New tent site for San Jose’s homeless faces criticism from advocates and residents

(KRON) — A homeless shelter designed to connect people to permanent housing will open on Taylor Street in San Jose Tuesday.

The shelter, which is the first of its kind for the Bay Area, will provide each person with a tent and access to services. However, the site faces criticism from both advocates and local residents.

“It’s going to be hotter than hell, literally, and the mayor thinks it’s a great idea for the tents,” said Shaunn Cartwright, an advocate concerned about the site’s conditions.

“I hope it actually helps, but at the same time I wish it wasn’t as close to the houses and the families,” said Austin Fiehler, a local resident.

The new safe-sleeping site is modeled after a similar initiative in San Diego, which has faced legal challenges. Residents there filed a federal lawsuit claiming the tents reached internal temperatures of over 100 degrees.

San Jose’s Mayor Matt Mahan supports the initiative as part of a broader plan to open more than a thousand shelter spaces this year, including hotel rooms and tents. He stated, “This is San Jose’s first safe sleeping site, and as a pilot it will be carefully evaluated. …These sites only succeed if they provide a clearly better and safer alternative to unmanaged encampments.”

Despite the controversy, some neighbors are cautiously optimistic, hoping the site will help reduce homelessness in the area without increasing local issues.

As San Jose prepares to open its first safe sleeping site, the initiative is met with both hope and skepticism, reflecting the complex challenges of addressing homelessness in urban areas. Watch the full report from KRON4’s Jack Molmud in the video at the top of this article.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.