San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has proposed a strategy that is stirring controversy among residents and advocates for the homeless. His proposed "Responsibility to Shelter" initiative features a new police unit, referred to as the "Neighborhood Quality of Life" unit, which will have the authority to arrest homeless individuals who refuse offers of shelter three times within an 18-month period. According to reports by San José Spotlight, this unit would be composed of one sergeant and six officers tasked with patrolling and enforcing municipal codes.
The initiative, which is set to be discussed in the upcoming City Council's budget hearings, seeks to expand the city's capacity to give shelter by adding 1,400 beds over the next year. Mahan insists that the aim is to help rather than criminalize, stating, as per San José Spotlight, "The goal has always been to get people the help they need." Despite this assertion, arrests under this policy would brand individuals with nonviolent misdemeanors. Mayor Mahan wanted to work directly with Santa Clara County to guide those cited under the policy to a rehabilitation center, potentially bypassing a judge's approval. Nevertheless, the details of any partnership with the county remain unsettled, as county officials have resisted the plan.
Mahan's approach has been met with skepticism and backlash from local advocates. Poncho Guevara, Executive Director of Sacred Heart Community Service, critiqued the mayor's plan, arguing for investments in permanent affordable housing and prevention rather than measures that seem to blame the unhoused for their circumstances. "The city should get back into the business of actually investing in actual permanent affordable housing and prevention," Guevara stressed in an interview with San José Spotlight. Since the announcement of the proposal, homeless individuals have reported increased aggression from law enforcement, coinciding with accelerated RV bans and sweeps of homeless encampments.
Meanwhile, the evolution of the “neighborhood quality of life unit” within the San Jose Police Department aims to address various code violations and prioritize enforcement in no-encampment zones. The San Jose Police Officers Association has thrown their support behind the effort, stating the public's exasperation over the perpetual homelessness crisis and endorsing the arrest of those who decline shelter, citing it as a necessary measure, according to NBC Bay Area. On the opposite end, homeless advocates, like Gail Osmer, regard this approach as doomed to fail. "I'm scared that police are going to be doing something they shouldn't," Osmer told NBC Bay Area, expressing concern over police involvement in encampment clearances.
