San Jose Conservation Corps + Charter School (SJCC+CS) provides high school education and job training to transition age youth ages 18-27. More than a third of its students are housing-insecure. As a result of available affordable housing, SJCC+CS has advocated for the County of Santa Clara and the City of San Jose to legalize tiny homes on wheels, which SJCC+CS calls portable dwelling units (PDUs). In this new housing program, students will learn to build PDUs. Those that need housing will qualify to live in a unit that will be placed in backyards of host families. SJCC+CS will lease these backyards, students will pay about $500 each on rent and homeowners will receive rental income of $500 per month. For low-income families, this can help keep them from becoming displaced–a win-win!
In this presentation, SJCC+CS will give a tour of a PDU and our students will discuss the construction process, site evaluation, and permitting process, then take questions.