Residents in San Jose hotel for homeless blast conditions – 'No respect, no dignity'
SAN JOSE – San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan decried the living conditions at one of the city's pandemic-era homeless hotels as "appalling" and called for better upkeep of the sites.
"We need to demand more accountability from our site operators, " Mahan said in a prepared statement. "So that we can continue to provide safe, dignified alternatives to our streets and creeks."
During the pandemic, California and local communities poured millions of dollars into efforts to rapidly house the state's burgeoning homeless population during a public health crisis.
For example, San Jose purchased the Sure Stay Hotel with $12 million in state money, converting the site into permanent housing for the homeless.
" I got pneumonia and I couldn't even pick myself up off the floor. And my boyfriend had to come and get me and take me to the hospital," said Cheryl Fleming who spent 20 years living on the street.
Initially, Fleming said it was a godsend to get housed during the pandemic because of her many pre-existing health conditions. But she and other residents at the Sure Stay say the site has steadily fallen further and further into disrepair.
"This place has got cockroaches. It's got water leaking from the ceiling. It's got mold," said Mark, a 68-year-old former homeless man who asked that we only use his first name.
Mark showed KPIX how there's a hole in the ceiling of his unit when rainwater seeps in from a leaky roof. Additionally, Mark said he's put tape on his electrical outlet and light switches hoping to prevent cockroaches from getting inside his room.
"These conditions here aren't worth living for, but its better than the streets. You have a bed and a roof over your head," he said.
The city sold the facility to the county's Housing Authority last September for $1.
The county has yet to officially take over management of the site. That's expected to happen by the end of the year.
But residents fear the situation will be allowed to get worse in the meantime.
"We're getting no respect, no dignity from them," Cheryl said.