(Image Credit: IMAGN) Keith Glasscock emerges from his tent at a Simi Valley encampment to talk with Jorge Escobar, a Simi Valley code compliance officer, during Ventura County's annual homeless count on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – San José Mayor Matt Mahan proposed a new policy Thursday aimed at addressing the city’s growing homelessness crisis by holding homeless individuals accountable for refusing shelter offers.
The issue of homelessness has become a significant challenge in many California urban areas, exacerbated during the pandemic. Despite efforts by the state to provide shelter and housing, many homeless individuals continue to refuse available assistance. The mayor’s new “Responsibility to Shelter” policy would require unhoused residents to accept offers of shelter or face consequences, including possible arrest for repeated refusals.
At a press conference, Mayor Mahan explained that newly constructed housing would allow individuals to bring their pets, partners, and belongings, emphasizing that the city had worked to make shelter options as accommodating as possible. However, he lamented that “1-out-of-3 people in this area who are offered housing refuse to come indoors.”
Mahan called homelessness a crisis that cannot be treated as a personal choice, especially given the toll it takes on the community, with over 200 people dying on San José’s streets each year. “Homelessness can’t be a choice,” he said. “I’m proposing that after three offers of shelter, we hold people accountable for turning their lives around, because we all have a responsibility to end this crisis.”
The mayor acknowledged that mental health and addiction often contribute to people being on the streets, which can impair their ability to make rational decisions. However, he argued that this does not justify giving up on them. “It means we need to help them break the destructive cycle that is harming themselves and the larger community,” Mahan said.
The proposed “Responsibility to Shelter” policy would escalate consequences for individuals who refuse shelter over time. According to the press release, those who decline shelter three times within an 18-month period would face increasing accountability, starting with written warnings after the first two refusals. If an individual continues to refuse shelter a third time, they could be subject to arrest for trespassing.
Mayor Mahan believes that after three offers, the city will have done all it can to assist, and further intervention is needed from other levels of government. The goal, as outlined in the release, is to use accountability to encourage individuals to seek the treatment they need from county-level services.
The policy proposal still requires approval from the San José City Council. However, local leaders have expressed the urgent need for a solution.
Firefighter Greg Tuyor, who joined the mayor at the press conference, highlighted the strain the homelessness crisis is placing on local resources. He shared that local officials had been called to service one individual nearly 400 times in a year, with emergency responders needing to check on this person multiple times a day.
