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<\/a><\/p>\nNeighbors said they found wiring cut from electrical access boxes, leading to four street lights going dark near the hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the opening of the Bristol Hotel homeless shelter, the immediate neighborhood \u2014 previously quiet and family-oriented \u2014 has seen escalating public safety, sanitation and infrastructure problems,\u201d resident Rami Siadous told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI\u2019m sharing this not as opposition to helping those in need, but because our community deserves accountability and safety alongside compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Siadous said he filed four 311 reports when the lights went out on Oct. 20 and 10 days later received notice the cases had been closed, despite the lights not being repaired. On Nov. 2, he created four new 311 tickets for the street lights.<\/p>\n
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Foley: Concerns promptly addressed<\/p>\n
San Jose Vice Mayor Pam Foley\u2019s District 9 includes the Bristol Hotel, a site specifically for women and children. She said the city is working to repair the wires \u2014 and there is no evidence linking the cut or stolen wires to the hotel residents. She said they promptly addressed the issues once they became aware of them and immediately removed the one syringe and shopping cart. A picture of the hotel sent from the vice mayor\u2019s office Tuesday showed the area free of trash. The Bristol Hotel has 47 rooms and is managed by nonprofit service provider HomeFirst.<\/p>\n
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Wires had been cut from an electrical access box, causing street lights to stop working near Bristol Hotel. (Rami Siadous via San Jose Spotlight)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever concerns arise near the Bristol Hotel, my office works closely with HomeFirst and city departments to address them,\u201d Foley told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cDistrict 9 staff, the Housing Department and BeautifySJ regularly visit the site, and HomeFirst continues to be a strong partner in property management. Our office has also offered multiple meetings with concerned neighbors, though none have been accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Housing Department spokesperson Sarah Fields said there is no proactive cleaning of trash around the Bristol Hotel because there has not been a recorded increase in service requests. It takes about six months to fix broken streetlights \u201cdue to rampant copper wire theft and vandalism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bristol site, like all of our (temporary housing sites), has a corresponding Community Advisory Council that is organized by the City Council office and supported by the Housing Department and other city departments,\u201d Fields told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThese meetings provide an opportunity for the site operator to give a community update and for neighbors to raise issues that need to be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Jose\u00a0converted five motels<\/a>\u00a0to house the hundreds of homeless residents living in their RVs and tents at Columbus Park. The city started clearing its\u00a0largest homeless encampment<\/a>\u00a0Aug. 18 and offered $2,000 and a temporary housing placement to homeless residents in exchange for their RVs. While the sweep was expected to be done in phases\u00a0through the end of October<\/a>, the city removed the\u00a0370 homeless residents and 120-lived in vehicles<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0weeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018They didn\u2019t want us here\u2019<\/p>\n Catherine Davis, who was placed at the Bristol Hotel, said the area surrounding the hotel has been relatively clean.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t want us here in the first place,\u201d Davis told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n The project generated a\u00a0firestorm of opposition<\/a>\u00a0from San Jose and Campbell residents at a community meeting in June. One Campbell resident had qualms with the site\u2019s proximity to schools.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives a roof over our head. It\u2019s better than living in a van.\u201d<\/p>\n Catherine Davis, Bristol Hotel resident<\/p>\n Davis said it\u2019s important for homeless residents to have temporary housing, even though the strict rules at Bristol have made it feel at times like a prison. She said they can\u2019t have visitors in the hotel and are searched every time they enter the building. She had been living in her RV at Columbus Park for years before moving to Bristol Hotel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives a roof over our head. It\u2019s better than living in a van,\u201d Davis said. \u201cBeing at Columbus Park, we were free to come and go. There\u2019s more rules here.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose\u2019s zealous efforts to quickly move Columbus Park residents into motels and other temporary housing sites have had other impacts. One business owner may\u00a0close her longstanding Mexican restaurant<\/a>, Los Garcias, due to a drop in customers. Los Garcias shares a parking lot with the recently converted Alura Inn. Since Columbus Park residents have moved in, there hasn\u2019t been enough parking for restaurant customers, according to owner Bernadette Garcia.<\/p>\n Contact Joyce Chu at\u00a0joyce@sanjosespotlight.com\u00a0or @joyce_speaks on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n