San Jose will spend much of the new year wrestling with an old problem -- setting up a safe place for the homeless who live in their vehicles.
The city already has a very expensive site it’s been paying for since last summer, but as of now, it’s still months away from opening its gates.
The gate to the $17 million, 6-acre lot the city leased for 20 years to build a safe site for RVs is locked and has a lot of people frustrated.
Teresa Marie Palumbo’s RV has been her home on wheels since her husband passed away and their business shut down.
She says she, and those living in about 40 RVs on Cruze Drive in north San Jose, get harassed constantly for lining the street.
“It’s not our fault,” she said. “It was because we were told to stay here because they’re supposed to be getting the Berryessa park over there, safe parking for us ready. So that’s what we’re waiting for.”
It’s been a long wait.
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The city leased the 6.3 acre lot from a private owner last July, paying $1.7 million a year for 10 years to build the safe parking site.
But the completion date keeps getting pushed back and at a December council meeting, homeless advocates were told it probably won’t be ready until this fall.
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“A year. That’s not acceptable. All we need to do is get them in there and then get services. Get everything running,” said advocate Gail Osmer.
City officials, including the mayor and councilman David Cohen, have also publicly expressed frustration.
Cohen said he understands public works and city staff must be diligent about infrastructure, insurance, sewage and electricity as well as following environmental regulations. But he’d like to see the project built in phases so RVs could move in sooner.
“We can no longer tell people who are dying to live in a place like this that there’s nothing available yet,” said Cohen. “We also can’t continue to tell businesses and residents who are affected by vehicles parking in their area that ‘they have to be patient.’ There’s only so much patience that people have.”
Palumbo agrees.
“We don’t need electricity to be set up right now or the potties, the showers, anything like that. Right now we just need a safe place to get off the street,” she said.
Cohen said realistically being six months into the design process will make it harder to change plans drastically now. But added he plans to continue meeting with city staff to see what accommodations can be made for those who’ve been waiting to move in.
