Silicon Valley's Multimillion-Dollar Homes May Be Shelter For Homeless
MOUNTAIN VIEW (KPIX 5) -- Multimillion-dollar homes butted up against homeless encampments that line Stevens Creek in Mountain View may be the solution to providing shelter to the homeless. But homeowners have some concerns.
Homes that sit in Mountain View's Waverly Park neighborhood could be part of the Santa Clara Valley Water District's solution to its homeless problem.
But some Mountain View residents, including Joy Weaver, say it may not the right place for the homeless.
"To me 12 properties in a $2 million plus neighborhood is not suitable... for homeless," Weaver said.
Weaver has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years and currently lives next to one of the district-owned properties.
There are 19 single-family houses in the immediate area. The district has owned and rented out these properties for years. And is floating a plan to lease them to homeless people if a current renter leaves. The tenant qualification and screening process have not been set.
Weaver said, "We're over a mile from a bus, we're at least 2 miles from a grocery store. If they're homeless, do they have cars? Can they get anywhere? Are they working? We don't know any of this type of information."
After a fiery meeting last month, the district decided to spend more time getting feedback from neighbors before a vote. Many neighbors say they've been left in the dark.
The district says it bought these properties because the land will be needed for future flood protection projects.
One neighbor would like to see other people get a first shot at renting in the city's competitive real estate market.
Laura Brown is the chair of the North Waverly Park Neighborhood Association, and said, "One plan is to give them to teachers - not give them, but rent them to teachers. Affordability of housing for teachers and first responders is a huge issue."