A SAN JOSE DEVELOPMENT touted as the gold standard for prefabricated temporary housing has turned into a hornets’ nest fraught with problems.
A total of six former and current workers claim Branham Lane — a three-story site with 168 apartments operated by LifeMoves — is plagued with managerial dysfunction, unprofessionalism and alleged drug dealing between an employee and residents, according to an investigation by this news organization. The temporary shelter provides supportive services to previously homeless individuals and families.
San José Spotlight reviewed photos, videos and texts provided by terminated employees, who said management disregarded many of the complaints.
“I felt like it was retaliation,” one former employee told San José Spotlight. “I feel like I was threatened from the beginning, because I was bringing all these things to their attention.”
The $60-million project costs about $6 million a year to operate. It’s funded with nearly $52 million from the state through the Project Homekey program, $4 million from Santa Clara County, $5 million from the Sobrato Foundation and nearly $39 million from the city, spread out over seven years.
Fired for ‘unauthorized recording’
One former employee recorded surveillance camera footage of a transaction they believe was a drug deal between a case manager and resident. Video reviewed by this news outlet shows the case manager handing something to the resident, but it’s unclear what is exchanged.
The former employee said a Branham Lane resident told them the same case manager had offered to buy drugs from the resident in exchange for perfume.
The same employee raised concerns about the incidents to the human resources manager and asked for an internal investigation. They were terminated weeks later for “unauthorized recording,” according to the termination letter seen by San José Spotlight.
@sanjosespotlight A San Jose development touted as the gold standard for prefabricated temporary housing has turned into a hornets’ nest fraught with problems. A total of six former and current workers claim Branham Lane — a three-story site with 168 apartments operated by LifeMoves — is plagued with managerial dysfunction, unprofessionalism and alleged drug dealing between an employee and residents, according to an investigation by this news organization. The temporary shelter provides supportive services to previously homeless individuals and families. Read more at SanJoseSpotlight.com #sanjose #mattmahan #lifemoves #homeless #housing ♬ original sound – San José Spotlight
“I only ever brought concerns that clients told me (about). I don’t want my name out there, but this is going on,” the ex-employee told San José Spotlight. “I wanted something done about it.”
Current employees told San José Spotlight the case manager, who is allegedly dealing drugs to residents, still works at the homeless housing site.
LifeMoves spokesperson Maria Prato said they can’t comment on “unverified allegations or internal personnel matters.” She said they don’t fire employees for reporting misconduct and recording is not permitted “to protect the privacy and dignity” of residents.
“Retaliation for raising concerns or reporting potential misconduct is prohibited,” Prato told San José Spotlight. “When concerns are raised, they are reviewed through a documented process, which may include investigation, corrective action or disciplinary measures, up to and including termination.”
Managerial dysfunction
The employees said the management structure at the housing site operates on cronyism, not accountability or professionalism. They said management hires friends that are not fit to lead.
Former employees said one higher up, who had a connection with a top director at LifeMoves, was brought on to be program director at Branham Lane. They said she created a hostile work environment, yelled at employees, didn’t take feedback well and rarely addressed issues that arose among staff and residents.
Soon after this news outlet began investigating complaints about the site’s management, the program director was given notice to move to another LifeMoves site, according to current employees.
“Those not in (the program director’s clique were) treated like garbage,” one current employee told San José Spotlight on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “The team is not a cohesive team.”
Other employees have brought in their friends to work at the site as program aides and resident services coordinators without prior experience in the field, according to sources. This has lead to a lax in rules such as hanging out with residents outside of work and forming romantic relationships, according to social media screenshots seen by San José Spotlight.
LifeMoves terminated one employee who was dating a resident on Oct. 17, 2025, according to an email seen by this news outlet.
Prato said LifeMoves has a clear policy prohibiting personal relationships between staff and residents, and the hiring process is designed to bring on qualified individuals.
Prato said changes in management are “typically driven by client need and available resources.”
“We are firmly committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace for all staff and we take any concerns raised by employees seriously,” Prato said.
Accusations of discrimination
Dani Snyder, a former employee who is transgender, said Branham Lane had a discriminatory environment toward LGBTQ+ people. Snyder said they were misgendered multiple times by various coworkers, shown transphobic content and had the pride flag in their office defaced.
After they complained about the coworker who vandalized the flag, the coworker was fired. But despite being banned from the site, the coworker returned in an attempt to speak to management, Snyder said.
After the worker came back, Snyder pushed management to create a site safety plan. The former program director said she couldn’t implement the plan right away because she had a lot on her plate, Snyder added.
“I feel she did not prioritize my safety, and instead, prompted HR to investigate and penalize me in an attempt to strip me of credibility and end any investigations which would cause them to spend money on restaffing with non-bigoted staff,” Snyder told San José Spotlight.
Prato said LifeMoves doesn’t condone discriminatory behavior. When concerns are raised, they are reviewed and appropriate actions are taken, she said.
“I felt like it was retaliation. I feel like I was threatened from the beginning, because I was bringing all these things to their attention.”
Former Branham Lane worker
The dysfunction detailed by current and former employees come on the heels of residents’ complaints about the site making them sick.
The multi-story modular development, which opened last February, has had numerous infrastructure problems — shower benches detaching from walls which led to injury, water smelling of sewage and walls with water damage, according to past reporting by this news organization. Multiple residents previously said they felt nauseous in their apartments, had trouble breathing and were concerned about mold.
The modular housing model has been heralded by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan as an innovative homelessness solution because it could be built quicker and at a lower cost than traditional apartments. It was part of his plan to build 1,000 shelter beds across the city last year.
Mahan did not address how he plans to keep operators of temporary housing like LifeMoves accountable and said there was no evidence to substantiate claims of drug-dealing.
“Criminal behavior is unacceptable anywhere in our city, and when it occurs, it should be reported and addressed whether it’s an unhoused person or someone tasked with serving them,” Mahan told San José Spotlight. “But it should not be used to discredit an entire system that is helping thousands of people get off the streets and access the services they need.”
Complaints go unnoticed
Sources told San José Spotlight the overall operation of Branham Lane has put residents and the community at risk, with management not addressing safety concerns in an effective and timely way.
One former employee said they reported a resident, Marlo Porter, after seeing him repeatedly bring young girls into his truck, and for his aggressive behavior toward other female workers. The former employee said management discussed moving Porter to an all men’s shelter, but never did.
Months later, police arrested Porter in January for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on her way to school. Porter was registered as a sex offender.
An SJPD spokesperson responded to this news outlet’s inquiry, but couldn’t speak to the safety or alleged drug dealing concerns.
Prato said LifeMoves does not select who it serves, and that a criminal history does not determine whether someone gets referrals and services.
The San Jose Housing Department did not respond to questions about how the city plans to keep shelter sites accountable and safe, or if they intend to institute a screening process for residents after the alleged kidnapping. The department spokesperson deferred to the mayor’s response.
“When staff and clients bring up safety concerns, clients are given vague replies and staff are told, ‘Let’s take this offline.’ The follow-up conversations don’t happen,” the former LifeMoves employee said.
Contact Joyce Chu at joyce@sanjosespotlight.com or @joyce_speaks on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.