San Jose's Pragmatic Interim Housing Strategy Succeeds Where Traditional Affordable Housing Fails
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/the-ezra-klein-show. "Opinion | San Jose’s Approach to Homelessness - The New York Times." May 12, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
San Jose's mayor argues that California has wasted money on expensive housing projects that take too long to build while homeless camps remained visible, losing public support. Instead, cities should use cheaper interim housing combined with clearing nearby camps to show immediate progress and regain community trust.
Conclusion
Cities should shift from expensive, slow affordable housing projects to a 'radically pragmatic' approach using interim housing combined with strict encampment enforcement to effectively address homelessness
Premises
- California's reliance on expensive, slow-moving affordable housing projects has eroded public trust as tent encampments persisted despite massive spending
- San Jose's interim housing sites with local preference policies and enforced no-encampment zones have gained community buy-in from initially hostile neighbors
- Areas around interim housing sites show dramatic reductions in crime calls (911) and blight complaints (311) when people are stabilized indoors
- Building new affordable housing costs 30% more than private market rates and reaches $1 million per unit versus $300,000 for existing housing stock
- The combination of interim housing placement and strict encampment enforcement creates visible progress that rebuilds public support
Assumptions
- Public trust and community support are essential for sustainable homelessness policy
- Visible progress (absence of encampments) is necessary to maintain political support for homelessness interventions
- Interim housing can effectively stabilize people and connect them to services
- Local preference policies are fair and effective for community acceptance
- Cost efficiency should be a primary consideration in homelessness policy