San Jose Clears 'The Jungle' Homeless Camp Again

San Jose began clearing the homeless encampment known as “The Jungle” on April 15, reopening a site that became a national symbol of Silicon Valley homelessness more than a decade ago. City officials now refer to the area as Coyote Meadows, a city-owned parcel along Coyote Creek near Story Road and across from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. (sanjoseca.gov) The city said it gave residents 50 days’ notice and months of outreach before starting the abatement, which officials say is meant to address public health, safety and stormwater compliance. Mayor Matt Mahan has cast the effort as part of a broader strategy built around rapid shelter expansion, especially tiny homes and other interim sites. ### Why is San Jose clearing this site again? Coyote Meadows was cleared once before in 2014, when the city dismantled what was then described as a 68-acre encampment housing about 300 people along Coyote Creek. The camp later re-formed in smaller waves, and by early 2026 city officials estimated slightly more than 100 people were again living there. City officials say the current sweep differs from the earlier one because more interim shelter capacity exists now. Mahan said San Jose has expanded shelter and interim housing rapidly over the past three years, while City Manager Jennifer Maguire said teams would be on site daily to offer shelter, services and support as the area is restored. (sanjoseca.gov) ### What did the city offer people before the sweep started? The City of San José said everyone living at Coyote Meadows before the abatement was offered a bed at one of its interim housing locations. Most were offered placements at the Cerone interim housing community in north San Jose, according to the city’s FAQ. (sanjosespotlight.com) NBC Bay Area reported on April 15 that 109 people had agreed to move into transitional housing, mainly at Cerone. Housing Director Erik Solivan told the station the city had identified a bed for all of them and that there were no time caps on their stay. (sanjoseinside.com) Cerone is one of the quick-build sites central to Mahan’s homelessness strategy. The city said in a 2025 update that the Cerone community would house 200 people in 47 manufactured homes and was backed by $12.7 million in state funding for the units. ### Why are residents and advocates disputing the outreach effort? KRON4 reported on May 15 that city officials said 87 Jungle residents had been moved indoors during the abatement, while more than 120 people had been living at the encampment. (sanjoseca.gov) The station also reported that some residents said they were left off housing lists and that advocates said about 40 people, many primarily Spanish-speaking, received trespassing tickets. (nbcbayarea.com) NBC Bay Area reported on April 17 that some residents said promised placements did not materialize, while the Housing Department said people still waiting would be moved into interim housing as space opened. Rachel Mino of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley said dispersing the camp risked severing residents’ ties to services and community. (sanjoseca.gov) The city has said outreach included flyers and on-site contact in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and that bilingual teams were assigned to monolingual Spanish speakers. ### How does this fit into Matt Mahan’s broader plan? (kron4.com) Mahan told Spectrum News that San Jose’s approach is a model for California and said he wants to extend the strategy statewide as he runs for governor. Spectrum reported that his approach has emphasized quick-build temporary shelter, including converted motels, tiny homes and sanctioned tent or sleeping sites. (nbcbayarea.com) San Jose officials have paired that shelter build-out with more aggressive encampment removals. The city says Coyote Meadows will become a permanent no-encampment zone, allowing crews to remove new camps there without issuing another round of notice once signage is posted. (sanjoseca.gov) ### What happens at the site now? The city said the abatement began on April 15 and is expected to take 30 to 60 days, depending on weather and site conditions. Officials say the work includes removing debris and pollutants from land along Coyote Creek, and KRON4 reported that more than 290,000 pounds of debris and trash and 57 structures had been removed during the operation. (spectrumlocalnews.com) Coyote Meadows will remain an open-space area after the cleanup rather than a reopened public park, NBC Bay Area reported. The next concrete step is the completion of the 30-to-60-day abatement window and the posting of permanent no-encampment notices at the site, with city staff and police assigned to prevent re-encampment. (sanjoseinside.com) (nbcbayarea.com) (sanjoseca.gov)