Body found as San Jose clears largest homeless encampment
Man found dead in RV at San Jose's largest encampment
Friends say an unhoused man in his early 40s named Octavio was found dead on Monday inside an RV in San Jose's Columbus Park.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A body was found Monday during a sweep of a sprawling homeless encampment in San Jose, the city’s mayor confirmed.
Body found at Columbus Park
What we know:
Mayor Matt Mahan said during a news conference that the body was discovered during the clearing of the Columbus Park encampment. The cause of death is under investigation.
He also noted that about half of all unhoused deaths in the city are linked to addiction.
Columbus Park has long served as a refuge for unhoused LGBTQ+ people seeking safety in community and was the city’s largest encampment.
Tow trucks and construction crews arrived Monday to begin clearing the site, where more than 300 people live.
Man found dead in RV at San Jose's largest encampment
Friends say an unhoused man in his early 40s named Octavio was found dead on Monday inside an RV in San Jose's Columbus Park.
Residents say they have nowhere to go
What they're saying:
Much of the housing promised to residents is not yet ready, leaving some unsure where they will go.
"A lot of us do not have homes to go to. If you are moving us from here, where else can we go?," said Carlos, who asked that only his first name be used.
He said he has lived at Columbus Park for a decade and is on a waitlist for housing, but for now, he has nowhere else to go.
New Haven Inn opened in 2019 and is run by nonprofit LifeMoves. The shelter allows residents to stay for up to 120 days, with a possibility of receiving a 30-day extension if they are working toward a housing plan. There's a current waitlist of 30 people.
People get shelter referrals through the Here4You Hotline. Since shelters are usually full, a hotline worker will contact the resident once an opening is available. If the person doesn't respond after three attempts, which includes calling their emergency contact or through other avenues, they are removed from the waitlist, according to a spokesperson for Bill Wilson Center which manages the hotline.
But most homeless people don't have a phone, making it difficult to know when openings are available.
"The waitlist is outrageous for New Haven," Robert, another Columbus Park resident, told San Jose Spotlight.
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Neighbors said the encampment started shortly before the pandemic in 2020, and has grown steadily in the past five years.
Only one of the city's five motels planned to be converted to homeless housing opened Monday, city spokesperson Carolina Camarena said. The other four will open next month. The city is considering setting aside one of the hotels specifically for the LGBTQ+ population.
"The city has crafted a strategy centered on providing resources to our unhoused residents, meant to help immediately house them with limited 'red tape,'" Camarena told San Jose Spotlight. "This includes our efforts at Taylor Street (safe sleeping) to get them indoors and help them figure out their next steps, and five motels.
City officials maintain that shelter beds are available and that residents of the encampment will have the opportunity to move into newly available shelters. Those who refuse will be removed from the site as it becomes a no-encampment zone in preparation for restoration.
Some residents said the city has made good on its promise.
Vanessa Rendon said Mahan helped her secure housing.
"He is not only providing shelter. He is providing hotels. He’s also doing tiny homes," Rendon said, adding that the city is not just "throwing them to the wolves."
But her views did not reflect the majority of residents still at the site.
The city said the cleanup process is expected to take up to eight weeks.
The Source: Interviews, KTVU reporting, San Jose Spotlight