“I’ve been housed for 13 years,” said Shante, standing at the podium.
“20 years for me,” added Dennis.
“More than 10 years here,” Monica chimed in.
Shante, Dennis and Monica are all former patients of Dr. Charles Preston, one of the original backpack doctors who would travel into encampments to treat people experiencing homelessness with the Valley Homeless Healthcare Program. They met in “The Jungle,” once San Jose’s largest encampment, where Dr. Preston often worked.
Dr. Preston suddenly passed away in 2017 and his legacy was felt when the community recently came together to celebrate the grand opening of a beautiful new affordable housing community named in his honor.
The Charles now stands just steps away from what was The Jungle. Charles knew that housing is medicine and that he’d never fully be able to treat his patients without a secure place for them to live.
The Charles embodies this belief, providing a permanent home to nearly 100 households who’ve faced homelessness or those living precariously close with very low incomes.
Our system has been celebrating a flurry of housing development milestones this Affordable Housing Month, benchmarking key progress in our collective efforts to end and prevent homelessness.
The County’s Measure A Affordable Housing Bond has been a major catalyst for this progress, on track to far exceed goals by creating more than 6,700 homes.
Building on This Progress
With the Measure A housing bond fully committed, municipal budgets stretched thin, and serious federal funding threats, efforts are underway to bring additional resources to our community to build on this progress.
From State bills to budget requests, there are several ways you can help advocate for lasting solutions in our community.