San Jose Clears 'The Jungle' Homeless Camp Again

San Jose began clearing the homeless encampment known as “the Jungle” on April 15, reopening a fight the city thought it had resolved more than a decade ago. The camp sits along Coyote Creek across from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, south of downtown, in an area the city cleared in 2014 after it had grown into one of the country’s largest encampments. Mayor Matt Mahan says this time is different because San Jose has expanded interim housing and can move more people indoors faster. Residents, advocates and some local reporting show a messier picture, with some people placed in shelter and others still trying to figure out where they will go. ### Why is San Jose back at “the Jungle” again? The Jungle re-formed in recent years near Story Road after the city’s 2014 clearance did not hold. San Jose Spotlight reported in March that about 100 people had repopulated the creek area across from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, and ABC7 reported that city officials said roughly a third of people moved back after the earlier sweep. (spectrumlocalnews.com) Matt Mahan has tied the renewed clearance to a broader anti-encampment strategy since taking office in 2023. Spectrum News reported that Mahan said San Jose has opened more than 1,000 shelter beds and is “steadily reducing unsheltered homelessness” by pairing more shelter capacity with faster encampment abatements. (sanjosespotlight.com) ### Where are people from the camp supposed to go? San Jose officials said residents living at the camp before the abatement began were prioritized for interim housing placements. San Jose Spotlight reported that Housing Department spokesperson Sarah Fields said the city created a list of 109 longtime Jungle residents for placements at the Cerone tiny home site and at hotels converted into shelter. (spectrumlocalnews.com) Erik Soliván, San Jose’s housing director, told ABC7 that 109 people had accepted shelter and that about 30 had already moved into interim sites as of April 15. Soliván said Cerone would be the main destination, with about 80 beds there, and that others would be placed in motels the city has been operating. (sanjosespotlight.com) The city’s own materials describe Cerone as a 200-bed interim housing community. A San Jose city news release published in December said the site would house 200 people in 47 manufactured homes, and the city’s interim housing page says San Jose operates eight interim housing communities with more under construction. ### Why are some residents saying they were left out? (abc7news.com) Maria Vargas, 55, told San Jose Spotlight she had lived at the Jungle for eight years and believed she was on the housing list before the sweep began. Vargas said a PATH outreach worker later told her there was no housing for her and that she had “fell through the cracks.” PATH did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment. (sanjoseca.gov) Martin Nava, who San Jose Spotlight said has been in and around the Jungle for 12 years, also described a long outreach process that did not guarantee placement. The reporting underscored a gap between the city’s claim that shelter was available for everyone counted before the closure and the experience of some residents who said they were still waiting. (sanjosespotlight.com) Robert Aguirre, who received a housing voucher after the 2014 sweep and remains housed, told San Jose Spotlight that trust is central to whether people accept help. Aguirre said people who feel passed over can lose faith in outreach workers trying to place them. ### How does this fit Mahan’s broader homelessness strategy? (sanjosespotlight.com) Mahan has made quick-build interim shelter the centerpiece of his homelessness agenda. Spectrum News said he has promoted converted motels, tiny homes and sanctioned tent sites as faster alternatives to traditional affordable housing, while KQED reported that his administration shifted city policy toward temporary shelter after he took office. (sanjosespotlight.com) KQED reported in February that San Jose had 23 temporary housing sites, up from seven when Mahan took office. Spectrum News also reported that Mahan, now running for California governor, has said he wants to take the San Jose approach statewide. ### What changes once the sweep is finished? (spectrumlocalnews.com) Jon Cicirelli, San Jose’s director of parks, recreation and neighborhood services, told ABC7 that the area would be actively patrolled after the clearance. Cicirelli said encampments inside a posted no-encampment zone could then be removed immediately. (kqed.org) City officials told San Jose Spotlight in April that the full clearance would take about a month. After that, the area is expected to be declared a no-encampment zone, with signs posted to deter people from returning to the creek corridor near Story and Senter roads. (sanjosespotlight.com) (abc7news.com)