SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — In the South Bay, the mayor of San Jose is stepping up efforts to get homeless people off the streets. He’s now proposing that those who refuse help or offers of housing could be arrested.
Mayor Matt Mahan has been pushing hard to reduce or eliminate homelessness on city streets. Now, Mahan is proposing to criminally charge people who repeatedly refuse help.
“Responsibility is a two-way street,” said Mayor Matt Mahan in a press release. “We’re holding ourselves responsible for doubling our supply of safe, dignified places for people to go — it’s time we held our homeless neighbors responsible for coming indoors. Because in San Jose, homelessness should never be a choice.”
Recent city data indicates that one in three homeless residents are refusing interim housing — private rooms with bathrooms that look — when offered.
“I’m proposing that after three offers of shelter, we hold people accountable for turning their lives around,” Mahan said at a news conference Thursday.
The mayor said that in his upcoming budget message, he will ask the city council to consider requiring unhoused residents to accept assistance from the city or face possible legal consequences if they repeatedly deny help.
The mayor is calling it the “Responsibility to Shelter” initiative. He said the city should do everything it can to get people into housing. If they refuse, law enforcement may need to step in.
“After three refusals of shelter and housing after a short time — call it three months — we will press charges for trespassing and do everything in our power to get you into the behavioral health court system,” Mahan said. “To get whatever help you need to be able to get off the streets and turn your life around.”
The proposal is one of many efforts the mayor is pushing to try to reduce homelessness. The city is currently expanding shelter capacity, building temporary housing, trying to connect the homeless with family and friends, and encouraging those living in RV to move from city streets to more permanent locations.
According to the mayor’s office, roughly 200 unhoused residents die outdoors in Santa Clara County every year.
Mayor Mahan plans to release his full proposed budget next week.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — In the South Bay, the mayor of San Jose is stepping up efforts to get homeless people off the streets. He’s now proposing that those who refuse help or offers of housing could be arrested. Mayor Matt Mahan has been pushing hard to reduce or eliminate homelessness on city streets. […]
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