San Jose Scales Back its Tiny Homes for the Homeless Program

Ramona Giwargis reports: "Amid neighborhood backlash, city leaders have pared back one of San Jose’s most creative ideas for housing its thousands of homeless — erecting shed-like 'tiny homes' for them — from 99 potential sites [pdf] to just four [pdf]."

Since the city decided to move forward with tiny homes as a housing option for its homeless population in June, "finding sites for the tiny home villages — which could house up to 25 people — proved to be a major challenge." Giwargis explains more:

The city looked for publicly owned sites that were a half-acre in size, near transit and with access to utilities. But after an outpouring of complaints, San Jose officials added even more restrictions — 100 feet away from homes and creeks and 150 feet from schools and parks, leaving just a handful of potential sites.

The article includes soundbites from city officials expressing disappointment in the setback for the program.