San Jose won't meet June deadline to clear city's largest homeless encampment
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- City officials in San Jose are being forced to admit that they won't make a June deadline to clear the massive homeless encampment near Mineta/San Jose International Airport.
The City Council will be asking the Federal Aviation Administration for a three-month extension to clear the camp under the flight path to Mineta/San Jose International.
"This whole thing was just get them out of the field. We don't care where they go, just get them out," said Shaunn Cartwright of the Unhoused Response Group. "There should have been housing for these people to go to."
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered San Jose to clear the camps which began occupying vacant lots under the flight path to Mineta/San Jose International during the pandemic.
San Jose has been trying to clear these camps in phases. Phase 1 and Phase 2 were cleared out earlier this year and the city installed concrete barriers to stop people from re-establishing camps inside.
If you drive down Spring Street, it's a tale of two halves: one side is clear, the other remains filled with camps and cars, people and piles of trash.
"It's the worst thing anybody could ever imagine," said Kellie Goodman, who lives out of her minivan in the camp. She is grateful San Jose is now asking the FAA. for an extension which will mean a September deadline to move out instead of June.
"It gives us more time, three months. But does it give me peace of mind? No. There's not enough beds, there's not enough shelters, not enough tiny homes," said Goodman.
A new emergency tiny home community being built nearby will help. But there's already evidence that people who clear the camp just move onto nearby city streets and parking lots.
"This has gotten past any control," explained business owner George Fota.
He said he's been dealing with the problem for at least a decade. He's installed security systems because of constant thefts and is always on the lookout for fires which happened again today.
After 52 years in the auto repair business, he's calling it quits this week and retiring.
"They don't know what to do. Nobody knows what to do," Fota said.
Cartwright says it will be that way until more housing is built.
"This is extremely low-income housing. Until we build that at a rate ten times what it is now, we are going to keep having this situation," Cartwright said.