Like many local jurisdictions, the City of San Jose faces challenging headwinds in creating a budget that meets residents’ most urgent needs in an environment of declining municipal revenues. 

We believe that interim emergency shelter is only effective when part of a comprehensive system with enough affordable permanent homes for people to move into. The 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness clearly states the need for this approach, which the City of San Jose adopted. Solving the homelessness crisis requires a comprehensive strategy that includes both emergency interim shelter and permanent affordable housing, and we reject any framing that pits these critical parts of the solution against each other. 

SV@Home firmly believes that we need to ground the budget discussion in data that assesses the immediate and long-term challenges we face and the full impact of the decisions this Council will have to make in adopting a budget. Over the last year, the production and management costs of San Jose’s interim sites have skyrocketed despite the absence of a permanent funding source, as the Council has expanded its commitment from 1,000 beds to over 1,700 beds and safe parking spots. Now, we look to the leadership of this Council to address a consistently identified top priority of San Jose’s residents: affordable housing.

The City Manager’s office is finalizing a detailed budget and analysis, based on the Council’s direction, that will support the ongoing deliberations in the run-up to the approval of a final budget in June. On May 2nd, we expect to see the first public draft of the City Manager’s budget proposal, followed by the Housing & Community Development Commission (HCDC) meeting on May 9th. Housing advocates need to be prepared to take action as the City of San Jose’s budget process moves forward. To that end, SV@Home and our community partners and allies remain committed to alerting the community to opportunities for engagement and providing resources you can use to play an essential role in this critical civic process. Stay tuned for more!