\u201cThe city is chronically underfunded,\u201d Andres Solomonoff, a case manager with RLEI, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cA lot of people are lacking city services, and I\u2019m really looking forward to filling in that role that the city should perform, making our community better.\u201d<\/p>\n
RLEI<\/a> fills a necessary gap in police and code enforcement. Code enforcement writes citations and fines landlords for creating health and safety hazards, but landlords can pay the fine without fixing the property. With law enforcement, officers respond to crime, but they don\u2019t help neighbors resolve civil conflict.<\/p>\n The program helps residents resolve issues they face on their block \u2014\u00a0from unruly tenants and group homes where neighbors suspect\u00a0abuse to addressing suspicious activity or\u00a0absentee landlords who\u00a0aren\u2019t taking care of the property. It equips them with tools regarding their rights, and also helps them organize a case to take to court.<\/p>\n The initiative is able to help people facing unjust evictions, and can also assist tenants living in rent-stabilized homes if the landlord is increasing rent past San Jose\u2019s allowed limit \u2014 something the program wasn\u2019t focused on before.<\/p>\n Resident Mike Zarate-Razo said the support and education RLEI provides is invaluable. He got connected with the program after a new owner took over his rent-controlled building and began unpermitted construction on the bottom floor for three months until midnight, he said. RLEI gave him the tools to advocate and navigate his situation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people (who) are older (who) don\u2019t have the ability to advocate for themselves,\u201d Zarate-Razo, 65, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cRLEI is an indispensable tool, and they actively help people.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said landlords have a responsibility to keep their properties safe and well-maintained for the tenants and surrounding neighbors.<\/p>\n \u201cOur partnership with Catholic Charities gives residents and community leaders another practical tool to address persistent problems, engage property owners and improve quality of life across San Jose,\u201d Mahan told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n A memo published in 2017 by then-San Jose Housing Director Jacky Morales-Ferrand\u00a0helps illustrate the impact of RLEI for the city. In a study that examined three cases RLEI took on, calls for service to those neighborhoods dropped from 99 incidents to nine after RLEI resolved the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the hourly cost of city staff, the amount of time spent on each call for service, and the reduction in calls for service, the city realizes a (return on investment) of $1.28 for every $1.00 spent (on the program),\u201d the memo reads.<\/p>\n However, the funding from the city comes with a caveat\u2014 the program can only assist residents who live in or around a rent-stabilized home, mobile home park residents or people who fall under the city\u2019s tenant protection policy,\u00a0where multiple residents with separate leases live in one home.<\/p>\n As such, RLEI plans to focus more on independent living homes, Program Supervisor Janette Rosales said. These are unlicensed homes<\/a> that house multiple tenants who are often transitioning back into society after receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital or other treatment facilities.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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