The Resident
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Transit authority launches effort to help homeless
By Stephen Baxter
As the 22 bus rolls by The Alameda and El Camino Real, there are bumps, sudden halts and an automated voice that announces each stop. It might not sound like the best place to sleep, but for some, it's a warm and safe alternative to camping in the bushes or dealing with thieves at a homeless shelter.
Dozens of San Jose's homeless ride the 24-hour line each night from Eastridge Shopping Center through The Alameda to Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and its last stop in Palo Alto. From about 10:30 p.m. on March 28 to the early hours of March 29, Valley Transportation Authority officials and volunteers from Victory Outreach Church and the Tzu Chi Foundation began a new effort to help connect homeless bus riders with groups that want to help them.
The team of 20 volunteers encountered about 20 people who said they rode the "Hotel 22" bus line because they had nowhere else to go. Volunteers gave out toiletry kits and information on shelters and other services.
Marty Estrada, a member of Victory Outreach church in South San Jose, said he met a teen who was disabled and had been disowned by his family. He talked with a man who collected aluminum cans and had been homeless since 1994, and he tried to help a woman in her mid-60s who wore a hood and would not look at him.
Most city residents who don't work at night or take the bus never see these people, Estrada said, and he wants to help them find a better way to live.
"It's been going on for quite some time, and I'd do the same thing if I were homeless. It's warm. You cover your eyes and go to sleep, and they're probably used to it. It's the best thing out there in terms of noise and people," Estrada said.
On its first night, the volunteer group gathered the homeless riders' names, income and how long they had been on the streets. They plan to show their results to members of Santa Clara County's Blue Ribbon Commission on Ending Homelessness and Solving the Affordable Housing Crisis.
In late 2007 the commission released a 10-year plan with target dates to clean up homeless encampments near San Jose rivers, initiate a one-stop center for homeless services and increase affordable housing in Silicon Valley.
Many of the bus riders said they had some income but disliked shelters because they are crowded. A major goal of the blue ribbon commission is to help the homeless find permanent housing, assign them a case manager and wrap services around them such as job training and mental health management.
The commission calls its strategy "housing first," and volunteers see the bus outreach program as part of it.
VTA representatives say they also want to be part of the solution.
"We've been dealing with this issue as long as Santa Clara County has been dealing with it," said Linh Hoang, a VTA spokeswoman. "We recognize this is not a long-term solution," she said, "but everybody has to do a part."
On typical night rides on the 22, volunteers said homeless riders are often sleeping and don't bother other riders, but some make conversation or ask for money. Nearly all of the homeless riders hold day or monthly bus passes, volunteers and VTA officials said.
When a bus reaches the end of the line, drivers usually get off the bus. The VTA handbook does not allow buses to be left unattended, so all passengers must leave.
The 22 line first ran in 1980 and has run its current route since 1998, according to the VTA. The new outreach effort also was triggered by a Santa Clara University study in November 2007 that tracked homeless bus riders and discussed their need for services.
Estrada, who started his outreach on line 22 with a city of San Jose housing official about six months ago, said he hoped he could help more homeless riders. The group is planning more rides this spring.
"There was a lady that really touched my heart. She was about 65, she had a tote bag of clothes and her hood up. She didn't want to look at me, she didn't make eye contact. I asked if she was homeless and she said, 'Yeah, I'm homeless.' I felt so bad for her," Estrada said.
"She's somebody's grandmother, somebody's mom. I just wanted to help her. We really need to make an impact and help these folks."
For volunteer information, call Estrada at 408.432.1366.