4 hours Ago By Dustin Dorsey
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The City of San Jose officially opened its first interim housing site on privately owned land and half of the beds are already full. It was made possible thanks to the generous "donation" of the land by John Sobrato, who leased the land to the city for a dollar a year.
PREVIOUS STORY: San Jose to lease private land for $1 a year to build tiny home community The Via Del Oro site represents 135 units closer to the 1,000 new spots opening in the city this year. It was built so the tiny homes on site can be moved after the 10-year lease is up - a model the city plans to use more going forward. Mayor Matt Mahan says the city can end street homelessness in San Jose and become the standard for the state and the country.
And the opening of this newest interim housing community is the next step in making that happen. "This site is more than just 150 beds," Mahan said. "This is a life-saving, transformative opportunity.
" That's certainly the case for Zachary Plumeau. For four years he lived in his truck, with no place to call home and no interest in moving into one of these communities. MORE: Dozens living in SJ RV encampment set to be kicked out to make way for new Microsoft data center That is until his dog, Baby, gave him newfound motivation to seek stability.
Plumeau says these tiny homes have made a huge difference. "Just to have a place, now that I'm not alone and she's not either - now that we're safe, it means the world," Plumeau said. "If you care about yourself and you want to better yourself and you want to have a life in general - if you're homeless, this is the place to go.
" Complete with onsite food, bathrooms, laundry and wrap-around services - this site offers a path out of homelessness. "It is a step forward, a break from chaos and a chance to regroup," HomeFirst CEO René Ramirez said. "But the real victory will come when each of the participants here moves into a permanent home that they can truly call their own.
" We've been covering this story from the beginning when this was nothing but an empty lot in October 2023 as the city leased the land for a dollar a year. MORE: San Jose approves plan to revamp Columbus Park, sweep homeless encampments In May 2024, ground was officially broken. Now, 19 months later, the site is officially open.
It may seem like a long time, but an unhoused advocate we spoke with says the speed is finally starting to match the crisis on the streets. Mayor Mahan says fast, cost-effective and scalable solutions have to be prioritized to meet the needs. So the city can end unsheltered homelessness and help more people like Plumeau.
"Now, you can call me anything you want, but you can't call me homeless," Plumeau said. The site is half full and the city is prioritizing unhoused residents living in encampments near the site. In addition to opening the new location, a no-encampment zone has been created in the surrounding neighborhoods.
.
