Please help us to save our alternative encampment in San Jose called “Hope Village.”
San Jose is experiencing horrific conditions for those who are unhoused. We spend millions of dollars a year to “sweep” people from one location only to find that those people have moved to a new location which needs to be “swept.”
Having grown tired of dealing with this never ending circle of nothing being done to help people, I joined with a group of people who formed an organization called “San Jose Hope Village” (SJHV.org). These are truly amazing people who are trying to help so many in San Jose.
We were determined to erect a homeless encampment that was clean, neat, safe, have access to toilets, to electricity (via solar power) and other basic services like a mobile shower unit.
San Jose Hope Village offered a break from the perpetual sweeps. The privately funded encampment—a fenced-in enclave of tents, a portable toilet and sanitation stations—sprang up Saturday on an empty parking lot across from an abandoned traffic court at Ruff Drive and Hedding Street. But not two mornings passed before the authorities gave Charlie and six other homeless campers at the site a 72-hour notice to pack up and leave.
This time, however, Charlie won’t go quietly. That’s because Hope Village is as much a political statement as a practical response to the city’s homelessness crisis.
“We knew we didn’t have permission to be here,” says Peter Miron-Conk, the 72-year-old co-founder of Casa de Clara Catholic Worker and one of a few-dozen volunteers who spent the past eight months planning Hope Village. “But we also believe that the current conditions of the homeless here are untenable and inhumane. This is a reasonable alternative that should be accepted by the city, the county and the state.”
On Saturday we moved into a location in San Jose that is state property, an abandoned parking lot near the airport, not used for anything, not near any housing, but near services, public transportation and stores. You can see for yourself on a map, search for “Ruff and Hedding” San Jose, we are in the small strip of parking lot next to the large lot.
This is a privately funded encampment, we bought tents, made platforms, bought a large canopy tent for the common area, provided a toilet, fencing, tables, chairs, individual tents and more. We do have the support of local political officials and organizations, but we need more help.
After two days we were visited by the manager of the EDD building (which owns the parking lot we are on), she informed us we were on “her land,” and then she called the CHP (state police) who came over to our village and told us we have 72 hours to leave.
Tomorrow we are holding a rally/press conference at 5 pm at our location: 1010 Ruff Drive, San Jose.
We are asking the state to allow us to stay until someone can find us a spot that will allow us to relocate. The intent is to house people until they obtain permanent housing, and while tents are not idea people are living in them right now without any of the services we are offering.
You can help by calling the San Jose Council and asking them to support our village, you can call the Governor’s office and request that they let us stay on land owned buy us, the taxpayers, until something better can be found to relocate. And you can help by showing up tomorrow at our rally.
You can also share our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/...
Contact information:
San Jose City Council
Governor of California
Thank you for helping us to help those who most need our help right now.