Measure E is San Jose’s dedicated, ongoing source of funding for affordable housing.  It was passed by voters in 2020 with an adopted expenditure plan that restricted 90% of the funds for building affordable homes, including permanent supportive housing, to provide a path to stability for unhoused residents of the city.  SV@Home sponsored the campaign for Measure E and remains committed to preserving this resource and defending the voter’s intent to address this housing crisis impacting us all through investment in homes for people most impacted by our high-cost housing market. 

The current draft of the budget cuts $25 million from the production of permanent affordable housing, instead funding interim shelters. These proposed uses of Measure E funds are not aligned with the intent of this resource. The City Council must maintain our commitment to permanent housing solutions by restoring these funds and identifying sustainable funding for interim shelters.  Interim shelters play an important short-term role in addressing the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness, but they are not housing and should not come at the expense of the actual homes our communities need.

Together, we can move this council and preserve Measure E for the long term in San Jose.

Join us for the final Measure E Hearing 

Monday June 10, 6:00, 

San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. 

(Note: San Jose no longer allows virtual comments, so we need to show up in person.)

Click here to send an email to councilmembers – Now!

Talking points on Measure E and San Jose’s Budget

• The proposed budget redirects over $25 million in Measure E funds from permanent affordable housing to operating interim shelters. We need this council to commit to restoring this money.
• Either:
  • Measure E was intended to build affordable housing. Now, only 25% of that funding will be used to build the new affordable homes that our communities desperately need.
  • San Jose has over a dozen affordable projects all over the city, ready and waiting for funding – over 1,500 new permanently affordable homes. Without council leadership, we are leaving real solutions on the shelf.
• Or – 
• Building more affordable housing has consistently ranked as a top priority for San Jose residents. Over 35,000 families currently pay over half their income for rent, struggling to stay afloat. Our affordable housing investments are essential and shouldn’t be used as a budget-balancing tool. 
• Interim housing is an important short-term intervention, but it isn’t a permanent solution. It works when people have permanent homes to move into, and to date, the vast majority can only do so with the help of a housing subsidy. 
• To maintain our commitment to both permanent affordable housing and the ongoing costs of interim shelters, the city council must find a new funding source for operating shelters.  Measure E was meant for affordable housing, and must be maintained for affordable housing.  
• We support the memo calling for a mid-year review of additional available funds and a commitment that Measure E will return to normal next year.