SJSU event 'Poverty Under the Stars' focuses on homelessness

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On Thursday, students at San Jose State University are braving the cold and spending the night in tents on campus. The idea is to bring awareness and show solidarity with the 6,500 homeless people living in Santa Clara County.

Homeless advocates said the number of people living on the streets in Santa Clara County is worse than ever because there's no affordable housing. The San Jose State event is called "Poverty Under the Stars" and it calls attention to the crisis. Advocates see Measure A as a solution.
               
Jose Reyes is grateful to have a bed to sleep on at San Jose's Boccardo Reception Center. It's his home for the last six months after a series of layoffs. He knows others aren't as lucky remembering what it was like to live on the streets.

"It's hard," said Reyes. "I'll just put it to you this way. I never thought I would be like this."

He is not alone. The line to get blankets at the Shelter Thursday night. The shelter is filled to capacity with 250 beds and they're expecting to get even more crowded as winter approaches. They're seeing more homeless veterans and women walking through their doors.

"Many of those women within hours of being on the streets are approached for sexual favors or assaulted but the thing that makes me cry the most is we got families with small children on the streets," said HomeFirst CEO Andrea Urton.

Homeless advocates are supporting Measure A, a $950 million bond to build affordable housing units for populations most at risk. The measure would cost property owners $12 dollars per $100,00 of assessed value.

"There is actually no place for these people to rent," said Urton. "They can't afford it. If they are making $1,300 a month and the average apartment is $2,400 a month. What do they do? They live on their cars or live on the streets."

However, the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Associations against the measure calling it misleading. The association is skeptical the money will not help the intended populations who need it but will be used for political and special interest gains.

"A very small minority is going to benefit and virtually everyone in Santa Clara County is going to pay for it," said Mark Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association. "That's a bad deal."

Measure A needs a two-thirds majority to pass. At the event, nonprofit HomeFirst said there are 300 homeless San Jose State students with some of them staying at the Boccardo Reception Center.