The mayor of San Jose, California, has proposed the formation of a specialized police unit tasked with enforcing a new policy that could see unhoused residents arrested if they refuse available shelter.
The proposed “Responsibility to Shelter” initiative has sparked debate in San Jose amid ongoing struggles with its homeless population.
Newsweek reached out to Mayor Matt Mahan for comment.
Why It Matters
Homelessness has been a topic cities across California have been trying to find solutions for and in 2024, homeless reached record highs, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. San Jose has seen an increase in its homeless population in recent years, with about 5,500 people living unsheltered, SFGate reported.
“The goal has always been to get people the help they need,” Mahan told reporters. “We’re making a historic investment trying to get people indoors and connected to services.”
What To Know
Mahan revealed new details about the initiative on Thursday. The policy is expected to be discussed as part of the City Council’s budget hearings on Monday. A new police unit would be responsible for enforcing that ordinance.
The mayor’s proposal could set a precedent for other municipalities grappling with similar housing crises, but critics warn it risks criminalizing poverty.
Steve Slack, president of the San Jose Police Officers Association, said residents and businesses are “fed up” with a lack of progress on homelessness in the city.
“It’s time to do everything possible to require chronic homeless individuals to accept shelter or get the mental health and/or addiction treatment they need to get off our streets. And if that requires arresting them so that a court can order treatment and shelter, then so be it,” Slack said in a statement to Newsweek.
The proposed police unit would consist of one sergeant and six officers, focusing on large homeless encampments and the city’s “no return zones.”
The city plans to add 1,500 shelter beds over the next year, including tiny homes and a safe sleeping site.
Under the proposed policy, unhoused residents could be arrested for nonviolent misdemeanors for refusing shelter placements. Individuals who refuse offers of shelter three times within an 18-month period will be cited for trespassing.
Mahan said he hopes to work with the county to send people cited under the policy directly to a rehabilitation center, without a judge’s approval and without jail time.
What People Are Saying
Sacred Heart Community Service Executive Director Poncho Guevara told the San José Spotlight: “The city should get back into the business of actually investing in actual permanent affordable housing and prevention. That’s where you’re going to see real progress, not in essentially blaming individuals that are unhoused for their situation, and demanding they access shelter or resources that literally do not exist.”
Mahan, in comments to reporters on Thursday: “Our outreach will be smarter, more connected, more data driven and frankly more useful all around.”
What Happens Next
More details of the initiative are expected to be revealed at the council’s budget hearing on Monday. Members of Sacred Heart Community Service plan to protest the policy ahead of the meeting, according to San José Spotlight.
Newsweek reached out to Sacred Heart Community Service for comment.
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