It is time to get the homeless off the street. If they do not want to leave, then policies must be in place to evict them—to get recovery, treatment and assistance. They can not live a lifetime of drugs, alcohol and mental illness. We as a people are better than that.
“Mahan said local government needs to come to the aid of “people who fall through the cracks because we dismantled the mental health system in this state and didn’t rebuild an adequate system in its place…people too deep in the throes of mental illness and addiction to make a rational decision about their own well-being.”
In his statement, Mahan acknowledged that his approach is “a break from the status quo.”
He said his plan does not criminalize poverty and homelessness. “It’s focused on engaging and intervening when people repeatedly show that they are unwilling or unable to accept a hand up and out of homelessness,” he wrote.”
Police try to stop people from committing suicide. Government, as a whole, needs to do the same for the homeless.
Mahan Pushes Plan to Move Homeless into Housing and Treatment
By Barry Holtzclaw, San Jose Inside, 5/13/25 https://www.sanjoseinside.com/news/mahan-pushes-plan-to-move-homeless-into-housing-and-treatment/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Mayor%20Targets%20Homeless&utm_campaign=SJI%20Newsletter%20-%20051525
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is stepping up his defense of his “Responsibility to Shelter” initiative to aggressively move people in tents and encampments into temporary housing and treatment programs.
In a public statement Sunday, he doubled down on his controversial plan, attempting to build public support before a council vote in June. The announcement from Gov. Gavin Monday calling on every local government in the state to adopt ordinances that restrict public camping lent additional weight to Mahan’s approach.
Mahan said local government needs to come to the aid of “people who fall through the cracks because we dismantled the mental health system in this state and didn’t rebuild an adequate system in its place…people too deep in the throes of mental illness and addiction to make a rational decision about their own well-being.”
In his statement, Mahan acknowledged that his approach is “a break from the status quo.”
He said his plan does not criminalize poverty and homelessness. “It’s focused on engaging and intervening when people repeatedly show that they are unwilling or unable to accept a hand up and out of homelessness,” he wrote.
He said his plan will not put homeless people in jail, but will push them into treatment. “In Santa Clara County, people do not serve jail sentences for trespassing or most other low-level misdemeanors, which our sheriff recently confirmed,” said the mayor. “But we can use repeat, non-violent misdemeanor charges to work with the Mental Health and Drug Courts to help compel people to engage in treatment.”
Mahan also said the city’s growing number of interim housing sites are “safe and dignified, with mostly private rooms with doors that lock and en-suite bathrooms.”
“We don’t have a curfew and we don’t kick people out after a predetermined number of days or months,” he said. “We have separate sites for families with children. There’s a reason our sites run at nearly 95% occupancy and are effective at graduating people into more permanent housing solutions. People are much safer when they choose to come indoors than when they decide to stay on the streets.”
“When shelter is offered, we expect people to accept it,” he wrote. “If there is a place available, we expect it to be used. This is about compassion paired with accountability — recognizing that a path off the streets is both a right and a responsibility.”
The mayor said he wants to create a special unit within the police department to “maintain public safety and enforce the updated Code of Conduct and quality of life crimes, whether committed by housed or unhoused residents.” He also said the city will work with county mental health officials, so police officers “can bring people directly to access support services after three refusals of shelter.
“We know that many of our homeless neighbors are struggling with addiction or mental health challenges that make it harder for them to make a rational decision about their own well-being,” wrote Mahan. “This partnership would allow us to connect them with treatment faster and more effectively.”
Is this not a violation of the Constitutional rights the Democrats have for years been saying and bringing court cases to defend the rights of individuals without government control?