Santa Clara County has launched numerous ongoing efforts to address homelessness and the housing shortage, including temporary housing and budget changes. With over 9,900 homeless residents countywide, the changes aim to improve shelter conditions, resource allocation and the accuracy of previously undercounted data. These efforts have sparked both support and contention in votes.
“The root causes of the homelessness issue are so historical, which makes it an extremely complicated issue to address,” science teacher Connie Leung said.
Among the most significant developments in San José is the implementation of “no-return zones.” The new zones will clear out homeless encampments in neighborhoods, which have elicited safety complaints from residents, and prevent homeless people from returning. The plan has 11 zones that will be enforced by the San José Police Department and BeautifySJ, a program under the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. While the exact timeline remains unclear, the city has already allocated at least $500,000 for police officers and around $407,000 for BeautifySJ employees to the zones. However, critics have stated that this will only lead to encampments around places like San José Mineta International Airport, pointing to drug rehabilitation or mental institutions as more effective solutions.
“There’s a problem of whether no-return zones are humane or not,” sophomore Shannon Zhang said. “But it is a two-sided issue — you have to look at whether it’s good for the people in the city and the people who are currently suffering from homelessness.”
San José Mayor Matt Mahan called for a reallocation of $30 million in Measure E — a property tax passed in 2019 originally meant for permanent housing initiatives — to instead prioritize temporary housing development. Despite some community backlash, the reallocation was eventually confirmed in the hopes of removing unhoused individuals from the streets more quickly, as temporary housing can be built faster than permanent units.
These recent changes aim to address immediate shelter and safety concerns. However, an increase in temporary housing can inadvertently increase permanent housing prices, an issue that has plagued many families living in the Bay Area.
“If you look at Zillow or Redfin, there are houses going for $4 or 5 million, and most people cannot afford that number,” Leung said. “There are a lot of jobs here where you can afford that, but there’s also probably many students here whose families are renting, and the high prices can be a struggle for them.”
Consequently, Mahan has also begun to advocate for the increased implementation of accessory dwelling units, commonly referred to as ADUs. These are smaller, separate homes attached to the main building, creating more housing options for residents in need.
Beyond San José, the county continues to refine homeless tracking and shelter initiatives. Instead of venturing out street-by-street to count individuals, which often leads to undercounts, it now surveys concentrated homeless populations to ensure more comprehensive data. Despite this, the city council of Fremont, Calif. recently passed a law criminalizing aid for homeless camps, following a Supreme Court ruling enabling communities to prohibit homeless people from sleeping outside.
Additionally, Santa Clara County’s state-mandated low-income housing plan has been approved. The motion comes after an extensive 2-year delay rooted in debates over whether the county had sufficient infrastructure to support increased urban development, as well as whether the units would compromise land for agriculture. Per California’s Housing Element law, the county must construct 3,000 housing units by 2030 for individuals earning less than 80% of the region’s median income, which is about $62,532 for the county. Ultimately, the plan was approved by California after county officials committed to addressing these infrastructure challenges and meeting environment and safety standards. County projects still pending approval include paving over land initially dedicated to farming to create 4,300 family homes and 1,200 single-family units.
