Good evening, I am __________, and I ask you to support the memo from Councilmembers Davis, Ortiz and Torres to Measure E for permanent affordable housing.
(PICK TWO FROM THE POINTS BELOW)
The homelessness crisis is a symptom of an overwhelming shortage of homes that people can afford. Interim shelters cannot solve that.
- More than 170,000 people in San Jose live in households that pay more than half of their income on housing, just one emergency away from losing their homes.
Interim shelter is a temporary solution that only works if there are permanent affordable homes available to move into.
- The vast majority (86%) of the people who moved into permanent housing moved into subsidized housing. Housing which would be defunded under the current proposal.
Taking funds from permanent supportive and affordable housing projects is a short-sighted and costly mistake.
- Every dollar of Measure E money invested in these developments leverages around four dollars of other federal, state, county investments. Outside money to fund local housing resources.
Permanent affordable housing costs the city less than interim shelters – shelters are fast, but not cheap.
- It costs the city more for two years of operations for an interim shelter bedroom than it does to support a bedroom in an affordable apartment for 55 years.
The City already has the money to meet its 1000 bedroom interim housing goals – without touching Measure E affordable housing funds.
- If we focus on immediate needs we can get to “yes, and” – more interim shelters, and investments in the permanent affordable housing that they need to work.
Permanent housing is the solution to homelessness. Measure E is our tool to increase the availability of permanent housing solutions for those who need them most.
