Guadalupe River encampment sweep continues amid rising unhoused population in Santa Clara County
Community groups house veterans caught up in San Jose homeless sweep
San Jose began a second week of cleanup efforts in a large homeless encampment along the Guadalupe River between Taylor Street and Interstate 880. Community groups came together to find motel rooms for two veterans who were caught up in the sweep and had nowhere to go.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The city of San Jose on Monday began the second week of a massive homeless encampment sweep. The sweep follows Santa Clara County's announcement that the number of unhoused individuals has increased by more than 8% since the last official count two years ago.
Guadalupe River encampment cleanup
What we know:
As crews worked to clear several more blocks of encampments along the Guadalupe River, residents were notified that they and their belongings had to leave.
Nancy Lopez, who has lived in the area for four years said she doesn't know what's next.
"I have no idea. I have no idea where I will go," Lopez said.
Lopez had a large garden tucked within the encampment, which she said helped her mentally while recovering from colon cancer. Lopez said the garden also brought joy to the community.
On Monday, "Nancy’s garden" was dismantled by cleanup crews.
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"I try to keep my time busy, that is why I am so happy here. But now I don’t have nothing to do, so I am very worried about that," Lopez said.
The encampment sweep is a three-week project along the Guadalupe River, stretching from Taylor Street in the south to Interstate 880 in the north.
Latest figures
Dig deeper:
Shaunn Cartwright of the Unhoused Response Group said she is not at all surprised by the latest figures showing more than 10,700 unhoused residents in Santa Clara County, an increase of over 8% from two years ago. Cartwright believes the estimates are too low, citing familiar forces such as medical issues, divorce, or job loss.
"And then people are priced out. You don’t see a bunch of low-income housing being built. And that’s what we need. And not just for unhoused people but people who are marginally housed," Cartwright said.
Despite San Jose’s efforts to add more beds, safe parking, and motel rooms for the unhoused, the city remains far short.
"Nobody has offered us anything. They say they are going to offer us housing, but they haven’t," said Raymond Delgado, an encampment resident and Army veteran.
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Delgado said it took community groups banding together to secure a motel room for him and another veteran when government assistance was unavailable.
"Relief. I could sleep. I don’t have to sleep with one eye open, I don’t have to worry about somebody robbing you or setting your place on fire or any of the other things that might happen," Delgado said.
In a statement, San Jose’s Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services department said, "The City and our partners have been on the ground for months, sharing information about shelter and housing, providing trash service, and offering other forms of support to those living in the area. Cleanups like this are never easy, but we have a responsibility to keep our parks and neighborhoods clean and safe for everyone in the community to enjoy."
What's next:
The cleanup along the Guadalupe River is expected to finish before the Fourth of July. The next step involves maintenance crews from the San Jose Conservation Corps managing vegetation in the area to reduce wildfire risk.
The Source: KTVU reporting, City of San Jose