Well they finally did it!
On December 4, 2014 San Jose finally shut down the largest homeless
encampment in the country, known as “The Jungle”. It spans 68
acres in central San Jose along the Coyote Creek. It was home to 200
to 300 hundred people at a time. Most of these people have been
living there for years. The closing of “The Jungle” is supposed
to be a good, thing especially for the people who have homes near
Coyote Creek. The fouls smells coming from “The Jungle” will be
gone and the home owner will be glad. The bad thing about closing
“The Jungle” is all the homeless people who lived there for
years, where do they go? San Jose’s officials say they have spent 4
million dollars working with non-profits to find housing and
temporary housing for the 200 to 300 people who were living in “The
Jungle”. Ray Bramson, the city's homeless response manager said
“the city is doing everything it can to ease the crisis: 144 people
had been placed in housing, and another 55 have housing subsidy
vouchers and are looking for homes through this pilot program. An
additional 70 to 80 temporary shelter beds also had been arranged.”
I don’t believe that! I just hope we don’t hear of some official
stealing this money years from now. It has been known to happen. What
about the ones who were living there, that did not take them up on
their offer? What about the 5000 plus homeless people living on the
streets in San Jose? Santa Clara County is one of the riches counties
in the country but the homeless pollution is getting out of hand.
There needs to be more affordable housing. All the people who left
“The Jungle” where are they now? Michael Ealey of Streetwise
Special Delivery Inc. Courier Service in Gilroy, California has
already seen tents going up along Highway 85 and Highway 280 in San
Jose on December 5, 2014. San Jose may have closed down “The
Jungle” but that has not solved the problem. The homeless will
always find a place to make their home. Don’t be priced if it’s
next door to where you live. If it is you have the County of Santa
Clara and the City of San Jose to thank for that. This is such a sad
circumstances.
LM