TO: RULES AND OPEN FROM: Vice Mayor Foley
GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE Councilmember Campos
Councilmember Tordillos
Councilmember Cohen
Councilmember Casey
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: March 2, 2026
Approved Date: 3/02/2026
SUBJECT: Emergency Interim Housing Siting Policy
RECOMMENDATION
Direct the City Manager to prepare and return to the City Council with an Emergency Interim Housing Siting Policy.
BACKGROUND
On September 29, 2021, the Rules and Open Government Committee approved “Compassionate San Jose - Bold Housing Solutions,” a memorandum submitted by former Mayor Liccardo and Councilmembers Peralez, Jimenez, Foley, and Mahan.1 The memorandum directs the City Manager to take several actions related to the delivery of Emergency Interim Housing Communities (EIHCs) throughout the City. The authors reiterate direction provided by City Councils to “equitably distribute” both EIHCs and Bridge Housing Communities (BHCs):
As directed since 2017, the development of these sites should be equally distributed between all ten council districts, with each council district housing a least one.
Homelessness is felt in every single one of our districts. Staff should prioritize council districts that have not yet housed an EIHC or BHC.
While the direction in the memorandum was incorporated and approved by the City Council on November 2, 2021,2the “equitable distribution” element has never been formally codified. We 1 September 29, 2021, Rules and Open Government Committee Item G.2, “Compassionate San Jose - Bold Housing Solutions.” https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5146165&GUID=9F9050A9-C454-4318-8ABE25B01241CE02 2 November 2, 2021, City Council Agenda Item 3.3, “COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Community and Economic Recovery Budget Adjustments.” Replacement Memorandum, 10/29/2021, Page 11. https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5187943&GUID=8A2BB46D-B93B-40D5-900A013393465DEB&Options=&Search= RULES COMMITTEE: 3/11/2026
ITEM: C.1
2 recommend that the City Manager prepare an Emergency Interim Housing Siting Policy. The new policy should aim to, for future sites, decrease clustering of EIH Communities.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.