By next fall, San Jose aims to have a long-awaited temporary housing site on the south side of the city for homeless individuals, though some are questioning why it’s taking so long.
The temporary emergency housing site will be built across from the Blossom Hill Hampton Inn on land owned by Valley Water. The 2.5-acre site will sit on Cherry Avenue where dozens of people are camped along the Guadalupe River. Once completed, it will have 96 tiny homes and offer case management, security and other services to help people transition into permanent housing.
Jim Beall, who serves on the Valley Water board of directors, said there have been too many delays with getting the temporary housing site up and running.
“I think the city and (Valley Water) have not been able to work out the differences despite the elected officials support on both sides,” Beall told San José Spotlight.”It’s kind of frustrating. It’s taken too long.”
In 2022, the Valley Water board directed the agency’s employees to look for ways to solve the encampment problem on its land. The water agency decided to partner with San Jose to come up with a plan for its Cherry Avenue property, and in June 2023 the San Jose City Council approved the site for temporary housing with the intention to move those living at the Cherry Avenue encampment into the tiny homes.