Dear Neighbor,

Last week, we broke ground on an expansion of the Rue Ferrari interim housing community, where we are adding enough beds to immediately move another 144 people off our streets the moment it opens. This expansion is part of our overall plan for ending the era of encampments in San Jose. 

Getting there isn’t going to happen overnight. Permanently closing encampments is difficult and takes longer than any of us would like. But if we continue to execute the plan we will get there.  

And our plan is pretty straightforward: fundamentally, it’s about creating places where people living on the streets can be, and then requiring that they’re used. 

More specifically, our plan is to build up our supply of safe, dignified shelter and affordable housing. Our plan is to demand the State and County create treatment facilities for those struggling with substance abuse and severe mental health issues. Our plan is to focus on services that turn lives around — because individuals living on our streets have different needs and face different barriers to achieving self-sufficiency. 

Some need to be stabilized in a drug-free facility. Some need job training and counseling to get back on their feet. Some need a bus ticket home to their parents. 

And I’m going to be very honest — most need to be in a temporary place to get stabilized before they can move into a permanent or affordable housing unit on their own. Some may not initially accept the offer to move indoors, but as we have more places for people to go, we will ban camping across the city and use the various outreach, public health, and law enforcement tools at our disposal to require everyone to come inside. 

This is why we’ve created nearly 500 interim housing units in recent years and have 700 more on the way. 

The expansion project at Rue Ferrari will double our current capacity at this site, allowing us to serve an additional 144 people at any given time. It also comes with a better and more holistic approach to tackling encampments, including a “local preference” policy, which means that people who are homeless in the surrounding area will be the first people offered shelter at this site. 

Then, we will establish a no-encampment zone around the site to preserve our progress and make sure that the neighborhood surrounding Rue Ferrari experiences the benefits of bringing people indoors. It’s always been my philosophy that neighborhoods that take on solutions to homelessness must experience tangible benefits as a result. 

Fortunately, the data actually show that calls for service for crime and blight go down year-over-year after a site is established because life in a well-managed shelter is more stable and supportive than life on the streets. But we know we can still do better. We can provide more benefits like the ones outlined above to make sure everyone’s life is made better by our urgent action to address homelessness. We can save the lives of people living on our streets and by doing so, we can make everyone’s neighborhoods safer, cleaner and quieter. 

This new expansion site will be open within a year. There is no quick fix or silver bullet to end homelessness. But that’s okay because we don’t need a bandaid solution that hides the problem. We need lasting change.

Sincerely,

Mayor Matt

This week, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited San Jose to give us a gift. $4.5M dollars to be exact.

These dollars will help fund the creation of Spartan Keyes Park – a capital project that will transform concrete into grass for a neighborhood that is a 30-minute walk to the nearest greenspace. This is a project 20 years in the making and, thanks to these dollars, we’ll be able to finally create a public space that will give kids and others in the neighborhood better access to nature and recreation. Stay tuned for a groundbreaking sometime soon!

There are less than 30 days until Election Day — make sure your voice is heard by casting your vote in-person, dropping it off at your local ballot drop box, or mailing it in! The County Registrar of Voters will send vote-by-mail ballots starting October 7th and open ballot drop boxes by October 8th. You can track when your ballot will arrive here and find your nearest ballot drop box here. 

If you prefer casting your vote in-person, vote centers will be open from October 26th through Election Day on November 5th! You can find your local vote center here.  

Voting is how we shape the future of our community and ensure that our voices are heard on the issues that matter most to us. So mark your calendars for November 5th, and let’s go vote!

One of my favorite things to do each morning is read the newspaper – cover to cover. And I’d love for you to join me! Personally, I like a paper copy, but to make it easy, I’ll be sharing the digital versions of some of my favorite recent stories to help keep you informed about the many things happening in our big city. Click the headlines below to read more!

Little Italy San Jose Italian Festival

Sunday, October 6th at 11:00AM to 7:00PM

Little Italy, Julian St. & N Almaden Blvd., San Jose, CA 95110

Celebrate everything Italian at the annual San Jose Italian Festival TODAY! Enjoy one of the largest Italian car shows in the US, an authentic food festival, nonstop entertainment, and more. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the newly opened Little Italy San Jose Cultural Center & Museum. Learn more here. 

Downtown San Jose’s Annual Harvest Festival: Pumpkins in the Park

Saturday, October 12th at 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Discovery Meadow, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110

Kick off the start of autumn at the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s annual fall festival! Bring your friends and family to the free pumpkin patch, inflatable slides, live performances, community booths, and more. Learn more here. 

Women in Law Enforcement Career Day

Saturday, October 19th at 8:00AM to 1:30PM

6807 Great Oaks Parkway, San Jose, CA 95119

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Are you ready to embark on a rewarding career in law enforcement? Join SJPD and explore a variety of roles, gain valuable insights, and learn about the incredible opportunities available to women in law enforcement! Whether you're considering a career in law enforcement or simply curious about the opportunities available, learn more about the event here. 

Plata Arroyo Park Takeover

Saturday, October 19th at 9:00AM to 11:00AM

Plata Arroyo Park, N King Road, San Jose, CA 95116

We’re cleaning up San Jose, one neighborhood at a time! Join us to pick up litter, pull weeds, and beautify Plata Arroyo Park. Together, we can create the safer, cleaner city we all deserve to live in. Learn more and RSVP here. 

Día San José: Day of the Dead Festival

Saturday, October 19th at 11:00AM to 7:00PM

Plaza de César Chávez, 194 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a celebration of life, family, and culture! Join Día San José for a full day of entertainment, music, dance, food, and cultural art. Learn more and buy tickets here.

To build a better city, it’ll take a village. Luckily, we have plenty of dedicated volunteers to help! We partnered with the Martin Fontana Parks Association, Verizon, PG&E, SJPD, Councilmember Batra, and artist John Barrick to transform a wall into artwork at Jeffrey Fontana Park. Then, we headed over to Mt. Pleasant Library, where Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Association, TogetherSJ, Councilmember Ortiz and artist Josh Powell also added some color to their community with a new mural. Want to get involved? Sign up for our next community beautification project: bit.ly/cleansj

Last month, Lone Bluff Park got a makeover — we re-painted and added mulch to the playground, created a new walkway mural, and cleaned up the surrounding neighborhood! Thanks to the Lone Bluff Senter Neighborhood Association, Councilmember Doan, TogetherSJ, and PRNS for joining us to beautify our city! Want to be part of the solution? Stop by our next community clean-up: http://bit.ly/cleansj

Let’s GO, Spartans! SJSU is one of the top public universities in the country — and for good reason. The tech titans of Silicon Valley hire more San Jose State grads than from all Ivy League schools combined. Not to mention the fact that our students get their education in the heart of Downtown San Jose, with 300 days of sunshine per year, restaurants and bars within walking distance, leaders like President Teniente-Matson and, of course, the lowest crime rates of all our big-city neighbors. Watch out UC Berkeley — we’re aiming for gold! Learn more here.