San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight reviewed photos, videos and texts provided by terminated employees, who said management disregarded many of the complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like it was retaliation,\u201d one former employee told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI feel like I was threatened from the beginning, because I was bringing all these things to their attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
The $60-million project costs about $6 million a year to operate. It\u2019s funded with nearly $52 million from the state through the Project Homekey<\/a>\u00a0program, $4 million from Santa Clara County, $5 million from the\u00a0Sobrato<\/a> Foundation and nearly $39 million from the city, spread out over seven years.<\/p>\n Fired for \u201cunauthorized recording\u201d<\/p>\n One former employee recorded surveillance camera footage of a transaction they believe was a drug deal between a case manager and resident. Video reviewed by this news outlet shows the case manager handing something to the resident, but it\u2019s unclear what is exchanged.<\/p>\n The former employee said a Branham Lane resident told them the same case manager had offered to buy drugs from the resident in exchange for perfume.<\/p>\n The same employee raised concerns about the incidents to the human resources manager and asked for an internal investigation. They were terminated weeks later for \u201cunauthorized recording,\u201d according to the termination letter seen by San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n \u201cI only ever brought concerns that clients told me (about). I don\u2019t want my name out there, but this is going on,\u201d the ex-employee told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI wanted something done about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Current employees told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight the case manager, who is allegedly dealing drugs to residents, still works at the homeless housing site.<\/p>\n LifeMoves spokesperson Maria Prato said they can\u2019t comment on \u201cunverified allegations or internal personnel matters.\u201d She said they don\u2019t fire employees for reporting misconduct and recording is not permitted \u201cto protect the privacy and dignity\u201d of residents.<\/p>\n \u201cRetaliation for raising concerns or reporting potential misconduct is prohibited,\u201d Prato told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWhen concerns are raised, they are reviewed through a documented process, which may include investigation, corrective action or disciplinary measures, up to and including termination.\u201d<\/p>\n Managerial dysfunction\u00a0<\/p>\n The employees said the management structure at the housing site operates on cronyism, not accountability or professionalism. They said management hires friends that are not fit to lead.<\/p>\n Former employees said one higher up, who had a connection with a top director at LifeMoves, was brought on to be program director at Branham Lane. They said she created a hostile work environment, yelled at employees, didn\u2019t take feedback well and rarely addressed issues that arose among staff and residents.<\/p>\n Soon after this news outlet began investigating complaints about the site\u2019s management, the program director was given notice to move to another LifeMoves site, according to current employees.<\/p>\n \u201cThose not in (the program director\u2019s clique were) treated like garbage,\u201d one current employee told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. \u201cThe team is not a cohesive team.\u201d<\/p>\n Other employees have brought in their friends to work at the site as program aides and resident services coordinators without prior experience in the field, according to sources. This has lead to a lax in rules such as hanging out with residents outside of work and forming romantic relationships, according to social media screenshots seen by San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n LifeMoves terminated one employee who was dating a resident on Oct. 17, 2025, according to an email seen by this news outlet.<\/p>\n Prato said LifeMoves has a clear policy prohibiting personal relationships between staff and residents,\u00a0 and the hiring process is designed to bring on qualified individuals.<\/p>\n Prato said changes in management are \u201ctypically driven by client need and available resources.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are firmly committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace for all staff and we take any concerns raised by employees seriously,\u201d Prato said.<\/p>\n Complaints of discrimination<\/p>\n Dani Snyder, a former employee who is transgender, said Branham Lane had a discriminatory environment toward LGBTQ+ people. Snyder said they were misgendered multiple times by various coworkers, shown transphobic content and had the pride flag in their office defaced.<\/p>\n After they complained about the coworker who vandalized the flag, the coworker was fired. But despite being banned from the site, the coworker returned in an attempt to speak to management, Snyder said.<\/p>\n After the worker came back, Snyder pushed management to create a site safety plan. The former program director said she couldn\u2019t implement the plan right away because she had a lot on her plate, Snyder added.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel she did not prioritize my safety, and instead, prompted HR to investigate and penalize me in an attempt to strip me of credibility and end any investigations which would cause them to spend money on restaffing with non-bigoted staff,\u201d Snyder told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Prato said LifeMoves doesn\u2019t condone discriminatory behavior. When concerns are raised, they are reviewed and appropriate actions are taken, she said.<\/p>\n The dysfunction<\/a> detailed by current and former employees\u00a0come on the heels of residents\u2019 complaints about the site making them sick<\/a>.<\/p>\n The multi-story modular development, which opened last February, has had numerous infrastructure problems \u2014 shower benches detaching from walls when led to injury, water smelling of sewage and walls with water damage, according to past reporting by this news organization. Multiple residents previously said they felt nauseous in their apartments, had trouble breathing and were concerned about mold.<\/p>\n The modular housing model has been heralded by San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan as an innovative homelessness solution because it could be built quicker and at a lower cost than traditional apartments. It was part of his plan to build 1,000 shelter beds<\/a>\u00a0across the city last year.<\/p>\n Mahan did not address how he plans to keep operators of temporary housing like LifeMoves accountable and said there was no evidence to substantiate claims of drug-dealing.<\/p>\n \u201cCriminal behavior is unacceptable anywhere in our city, and when it occurs, it should be reported and addressed whether it\u2019s an unhoused person or someone tasked with serving them,\u201d Mahan told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cBut it should not be used to discredit an entire system that is helping thousands of people get off the streets and access the services they need.\u201d<\/p>\n Complaints go unnoticed<\/p>\n Sources told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight the overall operation of Branham Lane has put residents and the community at risk, with management not addressing safety concerns in an effective and timely way.<\/p>\n One former employee said they reported a resident, Marlo Porter, after seeing him repeatedly bring young girls into his truck, and for his aggressive behavior toward other female workers. The former employee said management discussed moving Porter to an all men\u2019s shelter, but never did.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7449-1024x768.jpg\")
The Branham Lane temporary housing campus features 24 apartments for families. Photo by Joyce Chu.<\/p>\n![\"Keep](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769027829_854_interactive-184632509590.png\")
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