San Jose family facing eviction finds last minute option

A San Jose family facing eviction Thursday has found a last minute option that will allow them to move to a new home. For Jeffery Koenig, the weight of the world has just been lifted.

“No matter what, we have the house. With or without the deposit,” said his daughter Cassandra Koenig, as they stood outside their home. 

The good news was enough to stagger him.

“It’s beyond stressful. I’ve already two panic attacks yesterday,” said Jeffery Koenig.
The anxiety’s source was his housing situation. His family is racing to pack and move their belongings by midnight Thursday, but hadn’t been sure where they’d end up. 

The Santa Clara Housing Authority forced them to move from their rental in east San Jose. The landlord had multiple violations – electrical problems, rotted wood, loose concrete, and mold. And none of it had been repaired, forcing Koenig to leave or lose his Section-8 housing voucher. 

Housing advocates staged pickets, calling the housing authority’s decision unfair.

“People should not be getting evicted by the housing authority for the failure of a landlord. People should not be getting shunted around because they can’t get a voucher. And the problem is we don’t have enough affordable housing,” said Shaunn Cartwright of the South Bay Tenants Union.

And even when there is affordable housing, it can still be hard to afford. For the Koenigs, moving to a new rental meant coming up with a deposit of $3,000. Housing officials declined to talk on camera, but said they provided some help. The Koenigs even have a go fund me page. All not enough, as they’re about $2,000 short on the deposit.

“We’re way under the gun. We’re out of time and we’re out of ammunition,” said a frustrated Koenig as he supervised the parking work taking place outside his garage. “We’ve been left flat again by the beautiful county that we live in.”

As movers picked up the first of two pods, Koenig couldn’t help but loose his salty disposition about how he’s been treated. He said the system needs change and immediate construction of low income housing. Still, housing providing Abode Services helped the Koenig family find a new Section-8 rental – four miles east – that passed inspection late Thursday afternoon.