AS SAN JOSE SWEEPS its last large homeless encampment known as “the Jungle,” some residents say the city has reneged on its promises of housing.
City officials claimed they had shelter beds for all 109 residents who originally lived at the East San Jose homeless camp across from Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. Camp residents tell a different story. While people who received housing said they’re grateful to have shelter, they don’t want to leave their friends at the Jungle.
Maria Vargas, 55, said she’s spent eight years at the Jungle. She’s been in contact with outreach workers from People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) — the nonprofit in charge of outreach at the encampment — for several years. When the city announced it was going to clear the camp in March, she was scared of having her life upended, but PATH workers reassured her she was on the housing list.
As the sweep began April 15, her fears were realized — a PATH worker told her they didn’t have housing for her.
“Her exact words were ‘I fell through the cracks,’” Vargas told San José Spotlight. “Not everyone has a place to go.”
Representatives for PATH did not respond to requests for comment.
Sarah Fields, spokesperson for the San Jose Housing Department, said the city created a list of longtime Jungle residents for housing placements at the Cerone tiny home site and hotels that have been converted to shelter. That list of 109 people included everyone who resided at the Jungle before the sweep began, housing officials previously said.
“After that list closed, individuals have been referred to the city’s Taylor Street Navigation Hub, where they can continue to access services and be matched to available motel or interim housing placements as space opens,” Fields told San José Spotlight.
Anna Garcia feels like one of the lucky ones. She lived at the Jungle for four years and was informed she would be able to move to the Cerone site. She packed her things into two bags and had to leave other valuables behind, including her bicycle.
But the move is bittersweet because her best friend, Vargas, is anxious over where she’ll go when the sweep ends and she’s forced to leave the area. Garcia chose to spend time at the Jungle when it was raining last weekend — she said she couldn’t bear being dry while her friends were getting drenched.
“It would be better if we could all be (in Cerone),” Garcia told San José Spotlight.
‘Everything I had is gone’
Martin Nava, who has been in and around the Jungle for 12 years, said PATH outreach workers encouraged him to fill out paperwork to get on the housing list. The 53-year-old was getting ready to move into a tiny home and said he felt hopeful at the possibility of being in a safe environment where he wouldn’t worry about his belongings getting stolen.
He was crushed to learn his only option was a spot at the sanctioned tent encampment at Taylor Street — something he’s not interested in.
“I’ve lost hope. I can’t understand why there’s so much negligence in their job, why am I suffering from it,” Nava told San José Spotlight. “I’m here at ground zero, everything I had is gone. I’m just exhausted mentally.”
Nava’s makeshift wooden cabin he built near Coyote Creek was destroyed during the sweep, along with other personal belongings.
“For people who didn’t file the paperwork right, now I’m on the streets,” he said.
Juan Villalobos, a city worker on the homelessness response team, acknowledged advocates had names of other Jungle residents they might’ve missed. He told Telemundo the city is prepared to provide an additional 10 to 40 people housing. It’s unclear where these beds will come from, as city leaders said last week any additional people looking for housing will be placed on a shelter waitlist.
Organizer Emma Hartung from Showing Up for Racial Justice said the city needs to pause the sweep until all Jungle residents who were promised housing get placed.
“I think there’s a lot that needs to be improved in terms of the outreach,” Hartung told San José Spotlight. “In the meantime, they can keep their promises by letting residents stay in place until they get their housing placement, including the folks that were missed.”
Vargas said the city is now trying to offer her a placement at the Taylor Street safe sleeping site, but she’s not interested in moving away from the encampment to another tent.
“House me where I’m at. Don’t take me somewhere else,” she said.
Contact Joyce Chu at joyce@sanjosespotlight.com or @joyce_speaks on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.