As cities across the Bay Area search for ways to house California’s growing homeless population, San Jose housing officials this week are introducing a new motel voucher program as an alternative to over-capacity shelters.
On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council is expected to approve a $1.95 million contract with the nonprofit LifeMoves. The agreement would run through December 2020, and officials predict it would offer beds to approximately 60 homeless families—specifically those that include domestic violence survivors.
LifeMoves already operates services in San Jose—namely its safe parking program—and runs a motel voucher program in San Mateo County. Besides rolling out a similar voucher program in San Jose, LifeMoves will provide case management, housing location assistance and referrals for services such as meal assistance, healthcare and childcare.
“The Motel Voucher Program will ensure households are kept together in safe and temporary housing, until a more permanent housing solution is identified,” Housing Director Jacky Morales-Ferrand said. “While families with minor children and victims of domestic violence are the target households served with this program, other vulnerable households may be served, for example a senior with medical condition, but would be evaluated for participation on a case by case basis.”
The nonprofit won the bid after San Jose’s Housing Department put out a request for proposals and nobody responded. Housing officials opted to reward the contract to LifeMoves based on their prior experience, something Morales-Ferrand said is consistent with a city procurement rule that allows for “sole sourcing of services” if the bid turns back no responses.
LifeMoves’ San Mateo County voucher program provides families with minor children motel rooms for up to 15 days on average. In 2018-19, some 91 percent of their program participants left for emergency shelters or transitional housing. And 7 percent of them found permanent housing.
While housing officials support permanent housing first and foremost as the way to end homelessness, Morales-Ferrand said that short-term solutions—like emergency shelters—“play a critical role.” But these shelters are often maxed out in terms of space, leaving families in Santa Clara County with no place to go. In 2018 to 2019, the YWCA of Silicon Valley received 762 requests for shelter that they were unable to meet with its 16 beds.
“Motel vouchers add capacity to the homeless shelter system when emergency shelters are full,” Morales-Ferrand said.
The vouchers will be funded through a state grant called the Homeless Emergency Aid Program. San Jose received $11.4 million in those funds that must be used by June 20, 2021. Exactly $2 million of that has been set aside for the motel vouchers.
The San Jose City Council meets at 1:30pm Tuesday inside the council chambers at City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. in San Jose. Click here to read the agenda.
At $200-400 bucks a night you should do this for tourist and business people.
Would be nice if we could get folks reimbursed for what they lost in the 2017 flood. These are people who often vote in favor of helping the homeless, yet when the city causes harm to people who pay rent and own homes, they fight us for years in court using taxpayers $$$ to hire attorneys. The city of San Jose has admitted to its negligence which caused flood damages to our properties. Time to stop wasting taxpayer $$$ dragging this out! Settle up, and tell the water district to do the same!
This does NOTHING to solve or even mitigate the real problem. There are increasing numbers of mentally ill, drug-addicted, criminal, violent, and disgusting people wantonly using our public and private properties to defecate, litter, abuse drugs, commit crimes, scream, bathe, burn, and just generally destroy the community in which we live. The city and police do NOTHING about this. NOTHING. These are not people that will or want to stay in motels for free. What is it going to take for the local government and law enforcement to make our city liveable again? And for the citizens that give money or feel sorry for them, please wake up and stop contributing to the problem. Yes, there are homeless people that would love some help and are law-abiding and respect their community by not trashing it. These people are the minority, and should definitely be helped. Yes, provide shelters for the genuine homeless, but also sweep the streets, creeks, trails, parks, and medians of these street criminals camouflaging themselves as the needy. City council and police, do your jobs!
So i am totally homeless and i just want you to know Robert the “increasing numbers of mentally ill, drug-addicted, criminal, violent, and disgusting people wantonly using our public and private properties to defecate, litter, abuse drugs, commit crimes, scream, bathe, burn, and just generally destroy the community in which we live” would totally LOVE and WOULD totally stay in a motel for free. I may not agree with your opinion of what transpires amongst the homeless community, the causes, or even factors that perpetuate the situation, you have the right to come to those conclusions on your own.
you know it’s really sad when I walked into the doctor’s office I seen not one nurse and that have any protection but a mask that was the most painful so sad it made me cry I would never ever I would put my medical assistance in danger like that if I was a president or the mayor I would have made sure they were the first ones that were taken care of they take care of us why wouldn’t they be taken care of first my God please I took a pictures of what I seen today and it was so terrible I was so upset I cried for these people they’re in more danger than we are they take care of us and they didn’t have any protection on but a mask and they were there at work for us
I lived here all my life I had a good job now I’m disabled it can’t work I get SSA and I’m homeless and had a nice house had a good job and now I can’t pay my rent and I go to this one apartment and there’s not one white person in these apartments I can’t even find apartment to rent or a room to rent oh that’s right I forgot the rent is too high so I have to live in a tent around 50 other people scuse me that do have a job and are working and then turn around and have to watch them other homeless people that you so-called trouble people pissing everywhere and sh***ng everywhere oh that’s right there’s no out houses out here so we have to go piss behind the building because because of people like you that run your mouth the way you do don’t know s**t it was probably all given to you are you probably not even from this country I really don’t know what it’s about here so I’m homeless yeah I would like a motel voucher I have nowhere to take a shower I haven’t taken a shower 5 days why is our community center isn’t open where I go workout isn’t open so I can take a shower there so I have nowhere to take a shower excuse are gas stations won’t allow us to use the bathroom because of the coronavirus so what would you like me to go piss and s**t cuz I would really like to know where would you like me to drop my bucket at at your house yeah I’d like to now motel for free with that grant money they sent for us to get hotel for the coronavirus to be used on motels for the homeless that’s what that grant money for not for something else or not for what they want to use it for the president said it was for the homeless to be house in motels over the coronavirus that’s what that money is for so let’s see if it gets that way