monitoring; to engineer a development that minimizes water infiltration, landfill gas migration, maintains the necessary right of way for trail access along the creek and along the former rail corridor accounts for differential settlement; and that can be approved by regulatory agencies are factors that need to be taken into account in any future development at the site. Any future development would also need to consider the 1OOfoot riparian setback per San José's Riparian Corridor Policy guidelines.
https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/SolidWaste/SiteInspection/Details/363570?siteID=3397
Blue = Dormitory, Green = Multipurpose Room, Black = Restroom
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM
Blue = Dormitory, Green = Multipurpose Room, Black = Restroom
4. Other Locations in District 7 Including AB 2339
We fully understand the complexities and uncomfortable conversations which may be needed to assess the feasibility of the above sites. While we want to prioritize staff direction to make those sites work and identify paths forward to making them a reality, we realize that alternatives may be needed to quickly and cost effectively help those who are suffering from the unsheltered crisis.
We ask that staff work with the pilot councilmembers to assess all possible locations in District 7, for any land, public or private, which may work to erect these pre-engineered structures. This includes looking into the sites to be identified under AB 2339 as contained in H-14 of the Housing Element when they become available in June of this year.
Beyond the Pilot
The city of San José has an amazing opportunity to support and assist all the unsheltered residents in the pilot area of the city.
We expect this pilot program to be successful for all of our residents and for our environment. While this is not the final solution, it will give unsheltered residents security and safety, comfort and stability. It will demonstrate to our housed community that we care about quality-of-life issues and are working hard to beautify our city and support everyone in need.
It is our hope that this program is quickly expanded citywide at other locations outside the pilot area to care for all of our unsheltered residents as we support them and our city as a whole.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
Subject: SJ LUV (Lifting up liVes) PILOT PROGRAM