For the large contingent of RV dwellers who fled Columbus Park before the summer’s large-scale encampment sweep and settled at VTA’s Almaden parking lot, another troubling deadline is looming.
They risk losing their homes if they do not leave within the next few days — marking the fourth makeshift site they’ve been forced to leave in over a month.
The owners of 20 vehicles — 12 of who were offered and declined both interim housing and an offer from the city to buy back their RVs — have congregated at the South San Jose parking lot on Coleman Road for the past two weeks, sparking complaints from neighbors and leading San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to admonish other elected officials and the transit agency for allowing the unsanctioned encampment without proper planning.
“We take a very structured, disciplined approach to opening a new site and once you sanction something, you own it, “Mahan said in an interview with Bay Area News Group, noting he’s been in contact with VTA officials. “I believe that public agencies and our elected leaders need to think these things through before encouraging folks to congregate on another agency’s land … I appreciate the VTA put out their statement and they’ve created a deadline and they are creating some accountability because this simply isn’t the way to establish a safe parking site.”
But many RV owners have indicated they will not give up their vehicles, and they, along with homeless advocates, have blasted the city’s offer. They’re hoping for either an extension or finding an alternative parking site, setting the stage potentially for another round of abatement “whack-a-mole” if they are unsuccessful.
“They did say, ‘If you don’t want your RV towed or to sell it to us, leave the property,’ so it’s like we still have a problem,” said Yari Castillo, a 28-year-old RV owner and student who also works in construction. “You didn’t give an alternative solution to the RV community … What is selling our RVs back to you solving for us? Nothing, because we live in them and they’re our homes. Thinking long-term, what happens if the rents keep getting higher and where am I going to be able to live?”
This year, San Jose has embarked on its most ambitious effort to reduce unsheltered homelessness through expanding its shelter system by more than 1,000 placements in the form of tiny home communities and safe parking and sleeping sites.
The city has enacted a more aggressive policy stance to limit the impacts of tent and vehicle encampments — panned as draconian by some advocates — in conjunction with its heavy investment in interim housing solutions. There’s also greater enforcement of encampment and parking rules; the vehicles need to be operable, have up-to-date registration and move every 72 hours.
Mahan said these measures would have the ancillary benefit of increasing the number of people who choose to take the services the city offers.
San Jose has also adapted its shelter approach to lower some of the social barriers preventing unhoused residents from moving indoors, including individual rooms, a more adaptable pet policy and no curfew or sobriety requirements.
Out of the nearly 370 residents living at Columbus Park, the city reported moving almost 200 residents into interim housing, buying back more than 70 vehicles and clearing several hundred thousand pounds of trash in the first phase of its operation.
“I think Columbus Park was one of the most successful encampment abatements we’ve ever done because it was much more than an abatement,” Mahan said. “It was really focused on giving people a dignified alternative and helping them transition and most people took that option.”
The city’s clearing of its largest encampment, however, triggered other mini-sites because residents either failed to find shelter elsewhere or declined the city’s offer, as in this case.
Amanda Flores, 43, said that the constant disruptions are preventing residents from improving their own situations, including employment.
“For those of us who want one, we can’t even get a job because we have to keep moving. And for the ones that have one, how am I supposed to keep the job when I have to keep moving and moving, and may have to miss days?” Flores said.
After leaving Columbus Park, the pack of RVs moved onto the Kellanova’s property on Eggo Way and removed weeds, installed wash stations and created community rules, before being forced to leave last month.
Ahead of the abatement from Kellanova, Castillo said Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong, District 3 City Councilmember Anthony Tordillos’ office and several community organizations attempted to find alternative locations.
Castillo said they were told they could head over to the VTA’s lot near Lelong and Willow Streets, but were transferred to Almaden Station because of complaints. Duong said no county funds were used to relocate the vehicles and denied that anyone from her or Tordillos’ offices asked the VTA about using their parking lot.
Meanwhile, advocates are still attempting to buy time for the makeshift RV community because they do not know where to go next.
“All San Jose residents deserve to live our lives free from the constant fear of displacement,” said Emma Hartung, an advocate from Showing Up for Racial Justice. “The city of San Jose, the county and VTA have an opportunity to work together to secure more time and a long-term parking site for this tight-knit RV community instead of upending their lives for the fourth time and we believe officials should take that opportunity.”
Castillo’s recollection of events also differs from the VTA’s version, which an agency spokesperson posted on social media.
In the posts, the VTA said that transit patrol first discovered the RVs at Tamien Station without the agency’s knowledge or authorization. The VTA initially allowed the vehicles to move to its Almaden parking lot between Sept. 26 and 28, before extending access through Oct. 10 at the request of the county. The agency warned that it will consider any vehicles remaining as trespassers, starting the 72-hour clock for them to leave.
“We are approaching this situation with urgency and compassion,” the agency said in a statement to Bay Area News Group. “Notice has been formally served requiring all RVs and occupants to vacate Almaden Station by Friday, Oct. 10, at 5:00 p.m. We have also contacted local partners to request support and outreach services for those affected.”
Although decision-making about the encampment does not fall within the city’s purview, Mahan called it an avoidable situation, noting that when the city sanctions sites, it undergoes an extensive process to ensure adequate services, facilities and staffing.
Castillo and other RV dwellers continue to scoff at San Jose’s offers, claiming the city misunderstands the RV community, particularly on who they are, what their vehicles mean to them and what they truly need.
She also noted that she and others would gladly pay rent to lease space to park their homes.
“We feel harassed and we feel like we have to go into hiding at some point,” Castillo said. “I told some of the neighbors that if you don’t like us being here, do me a favor and advocate for us and give us a parking spot where we can park … What happened to compassion, solidarity and humanity? It’s not here anymore.”