Sunday, December 14, 2014

One of the Country’s Largest Homeless Encampment “The Jungle” is shut down in San Jose



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

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