San José Takes Action to Combat Homelessness with Grand Opening of Converted Hotel
The Arena Hotel opens today with 90 units of interim housing available to at-risk residents
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2023
Media Contact:
Tasha Dean, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Matt Mahan, tasha.dean@sanjoseca.gov
SAN JOSÉ, CA - Today, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, joined by City Staff, representatives from HomeFirst and new residents, celebrated the grand opening of the Arena Hotel – a former commercial hotel that has been revamped to serve homeless San Joseans. This interim housing community will provide 90 units to get people living on the streets indoors.
The Arena Hotel was funded in part by a $25.2 million grant from the State’s Homekey program – a statewide effort to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, in addition to $20.8 million from the city’s Measure E funds.
“When the people of San Jose passed Measure E, they stood up and said enough is enough,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “We wouldn’t have anything to celebrate here today if residents across the city didn’t believe the crisis on our streets was an emergency that required emergency action.”
To ensure the community had a voice in this project, a Community Advisory Board was established in which neighbors, concerned residents and formerly homeless individuals could direct questions to City staff and project stakeholders, to understand project timelines and deliverables, as well as a breakdown of how Homekey funding was being spent.
“My team and I will continue to work with our community partners to ensure that the Arena Hotel operates smoothly and delivers on its core mission which is to get folks off the streets and on the pathway to permanent housing,” said District 6 Councilmember Dev Davis.
Day-to-day operations of the Arena Hotel will be overseen by HomeFirst, a leading provider of housing services; prevention, outreach, shelter, interim, and permanent housing programming for individuals who are housing insecure or unhoused in the Bay Area of California. HomeFirst already manages the operations of four of the city’s emergency interim housing (EIH) sites.
“Prior to staying at the Arena Hotel, my living circumstances were pretty harsh. Living at the Arena Hotel has been a wonderful experience because I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to lay my head every night, and I’m in [a] position to get my life together,” said one current Arena Hotel resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
Converted hotels, in addition to emergency interim housing and safe parking sites, serve as valuable tools to get people off the streets quickly as the city pursues the development of permanent affordable housing.
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About the City of San José
With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city in the Bay Area and one of the nation's most diverse and creative. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.