Rain, Mud Present Additional Challenges for Homeless People at SJ Encampment

At 1 of the largest encampments successful the South Bay, stateless radical are chopped disconnected from captious necessities pursuing caller storms.

Heavy rains person turned a city-owned vacant batch astatine Spring and Hedding streets successful San Jose into a muddy mess.

"This is simply a authorities of emergency," unhoused advocator Gail Osmer said. "People are surviving similar dogs."

For Frances Powell, the biggest occupation is accessing the portable toilets.

"I’m successful a wheelchair," she said. "I can’t adjacent marque it to the outhouses. A batch of times, my fellow carries me."

Robert Rodriguez has lived astatine the tract for six months. He said mud is seeping into his tent. On Monday, helium could hardly thrust his conveyance done the sludge. He, too, said the elemental enactment of getting to a bath is present his biggest challenge.

"It's conscionable precise muddy," helium said. "It's precise hard erstwhile you request to usage the restroom and it's close there, but there's excessively overmuch water, mud."

The 40-acre tract is designated to service arsenic a buffer betwixt the airdrome and the assemblage successful lawsuit of a level crash. The FAA has demanded the airdrome wide the campy of much than 200 radical by adjacent July oregon hazard losing millions of dollars successful national funding.

But, for now, it's the lone spot the stateless radical have.

The San Jose Housing Department said it acceptable up 26 portable toilets astatine a determination a fewer blocks distant disconnected Taylor Street successful anticipation of dense rains. The metropolis besides said outreach teams are moving done the holidays, providing supplies to encampments arsenic everyone braces for different rainy week ahead.